Holiday Inn Club Vacations Piney Shores Resort sits on the wooded shoreline of 20,000-acre Lake Conroe, about an hour north of Houston in the East Texas pines. Condo-style studios and one- and two-bedroom villas come with fully equipped kitchens, private balconies, and a fireplace in most units, plus an in-suite washer/dryer in select layouts — room for the whole family to settle in. On the grounds you'll find an indoor pool and several outdoor pools, an 18-hole miniature golf course, a billiards-and-arcade game room, a movie theater, tennis and sand-volleyball courts, and a private boat ramp with covered slips so you can put your own boat right on the water.

The lake is the main event: 157 miles of shoreline for bass fishing, jet-skiing, sailing, and lazy pontoon afternoons, with the Sam Houston National Forest framing its northern end. Cross the water to Margaritaville Lake Resort for a waterpark and lakeside dining, or drive 20 minutes south to The Woodlands, where Market Street and the Woodlands Waterway pack in shopping, restaurants, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. Historic downtown Conroe adds the 1934 Crighton Theatre, local breweries, and a live-music scene just fifteen minutes from your villa.