Devon has been named the third most child-friendly holiday destination in the world.
Beautiful beaches, child-friendly restaurants and the short journey time proved popular in a poll of 2,000 parents.
Somerset, Dorset and the Isle of Wight were other UK destinations to make the top ten - and Cornwall topped the poll.
The Duchy pipped Orlando in Florida with its vast theme parks and near-constant sunshine which was marked down for its long flying time of around nine hours.
The Spanish islands of Majorca, Menorca and Tenerife and the Costa Del Sol on the mainland made up the rest of the top ten.
A spokesman for UK's leading holiday home lettings company Holidaylettings.co.uk, which commissioned the research, said: "If you have young children, there is so much to consider when deciding when to go on holiday, where to go and what accommodation to stay in.
"Not only do you need to choose somewhere that is safe for children, but you also want somewhere that has plenty of things to do, food that fussy kids will be happy to eat and also a journey which will be as stress-free as possible.
"While Orlando might have the theme parks that children dream of, the high temperatures and long travelling time can push it down a parent's wish list - at least until the children are a little older."
The poll also named the Canary Islands as good family destinations with Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura at 11, 12 and 14 respectively.
The Brittany area of France came 13th while the UK's Lake District and North Wales region followed close behind.
Cyprus, Ireland, Corfu and Crete completed the top 20.
Other UK destinations to feature in the top 50 include West Wales, the Yorkshire Dales, Peak District and the Scottish Highlands.
Norfolk, the Cotswolds and Snowdonia also rank highly among parents.
Lapland features at number 24 while, perhaps surprisingly, Ibiza is at 30, despite being known mostly for its nightclubs and party atmosphere.
The study also found that parents reckon the ideal child-friendly holiday would last an average of 10 days and involve less than five hours of travelling time.
And while 60 per cent would like to travel by plane, more than one in four would prefer somewhere where they only have a car journey to worry about.
For a destination or resort to be perfect for a young family, half of the parents polled said it must have nice beaches while 28 per cent say children's swimming pools are essential.
Other priorities when choosing where to go for a family holiday include nearby play areas, a good choice of food to cater for fussy eaters and a shallow sea.
It doesn't always go to plan though as the survey found that almost three in ten parents have gone somewhere and found it was completely unsuitable for children.
More than half say they find it a huge stress trying to find somewhere that is suitable for the whole family with worries about whether the accommodation is right for children and there are plenty of activities to keep everyone happy.
Six in ten parents also worry about the food that will be on offer in their destination or resort and whether their young children will be happy eating it.
Researchers found that 88 per cent of people say it is important that any holiday they book is child-friendly.
And more than eight in ten even said making sure a destination or resort is child-friendly is their main priority when booking a holiday.
Top 50 most child-friendly destinations
1. Cornwall, UK
2. Orlando, USA
3. Devon, UK
4. Majorca
5. Costa Del Sol, Spain
6. Isle of Wight
7. Menorca
8. Dorset, UK
9. Somerset, UK
10. Tenerife
11. Gran Canaria
12. Lanzarote
13. Brittany, France
14. Fuerteventura
15. Lake District, UK
16. North Wales, UK
17. Cyprus
18. Ireland
19. Corfu, Greece
20. Crete, Greece
21. West Wales, UK
22. The Algarve
23. Yorkshire Dales, UK
24. Lapland
25. Peak District, UK
26. Scottish Highlands, UK
27. Kos, Greece
28. Portugal
29. Paris, France
30. Ibiza
31. Rhodes, Greece
32. Norfolk Broads, UK
33. Cotswolds, UK
34. Nice, France
35. Snowdonia, UK
36. Zakynthos, Greece
37. Essex, UK
38. Barcelona, Spain
39. Brecon Beacons, UK
40. Los Angeles, USA
41. Santorini, Greece
42. Saint Tropez, France
43. Rome, Italy,
44. Lake Garda, Italy
45. Tuscany, Italy
46. New York, USA
47. Caribbean
48. Egypt
49. Puerto Banus, Spain
50. Florence, Italy
Top ten priorities for a family holiday
1. Nice beaches
2. Flight/journey time
3. Children's swimming pools
4. On-site entertainment
5. Good attitude to children
6. Children's activities
7. Children's clubs
8. Play areas
9. Good choice of food
10. Shallow sea
