It depends on what room. For the kitchen, mudroom & bathroom i want tile, for every other room solid wood or engineered wood in white oak stain. IMO, i'm not a fan of walnut stain on floors, but very useful on kitchen cabinets

I had the same dilemma. I wanted a hard surface in all of the major traffic areas of my home. I also have kids and a large dog. The labor expense to lay tile is huge and several flooring contractors who gave me bids said the tile would be cold to walk on, plus it chips. I ended up going with a medium to high quality laminate which I absolutely love. It looks just like real wood but doesn't scratch. I probably went a tad too dark in the color so dust shows up- something to think about unless you like swiffering all the time. We did tile in the bathrooms, which also looks beautiful- but there are a few chips and it is cold to walk on. Just a few things to consider...

Real wood floors are beautiful, but they do have their downsides. Nightmare in kitchens/bathrooms, and can be damaged by kids and pets. We are doing wood looking tiles (because we are doing underfloor heating, and I want to use it in bathrooms and kitchen).

Marazzi has some really pretty dark, and light, very real looking tiles. Marazzi Treverkchic and Treverk Home are the prettiest, in my opinion. I am doing Treverkhome in Castagno.

http://www.marazzi.it/en/ceramic-and-stoneware/collections/treverkchic?pid=589
http://www.marazzi.it/en/ceramic-and-stoneware/collections/treverkhome?pid=431

We went thru this same decision last year, and you're going to get many different opinions on this subject. Everyone you talk to will try to convince you that their product is the way to go. We ended up putting wood everywhere except the laundry / mud room and bathrooms. For me, tile is too hard on my feet and back. We went with 3/4" solid maple and have been very happy. There is no perfect solution. Yes, wood can get scratched or dinged. But it is a desirable, life-of-your-house product.

Wood is much more forgiving for children when they fall. Also when you drop kitchen items. That is why cork floors were so popular for so long. Those who had them loved them - the ultra safety floor. The new look cork also looks great.
Depending on the house layout you can have a hard surface like tiles in the common areas and change to timber in the living and bedroom areas. Generally If the colours are similar the transition will work.