We went with laminate (Wilsonart, I think) when we redid the kitchen in '98. It has held up fine, although we are careful to not cut or place hot pans on it. They have a beveled edge option now for laminate which we used, as we have a breakfast bar that is open on three sides. The beveled edge makes it look more like a solid surface.
Our main concern with granite is that we prefer lighter colors, which are limited in granite. Most tend to be dark shades.
If I could justify re-doing the counters, now I'd go with quartz Zodiaq by DuPont. They have a pretty color in their Terra Collection called Calm Springs, which is a light blue/gray with flecks of clear recycled glass. If my calculations are correct, the cost would be about 40 percent more than what we paid for the laminate in '98, which isn't too bad. The price jumps fast if you go with any of the optional edges.