IMHO, there are nicer laminate wood options than the Pergo brand. Go to a flooring store and look at all the options. Nicer brands these days even have hand-scraped textures and are pretty indistinguishable from natural hardwood.
We had it installed in our house and love it -- it's more durable (in my experience) than hardwood and much easier to clean than carpet. Ours is dark and looks great, and spills clean up easily.
In my experience, two things to look for to ensure high perceived installed quality are the plank thickness and subfloor material. The thicker the panel and higher quality the subfloor, the more solid and muted it will feel under foot.