The Most Romantic Weekend Getaways in the US
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Romantic weekend getaways look different for every couple—but whether your idea of a great trip together includes a cozy fireplace and a glass of Merlot, a memorable farm-to-table dinner and a stroll through gorgeous gardens, a resort-style beachfront escape, or even a lazy day on a private island, there’s a hotel or resort that can make your vision a reality. From a Colorado cabin surrounded by hot springs to several luxury tropical resorts in Hawaii and Florida (hello: warm weather!), here are our picks for the dreamiest romantic weekend getaways in the US. Visit them any time of year and for any reason, whether you’re seeking a holiday for two, celebrating a milestone, or just in search of a quiet weekend to unwind with nobody to focus on but one another.
This gallery has been updated since its original publish date.
- Courtesy Twin Farmshotel
Twin Farms
$$$ |Gold List 2018
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
What’s to love: Amid the maple and pine trees of Barnard, Vermont—some 75 miles southeast of Burlington—you'll find this 18th-century farmhouse, which once belonged to Nobel Prize-winning writer Sinclair Lewis. Now part of a sprawling, 300-acre Relais & Chateaux estate, the original building is accompanied by 10 singular cottages, the two-bedroom Lodge, the four-bedroom Farmhouse and 8 Michaelis Boyd-designed treehouses. Accommodations range from the understated, rustic-chic treehouses to the modernist, Peter Bohlin-designed Aviary with a living-room hot tub, to the dog-friendly Log Cabin, which features hand-hewn hickory and oak furnishings. Anticipate endless farm-to-table feasts courtesy of chef de cuisine Sylvain Courbet, whose menus change daily, as well as free-flowing wine and Champagne at this all-inclusive spot. Repeat visitors can look forward to newer restaurant Twiggs, a more informal (but equally delectable) affair than the degustation menu of the Dining Room.
Romance factor: Hole up in your accommodation all weekend long, requesting anything and everything simply by dialing 125. You can ask for another bottle of Cabernet, more wood for the fireplace, or an indulgent, multi-course meal served en suite, complete with wine pairings. Alternatively, request a packed meal to savor at one of the property’s many picnic spots, including a platform up in the trees, a mountaintop Lift Shack, and two-person glass house overlooking the produce gardens. Soak up the serenity of nature on a hike in summer or hit the slopes in winter, followed by some après ski time in Twin Farms’ Lean-to Adirondack, equipped with Vermont Wool blankets and a potbelly stove to keep things cozy.
Get there: A 1.5-hour drive from Burlington;; about three hours from Boston
- Courtesy Dunton Hot Springshotel
Dunton Hot Springs — Dolores, Colorado
$$$ |Gold List 2018, 2020
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2024
What’s to love: How does an old mining town in the Colorado Rockies evolve into an incredibly special luxury destination? The answer lies in the water—the hot springs, to be more specific. Capitalizing on the region’s natural resource, Dunton Hot Springs is a collection of kitted-out log cabins surrounded by a half-dozen different hot springs. Once you’ve had your geothermal fix, take advantage of the library and the newly redesigned Saloon with cozy private dining spaces, as well as the expansive wilderness, which is ideal for hiking and horseback riding. Also plan for relaxation time at Dunton’s fabulous spa, where treatments incorporate Amala’s natural skincare line.
Romance factor: Book the three-night Mountain Romance package for the ultimate stay. The offer includes all meals and beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), Champagne upon arrival, two 75-minute spa treatments, and one half-day, privately guided activity for two. Consider adding on the lodge’s Sleigh Ride & Dine experience, which involves a sunset horse-drawn carriage ride to Dunton River Camp, where you’ll be treated to an intimate dinner for two in a 19th-century farmhouse, followed by a bonfire and cocktails under the stars.
Get there: About two hours from Cortez Municipal Airport by car; seven hours from Denver
- Cameron Wilderhotel
The Charleston Place
$$$ |Gold List 2024
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
What’s to Love: Once part of the Belmond collection, this storied hotel in Charleston’s historic district turned a new page in 2021, embarking on an independent journey. Under new ownership, the property is undergoing a $150 million transformation. As of September 2024, the hotel had begun reimagining its timeless aesthetic, blending classic elegance with modern sophistication. Inside the rooms, expect signature “Once Upon a Time in Charleston” touches—mahogany beds, freestanding armoires, and silk draperies framing floor-to-ceiling windows with striking views of the neighborhood. The grand lobby, with its vintage-inspired elegance, hums with activity as locals and guests gather for drinks at the Thoroughbred Club or capture moments near the sweeping double staircase. Pet owners will also appreciate the hotel’s open-door policy for furry friends, welcoming dogs of all sizes without extra fees.
Romance Factor: Located in Charleston’s vibrant downtown, the hotel sits steps from iconic landmarks, scenic parks, and cobblestone streets. For an unforgettable meal, book a table at Sorelle, where Chef Nick Dugan crafts Italian dishes using Low Country ingredients. Back at the hotel, upgrade to the Club Level for access to a stylish two-story lounge serving rotating gourmet menus and complimentary drinks throughout the day.
Get There: About 20 minutes from Charleston Airport; five hours from Atlanta by car.
- Courtesy Rosewood Hotelshotel
Rosewood Miramar Beach
$$$ |Hot List 2020
Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
What’s to Love: This sprawling seaside resort feels like a page out of a coastal fairytale. Opened in 2019, it’s a dreamy mix of modern beach refinement and relaxed sophistication, elevated by Rosewood’s renowned hospitality. High design meets Americana across 16 acres of trimmed boxwoods, rolling lawns, clapboard cottages, and chic oceanfront suites, all framed by endless Pacific views. The 119 rooms and 34 suites scattered across the estate are as thoughtfully crafted as the grounds. The most coveted accommodations are the terrace-level ocean suites, offering the rare chance to step straight from your door onto the sand—a feature unmatched in Santa Barbara. Enhancing the experience are six dining venues showcasing inventive dishes inspired by California’s coast, plus resort-style amenities like an adults-only pool, bocce courts, a sublime Sense Spa, and daily beach activities.
Romance Factor: It’s hard to part ways with this idyllic retreat once you arrive. While room service is tempting, don’t miss Caruso’s for its oceanfront tasting menu featuring Santa Barbara abalone and spiny lobster, or the sustainable omakase experience at AMA Sushi. For maximum Cali beach vibes, toast the day with Champagne at the Miramar Beach Bar, where you just might spot a relaxed A-lister soaking up the vibe. They, too, are drawn here for the fabulous food, atmosphere, and unfussy privacy.
Get There: About 15 minutes from Santa Barbara Airport and a 90-minute drive from Los Angeles International Airport
- Courtesy of Farmhouse Innhotel
The Farmhouse Inn
$$$ |Gold List 2018, 2019, 2020, 2024
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
What’s to Love: This 25-room boutique retreat in the heart of Sonoma wine country captures the region’s essence: a polished yet inviting escape for wine enthusiasts and food lovers who appreciate thoughtful luxury. Accommodations include cottages, barn suites, and farmhouse rooms, each blending rustic touches with modern comfort. Think crackling fireplaces, sliding barn doors, private patios, and deep soaking tubs. Guests are welcomed with hand-cut soaps, artisanal beauty products, and, naturally, generous pours of fine wine. On-site, relax by the heated pool, indulge in treatments at The Wellness Barn, mingle over nightly wine hours, and experience multi-course dining at the Farmhouse Restaurant, where hyper-local, seasonal ingredients take center stage in ever-evolving menus.
Romance Factor: Sonoma’s renowned wineries are just moments away. Farmhouse Inn’s thoughtfully curated wine program includes 25 winery partners, personally selected by co-owner Joe Bartolomei, offering exclusive tastings and tours for guests. The concierge team is ready to craft a personalized wine itinerary tailored to your preferences. For a change of scenery, take a short drive to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, where strolling under majestic ancient trees offers a tranquil and intimate escape.
Get there: About 20 minutes from Santa Rosa Airport and two and a half hours from San Francisco.
- Sea Ranchhotel
The Sea Ranch Lodge
$$ |Readers' Choice Awards 2024
What’s to love: Though directly off California’s iconic Highway 1—and still within Sonoma County—The Sea Ranch Lodge feels worlds away, offering true escapism without leaving the continental United States. Perched on a rugged, high-rising stretch of Northern California coastline affectionately dubbed the “Scottish Coast,” the 17-room lodge immerses visitors in breathtaking vistas of sapphire seas, ever-shifting moody skies, and lush emerald landscapes at every turn. This uninterrupted connection to nature is rooted in the vision of the forward-thinking designers, architects, and landscape architects who first brought the lodge to life in 1965. After an extensive multi-year renovation completed in summer 2023, the lodge has re-emerged as a thoughtfully updated version of its original low-rise, eco-chic predecessor. Its distinctive design—stacked wood-and-glass cubes, slanted shed roofs, and striking geometric details—offers a Scandinavian-inspired utopia where history, modernity, and timelessness converge along the California coast.
Romance factor: Inside, the rooms are a masterclass in simplicity, warmth, and romance. Daybeds hug rectangular bay windows, in-room fireplaces radiate a cozy glow, and oversized tufted chairs beckon relaxation. Hand-woven textile art adorns the walls, adding a personal, handcrafted touch. Televisions are purposefully absent—a decision that feels less like an omission and more like an invitation to fully engage. Indeed, this is the kind of place that inspires quiet journaling, intimate conversations, sketching by the window,or simply savoring the profound beauty of the surroundings in a state of complete presence–and togetherness.
Get there: About 90 minutes from Santa Rosa Airport and three hours from San Francisco.
- San Ysidro Ranchhotel
San Ysidro Ranch — Santa Barbara
$$$ |Gold List 2025
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023
What’s to love: The pinnacle of US romantic retreats, this history-steeped, 550-acre hideaway overlooking the scenic coast of Montecito has hosted the who’s who of high society, world politics, and Hollywood over the decades, including honeymooners John and Jacqueline Kennedy in 1953. Today, San Ysidro Ranch stands as a comprehensive study in ultra-luxury—past and present—where cascading gardens, bucolic vine-cloaked cottages, and detail-focused staff set the stage for timeless love stories. Each of the 38 accommodations is individually decorated, featuring hand-selected antique furnishings, original artwork, handmade four-poster canopy beds, and sublime soaking tubs (all cottages also flaunt private patios with outdoor rain showers, oversized sunken spas, and dining areas.) Manicured grounds are strewn with olive and oak groves, lavender fields, lemon pergolas, and rose gardens, framing pathways that reach coveted creature comforts like a heated hillside pool, a full-service spa, award-winning restaurant, The Stonehouse, and under-the-radar celeb hangout, The Speakeasy at Plow & Angel. Complimentary dining is included in the nightly rate.
Romance factor: Enjoy a private, candle-lit dinner in the property’s most historic space, a bona fide old adobe cottage dating to 1825, choosing from the same sublime farm-and ocean-to-table menu of The Stonehouse (The Santa Barbara diver-caught sea urchin, pan-seared Santa Barbara abalone with housemade squid ink capellini, and line-caught English Channel Dover sole are three must-tries.) Organize a tasting in the Secret Cellar, tucked behind the 15,500+ bottles of the Ranch’s principal underground wine cellar, and sip away as a designated sommelier guides you through flights of fine international and local wines. Venture off-property for rewarding hikes and pursuits in Santa Barbara wine country.
Get there: A 90-minute drive from Los Angeles International Airport
- Tim Lenz/Courtesy Skyline Lodgehotel
Skyline Lodge — Highlands, North Carolina
What’s to love: Though fall is our favorite time to visit, this revamped retro-chic motor lodge in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains is a value-conscious option for appreciating North Carolina’s great outdoors in all seasons (It’s also a great choice for couples who like to travel with their dogs, even on romantic outings). Guest rooms surround a lifestyle-driven lawn (cornhole and s’mores, anyone?) where pups and peeps are free to roam. In-house restaurant, Oak Steakhouse, is located at the edge of the property, meaning fabulous drinking and dining are literally just steps away.
Romance factor: Days here are often about rewarding hikes, and there are dozens of trails to choose from, including Whiteside Mountain, a short but steep two-mile Whiteside Mountain trail with sweeping views from the highest vertical cliffs in the eastern United States. Discover the myriad, breathtaking waterfalls the Highlands are famed for, starting with an exhilarating ascent to High Falls in Lake Glenville’s Pines Recreation Area as well as a trip to serene Ranger Falls. In warmer months, look forward to boating, biking, horseback riding, and fly-fishing—you’re in prime North Carolina trout territory, after all.
Get there: A one-and-a-half-hour drive from Asheville by car; three-and-a-half hours from Atlanta
- Amanhotel
Amangiri — Utah
$$$ |Gold List 2018, 2019
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
What’s to love: In between the towering sandstone cliffs and dramatic rust-hued canyons of southern Utah lies Amangiri, a working masterclass in delivering ultra-luxury in one of America’s most unspoiled, picturesque settings. Breathtaking vistas of the Colorado Plateau abound thanks to a minimalist design that skews heavy on glass, transitional indoor-outdoor spaces and structures etched into the surrounding sedimentary rock, including the got-to-see-it-believe-it heated swimming pool. Spacious rooms promise the ultimate in serenity, service is tops without being intrusive, the gastronomy is consistently excellent, and activities skew experiential to once-in-a-lifetime. It's with good reason Amangiri reigns one of the most hyped hotels on social media.
Romance factor: Wear your cutest desert hiking threads for the Navajo Nation Slot Canyons tour. Amangiri boasts exclusive access to several of the canyons near iconic Antelope Canyon, including Rattlesnake Canyon and Owl Canyon. Here, you’ll revel in the red rock glory without the crowds, returning with the most amazing photos to prove it (Aman’s guides are well versed in the canyons’ most Instagrammable shots and are happy to snap away.) Another day, plan to scale mountain sides via cables and ladder rungs at the on-site Via Ferrata circuit, bonding over this unforgettable (and white-knuckled), instructor-led experience. Afterwards, relax in the 25,000 square feet spa and then engage in one of the many Navajo cultural activities in the main pavilion, including Navajo storytelling by the fire.
Get there: A twenty-minute drive from Page Airport; a 4.5-hour drive from Phoenix International Airport and four-hour drive from Las Vegas International Airport
- Heather Anne Thomas/Courtesy Blackberry Farmhotel
Blackberry Farm — Walland, Tennessee
$$$ |Gold List 2018, 2025
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024
What’s to love: Farm life is the good life at Blackberry Farm, a 4,200-acre pastoral estate in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, peppered with hill cottages and multi-bedroom homes in styles ranging from country glam to sheer modernism. Expect days filled with on-estate active pursuits like archery, horseback riding, fly-fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and wake surfing on surrounding mountain lakes. Looking for more leisurely pursuits? Book “birdwatching for the love birds,” wine tastings, spa treatments, and decadent multi-course dinners rooted in Appalachian ingredients at James Beard Award-winning restaurant, The Barn at Blackberry Farm.
Romance factor: Rise and shine for an epic sunrise over the Great Smoky Mountains. Reconnect with nature, yourself, and your loved one during a 90-minute Deep Healing Woods meditation or yoga session, led by an instructor and performed deep in the woodsy surrounds (read: there will be a small hike first). After, let your muscles melt during a 50, 80, or 110-minute couples’ massage at The Wellhouse, the property’s sprawling spa and wellness center.
Get there: A four-hour drive from Atlanta; three hours from Asheville; 45 minutes from Knoxville
- Four Seasons Resort Lanaihotel
Four Seasons Resort Lanai — Hawaii
$$$ |Gold List 2018, 2020, 2022
Hot List 2017
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
What’s to love: With a resident population of around 3,100 and an acreage just under 150 square miles, Lanai is about as off-the-grid as it gets within the United States. Here, the iconic Four Seasons Resort Lanai rises above picture-perfect Hulope Bay, delivering a sense of seclusion—and style of pampering—typically found only on a private island. Take in the sweeping views, hike the rocky coastline (or the nearby cliffs), unwind in the Hawanawana Spa, and indulge in meals at on-site restaurants Nobu, Malibu Farm, One Forty and new addition Osteria Mozza Lanai (by celebrity Chef Nancy Silverton).
Romance factor: Look forward to off-the-grid activities, which can be booked pre-arrival through the Four Seasons or on-site through Lanai Ambassadors. Rent a house Jeep, and choose your own adventure across Lanai’s endless dirt roads, passing expanses of rocky, windswept terrain and discovering beaches you’ll have all to yourself. Charter a private catamaran from the resort for a Champagne-in-hand sunset sail, and the chance to see humpback whales breaching on the horizon. Back on property, take advantage of amenities such as the adults-only pool area, which has cabana cocoons and rock grottoes, and hike the short, cliff-side path to Pu'upehe (Sweetheart Rock).
Get there: A 25-minute flight from Honolulu
- Charissa Fayhotel
1 Hotel South Beach – Miami
$$ |Gold List 2023
Hot List 2016
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
What’s to love: In between the neon-trimmed Art Deco mainstays of South Beach rises this soothing, nature-inspired hotel that delivers a holistic retox-detox Miami fantasy—with a welcomed, eco-conscious slant. Look forward to a sprawling warm-weather escape rife with the most picture-perfect expanses, from an eye-catching lobby, anchored by a triple-story, moss-strewn living wall to 600 feet of full-service linear beachfront to Miami Beach’s largest rooftop swimming pool (fronting a primo Miami see-and-be-seen restaurant, Watr at the Rooftop). The 1’s guest rooms and suites are both vacation and staycation romance gold; they’re unexpectedly large, starting at 550 square feet, many with ocean-view balconies, and all featuring floor-to-ceiling glass doors or windows plus open floor plans. Adding to the buzz is a 100% carbon-neutral mantra, which manifests through the likes of recycled pine headboards, clothes hangers made from recycled paper, and in-room water filters, proving that sustainability and luxury can beautifully coexist.
Romance factor: Fitness-driven couples will appreciate the advanced wellness programming (glute camp and metabolic meltdown are two favorites), an on-site Soul Cycle studio, and the cutting-edge Anatomy Gym. Recharged and renewed, head to Tala at 1 South Beach, Miami’s superlative feet-in-the-sand restaurant/bar. Located directly on the 1’s sandy swathe, Tala serves Spanish-centric cuisine to the soundtracks of live music and DJs. It’s a sunkissed reverie of sprawling daybeds, driftwood furniture, overstuffed pillows, and woven textiles planted in the sands among sea grapes, towering palms, and potted succulents. For dinner, look no further than downstairs to signature restaurant Aviv to enjoy Israeli-inspired cuisine by James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Solomonov.
Get there: A 20-minute ride from Miami International Airport
- Courtesy The Resort at Paws Uphotel
The Resort at Paws Up — Montana
$$$ |Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024
What’s to love: This 37,000-acre ranch, famed for its family-friendly glamping, is also home to The Green O, a secluded adults-only section that masterfully blends rugged wilderness with refined luxury. The Green O features 12 architecturally unique “hauses” that harmonize Scandinavian-inspired design with the untamed beauty of the surrounding pine and tamarack forest. Couples can select from four distinct styles, including the “Tree Haus,” a dramatic three-story hideaway perched among the treetops with panoramic platforms, a spiral staircase, and a private hot tub. The “Light Haus” captivates with its expansive windows and stargazing opportunities, while the “Round Haus” and “Green Haus” deliver sleek, contemporary spaces with fireplaces and atriums that bring the outdoors in, creating serene moments under the Montana sky. For adventure enthusiasts, the ranch provides over 50 activities, ranging from guided fly-fishing, wildlife bike safaris, and horseback riding in summer to snowmobiling, moonbiking, and ice fishing during winter.
Romance factor: Dining at The Social Haus, exclusive to Green O guests, is a culinary highlight. James Beard finalist Executive Chef Brandon Cunningham crafts nightly eight-course menus that elevate local ingredients into works of art. Dishes like beet and huckleberry tartar or grilled bison with peppers showcase his creativity, all complemented by an open bar and gracious hospitality.
Get there: About 40 minutes from Missoula airport
- The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMadhotel
The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad
$$$ |Gold List 2025
Hot List 2023
Readers' Choice Awards 2023, 2024
What’s to love: Despite having America’s largest and most vibrant metropolis at your fingertips, we wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to leave confines of this chic hotel, which rises 50 stories over the NYC’s burgeoning NoMad neighborhood and commands spectacular city views from just about everywhere. The newly constructed modernist building impresses with a surfeit of personality-driven, high design spaces by some of the biggest names in the industry, including Rafael Viñoly Architects, Rockwell Group, Lazaro Rosa-Violan Studio, Martin Brudnizki, and SUSSURUS International. The design showcase begins with a wow-factor lobby, erupting in plant life and floral presentations, the first—and most overt—nod to the hotel’s location in the city’s vibrant Flower District (Soon after, the inspiration becomes magnificently conceptual. Think: chandeliers fashioned after flower pedals.) The hotel’s 250 residential-style guest rooms include 19 suites, each looking sharp in sleek accents and lines and timeless with a neutral color palette and near floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the room with natural light and skyline vistas. Overall, this ultra-luxe property looks and feels more like a love child between brands Aman and 1 Hotels and less like Ritz-Carlton’s predictable fare—and we’re here for it.
Romance factor: Book ahead for the tasting menu downstairs at The Bazaar by José Andrés and embark on a memorable culinary journey that unites the best of Spain and Japan. Kick off the night with a pre-dinner cocktail at The Bazaar Bar, ogling the glamorous surroundings and the artistically presented drinks. For a nightcap, ascend to the 50th floor to Nubeluz, one of Manhattan’s premiere rooftop bars. Take the food and drink experience up a notch by staying on The Ritz-Carlton Club Level, which grants access to a sprawling 36th floor lounge. Here, an endless pour of Champagne, full-on food presentations by José Andrés (the likes of which include composed oysters and jumbo prawn cocktail) and panoramas of downtown Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty await.
Get there: Right in the heart of New York City; a 35-minute ride from New York’s LaGuardia Airport
- Gordon Beall/The Inn at Little Washingtonhotel
Inn at Little Washington — Virginia
$$$ |Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2021
What’s to love: Food lovers and true romantics should check into this 23-key Relais & Chateaux property by Chef and owner Patrick O’ Connell, where design and service excellence match the gastronomic greatness of the Inn’s three-star Michelin restaurant. Over the last 45+ years, O’ Connell, who was bestowed a James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award and National Humanities Medal in 2019, has nurtured his passion project into an entire campus of restored historic buildings, including a main inn, an 1850s Victorian house, a circa 1740s cottage, the informal Patty O’s Café & Bakery and a three-star Michelin restaurant that’s quite possibly the country’s best. Standouts from a recent meal included a henhouse egg of garlic custard with sunchoke puree and parmesan cream; a pasta “rose” with local silver queen corn, chanterelles, and sungold tomatoes; and a chartreuse of savoy cabbage and Maine lobster with caviar beurre blanc.
Romance factor: Wow your loved one by booking an in-kitchen experience with O’Connell, during which he’ll guide you through his creative process and showpiece gilded kitchen over truffle-rich popcorn, caviar-laced bites, and fine wine before enjoying an epic, multi-course dinner. (Reservations must be made in advance.) Allow ample time to linger in your suite or cottage—the Americana-meets-Victorian floral fairytale rooms are idyllic backdrops for romance under the sheets. Map out hikes, short and long, through nearby Shenandoah National Park to help work off decadent breakfasts, afternoon tea, and the never-ending snacks found around the Inn.
Get there: About two hours from Washington, D.C. by car; four hours from Philadelphia
- Kindra Clineff/Courtesy The Pointhotel
The Point — Upper Saranac Lake, New York
$$$ |Readers' Choice Awards 2023, 2024
What’s to love: Go back in time to the Great Camp era of the late 19th century and experience a harbinger of American glamping at William Avery Rockefeller’s former private estate, The Point, in Upper Saranac Lake. Sleep in one of four rustic log houses, where guestrooms feature period furnishings, a roaring stone fireplace, and bonafide Rockefeller relics. Take to the forested lakeside grounds for active pursuits, from curling, snowshoeing, and ice skating in winter to hiking, waterskiing, and boating in summer.
Romance factor: Impeccable hospitality and bucolic surroundings recreate a lost-in-time glamor. Staff stand at the ready to pour glasses of sparkling wine and serve an array of gourmet snacks throughout the day—the all-inclusive policy and culinary excellence of noted Chef D’Anthony Foster and his team make it hard to say no. In the tradition of the Rockefellers, nightly dinner is an elaborate, formal affair and a chance to dress to impress, namely on black-tie Wednesdays and Saturdays. There’s plenty of romance during the day, too. Anticipate morning mimosas at the private ice bar over frozen Upper Saranac Lake in winter. Come summer, indulge in a private, multi-course lunch at Camp David, a tiny cabin hidden within The Point’s network of nature trails, as well as picture-perfect sunset cruises on a vintage wooden boat.
Get there: Direct Cape Air flights from Boston and New York City to Saranac Lake, NY with complimentary transportation to and from The Point; about a five-and-a-half-hour drive from New York City or Boston
- Little Palm Island Resort & Spahotel
Little Palm Island — Little Torch Key, Florida
$$$ |Hot List 2021
Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
What’s to love: The most illustrious retreat in the Florida Keys—and the only private island resort in the U.S.—is a study in tropical chic, redefining the castaway fantasy right on American soil. There are a total of 30 thatched-roof bungalow suites (some freestanding, some within larger bungalows) across the four-acre island, many with four-poster beds and outdoor copper bathtubs. Thanks to a smart layout and smarter landscaping, you’ll encounter other people less often than you’d expect (a strict cap at 60 guests helps). All suites have water views, outdoor showers, and furnished decks; most also overlook private slivers of white-sand beach and are kitted out with hammocks, loungers, and fire pits. Our favorites among them are the second-story Island Premier Suites, which showcase the top views and provide a spacious 1,020-square-foot suite to enjoy them.The Dining Room has sweeping sea views, and the spectacular SpaTerre complex is underscored by a breezy, two-story atrium.
Romance factor: Laze the day away on a beachfront hammock or a poolside lounger, followed by gloriously long outdoor showers and baths. Or get your heart racing with house water sports—house paddle boards, Hobie Cat catamarans, and Twin Vee boats are readily available. Pamper yourself with a rejuvenating spa treatment—or two—and as the day turns to night, indulge in private dining on the beach. Savor the exquisite flavors of The Dining Room’s cuisine, toes in the sand, on your own secluded stretch of shoreline, surrounded by the warm glow of tiki torches. Then, surprise your loved one with a romantic turndown service. Options abound, often including classic touches like rose petals, chilled Champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, softly glowing candles, and a perfectly drawn bath.
Get there: A 30-minute drive from Key West International Airport to Little Torch Key’s ramp; 2.5 hours from Miami International Airport
- CHRIS CARTERhotel
W South Beach — Miami
$$$ |Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
What’s to love: The design-forward, all-suite W South Beach is a more mature representation of the W brand thanks mainly to a calming aesthetic, defined by natural oak furnishings, beach house-style millwork, and a mingling of earth tones with pops of coral and teal. Views of the Atlantic Ocean abound, whether through the floor-to-ceiling windows or from the balconies found in every room. Of course, there’s a great lounge-y vibe across the common areas and a sizzling pool scene—it is a W, after all. But the hotel is far more elevated than your standard W fare with features like a multi-million-dollar art collection in the lobby and extensive complimentary programming. Choose from an array of engaging activities, including yoga sessions, high-intensity interval training, cocktail-making workshops, an evening wine and cheese hour, or even an intimate cigar session with the property’s charismatic General Manager and resident cigar aficionado, Rick Ueno.
Romance factor: Book a relaxing massage in the couple’s room at the 9,000-square-foot Away Spa, a tranquil sanctuary adorned with soothing earth tones, soft lighting, and plush treatment beds, where every detail is designed to enhance relaxation and intimacy. Alternate between beach time along the W’s dedicated stretch of sand and pool time in a private cabana. Sip on sunset cocktails at Irma’s, the hotel’s tropical outdoor bar, lunch poolside on superb sushi, and later dine at one of Miami’s top tables.
Get there: A 20-minute ride from Miami International Airport