Whether you’re after sweeping beaches or mountain trails, barbecues or Michelin-starred restaurants, these chic resorts offer quintessential summertime pleasures.
Sunset Beach; Shelter Island, NY
André Balazs brought his signature sleek, urban style to a distinctly un-sceney part of Long Island with this boutique property. Each of the 20 airy, white-on-white guest rooms has a sundeck with views over a slice of private beach; common areas include an open-air Mediterranean bistro and a boutique stocked with seaside must-haves like K. Jacques sandals and Sons & Daughters sunglasses. The multilingual, effortlessly hip staff can arrange in-room massages, bike rentals and even grooming for dogs (who are welcome to stay). Ballers with $3,000 to spare can avoid traffic and charter a 45-minute flight out of Manhattan on StndAIR (also owned by Balazs). sunsetbeachli.com
Inn at Perry Cabin, Maryland
On the banks of the Miles River—an easterly offshoot of Chesapeake Bay—this 1816 manor house sits amid 25 acres of manicured gardens and rolling green lawns. It’s an easy launching pad for various nautical pursuits: sailing, fishing, boat-building seminars, even cruising aboard a working oyster dredge. Highlights on land include a wisteria-and-rose-surrounded swimming pool and the Linden Spa (where honey, herbs and flowers grown onsite are used in the facial and body treatments). perrycabin.com
Inn by the Sea; Cape Elizabeth, ME
Set on a bluff overlooking Casco Bay and the mile-long sweep of Crescent Beach, this resort is a modern, eco-friendly take on a New England inn. The 61 guest rooms, suites and cottages—all fresh and beachy, with white wainscoting and snappy striped rugs—were redesigned in 2008 using recycled materials; the pool is solar-heated, and the entire property is heated with biofuels. While offsite nature forays can be arranged—including whale-watching tours and kayaking excursions with Audubon guides—there’s plenty of wildlife to see right on the property: The inn maintains two acres as a protected habitat for the at-risk cottontail rabbits, and the indigenous blooming gardens are a haven for migrating monarch butterflies. innbythesea.com
Amangiri; Canyon Point, UT
This 600-acre resort—whose striking sandstone-and-glass architecture blends into the surrounding desert—is a destination unto itself. Guests can explore miles of canyon hiking trails, lounge by a cliff-edged swimming pool, or seek sanctuary in the 25,000-square-foot, Navajo-inspired spa with its tranquil yoga pavilion. Those who’d rather raft, horseback ride or trek farther afield, though, can do so in some of the Southwest’s most spectacular landscapes: The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, and both Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks are less than two hours away. amanresorts.com/amangiri
The Omni Grove Park Inn, North Carolina
Set on a westerly slope in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this 142-acre resort marked its 100th birthday in July 2013. Accordingly, the property has undertaken a $25 million renovation, with several new features—a grand Great Hall and cocktail terrace, a restaurant and craft beer bar, a cluster of boutiques and 166 revamped rooms—all set to debut for the centennial. Less new, but equally fabulous: the historic Donald Ross–designed golf course, a decadent spa (which includes an outdoor, mountain-view massage pagoda), and the lively dueling-piano bar. groveparkinn.com
The Inn at White Elephant Village; Nantucket, MA
Just across the street from its sister property, the legendary White Elephant, this 20-unit inn occupies a more-than-century-old building. The redesign, however, is as modern as Nantucket gets: A lobby lounge with ovoid chandeliers and conical leather banquettes leads to guest rooms outfitted with faux-snakeskin headboards, bold black-and-white photography and glass-block showers. Outside, a heated swimming pool is ringed by South Beach–style cabanas. Happily, the property’s pre-arrival concierge can still arrange plenty of old-Nantucket diversions—including family lighthouse tours and sunset cruises aboard a Hinckley picnic boat. whiteelephantvillage.com
The Wheatleigh; Lenox MA
Built in 1893 to resemble a 16th-century Florentine palazzo—and with its 22-acre property landscape-designed by Frederick Law Olmsted—this estate might be the Berkshires’ grandest summer destination. A stone’s throw from Tanglewood, it attracts the sort of music lovers who prefer their pleasures (like their music) classical: strolls through the parklike gardens, pours of Domaine LeFlaive Burgundy from the onsite cellar, and foie gras or escargot at one of two formal dining rooms. After evening performances, symphony-goers can retire to one of 19 rooms with suitably rarefied architectural details: arched doorways, coffered ceilings and private fireplaces. wheatleigh.com
El Encanto; Santa Barbara, CA
Once a famed haunt of Old Hollywood stars like Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, El Encanto—which first opened its doors in 1918—relaunched in March 2013 after extensive renovations (courtesy of its new owners, Orient-Express). The resort’s original Craftsman- and Spanish Colonial-style bungalows were painstakingly restored, and the interiors were thoroughly modernized: All 92 breezy suites now sport marble baths with heated stone floors, king-size beds and tiled private terraces with Pacific views. Also brand-new: the chef’s garden that supplies the restaurant with fresh herbs and veggies, a spa specializing in vinotherapy treatments, and a fleet of custom electric bicycles that guests can use to explore the area—which was historically dubbed “the American Riviera.” elencanto.com
The Omni Homestead Resort; Hot Springs, VA
This hot spring–fed property in the Allegheny Mountains has been welcoming guests since before the Revolutionary War. But today’s resort bears little resemblance to the first incarnation, which opened its doors in 1766. Now encompassing 3,000 acres, The Homestead boasts twin championship golf courses, an equestrian center, a shooting club, seven restaurants and bars, and 483 country-luxe rooms and suites. The brand-new Canyon Ranch SpaClub (launched in June 2013, in partnership with the eponymous spa resorts) is a 60,000-square-foot complex offering geothermal mineral soaks, mud wraps and aromatic steam treatments. thehomestead.com
St. Regis Aspen; Aspen, CO
A $40-million redesign brought this resort to new life in 2011. Set at the base of Aspen Mountain and reimagined in the style of a Gilded Age manor, the property’s 206 rooms and suites are now light-filled chambers decorated with locally harvested stone and hickory-wood paneling. While the firelit library, onsite ski shop and heated outdoor pool draw winter visitors, summertime guests can go hiking, whitewater rafting, mountain-biking or even paragliding. They can also dine at the newly opened Chefs Club by Food & Wine, where a rotating roster of past Best New Chefs lead classes and create seasonal dishes for the menu. (This summer’s lineup includes BNC 2011 Jason Franey and BNC 2010 Missy Robbins.) stregisaspen.com
Solage Calistoga; Calistoga, CA
This northern Napa Valley compound—where the 89 modern, light-filled rooms and suites are fueled by solar panels and the parking lot has electric car–charging stations—takes its terroir very seriously. At the onsite Michelin-starred restaurant, Solbar, chef Brandon Sharp takes full advantage of the region’s bountiful organic produce; a running “Sunday School” program allows guests to taste and learn about different vintages from more than 200 Napa wineries. Even the spa makes use of Calistoga’s geothermal assets, offering volcanic-mud and mineral-water baths. solagecalistoga.com
Inn at Palmetto Bluff; Bluffton, SC
Fifty graceful private cottages—all with pine-plank floors, fireplaces and screened porches—make up this property in the heart of South Carolina’s low country. Part of a 20,000-acre development that also encompasses an extensive nature preserve, the inn offers guests nature tours in the marshes along the winding May River, golf on its signature Jack Nicklaus course, cruises on its 100-year-old motor yacht, and a series of culinary events that celebrate Southern cooking (including a wildly popular oyster roast on Labor Day weekend). palmettobluff.com
Cresto Ranch; Dolores, CO
This luxury tented camp is the newest addition to Dunton Hot Springs—an exclusive, backcountry resort in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. Eight spacious tents—each containing a king-size bed, a gas stove, and both a shower and soaking tub—occupy a clearing four miles down the Dolores River from the main resort, and cater to those seeking more privacy and closer communion with nature. Tent-dwellers can still socialize, though, during meals at a common 19th-century farmhouse; they can also take advantage of Dunton’s lengthy menu of high-country activities, like fly fishing, hiking, river rafting and horseback riding. duntonhotsprings.com
Montauk Beach House; Montauk, NY
The hippest landing pad in ultrahip Montauk (which has morphed from a pokey fishing town to a jet-setter hub in recent years), this property opened its doors at the end of summer 2012. The motel-esque buildings, which overlook twin pools and an outdoor bar, belie the Steampunk aesthetic of the 33 rooms and suites: reclaimed wood, cast-iron fixtures and claw-foot tubs. This being its first real season, the resort is gearing up to host all kinds of happenings—including poolside DJ-spun parties, fashion shows and art exhibitions. thembh.com
Weekapaug Inn; Weekapaug, RI
A brand-new sister property to Ocean House, in nearby Westerly, RI, this inn occupies a renovated 1939 manse set on a spit between the Atlantic and Quonochontaug Pond. The inn’s 31 rooms and suites employ a cheerful mix of traditional elements—hand-braided rugs, wicker trunks—but with bold Frette textiles and slick modern baths. The pastimes here (croquet, catboat sailing, weekly campfire clambakes) are old school and satisfying. weekapauginn.com
Blackberry Farm, Tennessee
Guests of this 4,200-acre estate and working farm in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains can join foraging expeditions for wild ingredients like ramps and chanterelles, participate in wine tastings and cooking demonstrations, and eat very well. Meals are made entirely from farm produce (including heirloom-variety fruits and vegetables, wildflower honey, eggs from heritage chickens, and artisanal cheeses from the resident herd of East Friesian sheep). August is “Garden Month” at the farm, where daily free seminars are offered for guests who want to learn about seed preservation, insectaries and crop rotation. blackberryfarm.com
Rancho Valencia; Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Encompassing 45 acres of flowering gardens, trails, fountains and olive groves, this property just north of San Diego has the feel of a Mediterranean hacienda. The resort reopened in autumn 2012, after a $30 million refurbishment. Though improvements were made to every part of the property—including the 49 rustic-chic casitas with private patios and exposed-beam ceilings, and two farm-to-table restaurants—extra attention was given to the health and fitness facilities. Besides resurfacing all 18 of its tennis courts, the property has debuted a lineup of new treatments and fitness classes at its reimagined spa, and hosts multiday retreats at its open-air, 1,000-square-foot yoga pavilion. ranchovalencia.com
Waldorf Astoria Orlando; Orlando, FL
What sets this 498-room resort apart from other Disney World properties are the grounds—482 acres that feel like a haven after a day at the theme parks. Adult pleasures here include a Rees Jones–designed championship golf course, a 24,000-square-foot spa, a cabana-lined pool and two cocktail bars with live music. Of course, there’s also prime access to Walt Disney World via the resort’s complimentary shuttle bus; other family attractions—like SeaWorld, Universal Studios and Discovery Cove—are a stone’s throw away. waldorfastoriaorlando.com
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Hawaii
Set on the northwest Kona coast in what was once the ancient fishing village of Ka’upulehu, this bungalow-style resort has 243 rooms and suites, all of which have private lanais (balconies) or outdoor lava-rock showers. The onsite restaurants (including the newest, ‘ULU Ocean Grill and Sushi) take pains to source their ingredients from island fishermen and farms. Guests who’d rather encounter local marine life in a more protected environment than the resort’s half-mile beach can snorkel in the King’s Pond—a sort of natural outdoor aquarium stocked with 3,000 tropical fish (including a spotted eagle ray). fourseasons.com/hualalai
The Saguaro Palm Springs; Palm Springs, CA
Quirky, modern and fun, this 245-room hotel reopened in February 2012, after a complete redesign. The hyper-colorful guest quarters now have purple carpets, lime-green desks and cabana-striped bedding. All accommodations overlook an expansive central swimming pool (where the chaises are shaded by bright yellow umbrellas), and the surrounding San Jacinto Mountains. The two restaurants—one serving modern Mexican small plates, the other Basque-region wines and dishes—are helmed by Philly-based celebrity chef Jose Garces. jdvhotels.com
Willows Inn; Lummi Island, WA
While its collection of clean-lined, sunny cottages and bungalows may not win any design-trend awards, what’s happening in the kitchen of this resort—set on the northwestern-most of the San Juan Islands—is truly cutting edge. Chef Blaine Wetzel combines rarefied technique (honed during his stint at Copenhagen’s renowned Noma) with a commitment to local, sustainably harvested ingredients (like reefnet-fished wild Pacific salmon, and herbs grown on island farms) to create sublime tasting menus. Wetzel also hosts seasonal culinary events, such as barbecue workshops with BBQ expert Steven Raichlen at the property’s smokehouse. willows-inn.com
