The Top 15 Continental U.S. Resort Hotels in 2018

By Hannah Walhout
July 10, 2018
Credit: Courtesy of Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe
Bali and St. Moritz, eat your heart out. The continental United States, with its unparalleled geographic and climatic diversity, is home to some of the finest resort hotel destinations in the world. And our readers voted these 15 spectacular properties the best out there.

Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Hotels were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Properties were classified as city or resort based on their locations and amenities.

Related: The 2018 World's Best Awards

Beach destinations appear throughout the list, of course — from warm-weather getaways like the Setai, a palatial resort with three pools on Miami Beach, to the Stephanie Inn, a 41-room boutique property on Oregon’s rocky Pacific coast. But mountain resorts also proved to be popular with our readers. Properties like the Swag, in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina; the Little Nell, in the Colorado Rockies, praised as “charming and restful” by one respondent; and Primland, a “hidden gem” in Virginia’s Blue Ridge range, show that travelers value being able to get away from it all by getting above it all. “No words can express the beauty of this hotel and area,” one reader said. “It is a slice of heaven, whether you stay in one of the tree houses or the main lodge,” said another.

Many of the winners also have a summer camp vibe, suggesting a collective recognition of (and nostalgia for) the benefits of a simpler experience. Ranch-style resorts, offering horse stables, wide-open spaces, and a rustic-luxe design, ranked highly — in particular, the C Lazy U Ranch in Colorado and the Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming. Both are popular with multigenerational groups. “C Lazy U is perhaps the best family vacation we’ve ever had,” one fan said. “We’ve been seven times and are going back again!”

Still other resorts cater to couples — like the Chanler at Cliff Walk, housed in one of Newport, Rhode Island’s famous 19th-century mansions, and Twin Farms, a collection of cottages and farmhouses in the Vermont woods. One reader described the hotel, which is adults-only save for two weeks a year, simply as “So beautiful. So perfect.”

Curious about the No. 1 property? Read on to discover what (and where) it is, and check out the full list of the top resort hotels in the continental U.S.
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15. Little Nell, Aspen, Colorado

Credit: Courtesy of The Little Nell

Score: 93.71

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14. Chanler at Cliff Walk, Newport, Rhode Island

Credit: Courtesy of The Chanler at Cliff Walk

Score: 93.76

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13. Rabbit Hill Inn, Lower Waterford, Vermont

Credit: Courtesy of Rabbit Hill Inn

Score: 93.89

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12. Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach, Oregon

Credit: Courtesy of The Stephanie Inn

Score: 93.90

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11. The Swag, Waynesville, North Carolina

Credit: Courtesy of The Swag

Score: 94.14

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10. Brewery Gulch Inn, Mendocino, California

Credit: Courtesy of Brewery Gulch Inn

Score: 94.35

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9. The Cloister, Sea Island, Georgia

Credit: Courtesy of The Cloister at Sea Island

Score: 94.53

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8. The Setai, Miami Beach

Credit: Courtesy of The Setai

Score: 94.60

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7. Triple Creek Ranch, Darby, Montana

Credit: Courtesy of Triple Creek Ranch

Score: 94.70

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6. C Lazy U Ranch, Grand County, Colorado

Credit: Courtesy of C Lazy U

Score: 94.77

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5. Primland, Meadows of Dan, Virginia

Credit: Courtesy of Primland

Score: 94.88

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4. Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California

Credit: Kodiak Greenwood/Courtesy of Post Ranch Inn

Score: 95.01

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3. Twin Farms, Barnard, Vermont

Credit: Courtesy of Twin Farms

Score: 95.36

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2. Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch, Saratoga, Wyoming

Credit: Courtesy of the Brush Creek Luxury Ranch Collection

Score: 95.60

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1. Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe, Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Credit: Courtesy of Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe

Score: 95.78

Our winning resort hotel is also our youngest, completed just one year ago in summer 2017. But the new 154-room lodge, with its prime lakeshore location, has already gained some loyal lifetime fans. One respondent said, “They are right on the shores of the gorgeous Lake Tahoe, surrounded by stunning views of snow-covered mountains. There are no other properties in the area that come close to the luxury accommodations and location.” The Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe is ideal for a summer lake getaway, but it also garnered praise from ski vacationers: “I loved the cozy fireplaces that are in every room. The heated pool and hot tub was a big plus after long days skiing…I could spend the entire day there if it wasn't for the plethora of activities that awaited outside.”

See all of our readers' favorite hotels, airlines, cruise lines, and more in the World's Best Awards for 2018.

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