Top 10 Luxury Resorts of 2019
Spa resorts that will leave you feeling like a new person, ski resorts with slopes for the whole family, mountain lodges offering the perfect escape from city stress: These are the top 10 resorts in the U.S., as chosen by Condé Nast Traveler readers in the 2019 Readers' Choice Awards survey. These aren't just places to stay while you explore a new city: These resorts make the whole trip worth it in the first place. Is your favorite on the list? If not, VOTE in this year's survey—and you might win a dream getaway for two. Counting down…
10. Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort, FL
Disney-goers have a truly stylish option thanks to this expansive 443-room hotel, set within a quiet, residential section of the resort itself (free shuttles to the four major Disney theme parks run back and forth constantly). On-property, kids love the waterslides and lazy river, while parents can escape to the quiet calm of the adults-only pool or have a cocktail at the poolside open-air bar.
9. Stein Eriksen Lodge Deer Valley, Park City, UT
This mid-mountain Norwegian-style lodge is the "ultimate ski hotel with old-world charm," thanks to custom millwork, flower paintings that originated in the lowland areas of eastern Norway, and leather, copper, and stone elements. Each room in the lodge is uniquely styled, but all have dark-wood furnishings, a Nordic color scheme, and bathrooms with Molton Brown toiletries. Suites come with large stone fireplaces. Glitretind serves up regional American cuisine and unique specialties—try the Norwegian potato pancakes—with views of the Wasatch Mountains. The 23,000-square-foot spa has 16 treatment rooms.
8. Salish Lodge & Spa, Snoqualmie, WA
Built in 1916 as a rest stop for travelers, this Cascade Mountains lodge is set above 268-foot-high Snoqualmie Falls. The setting for the TV series Twin Peaks, the mountain lodge offers rooms in blues, emeralds, and turquoises (to mirror the colors of the sky, the Snoqualmie River, and Puget Sound) with custom-built furniture and two-person whirlpool tubs. A honeybee apiary on the hillside by the lodge produces honey for the spa and the Dining Room, where local artisanal cheeses are also served.
7. The Lodge at Pebble Beach, CA
Set between Carmel and Monterey, this 1919 cream-colored lodge with green awnings and 13 multistory guesthouses is on the eighteenth green of the Pebble Beach Golf Links. Rooms have fireplaces and private decks overlooking the gardens, oceanside fairways, and Carmel Bay. There's more than enough to attract non-golfers, too. Spa treatments incorporate seaweed and other local ingredients. Recent renovations included the the addition of 38 rooms in aptly-named Fairway One.
6. Sanderling Resort, Duck, N.C.
Expect Outer Banks architecture like cedar-shake siding at this beachfront retreat, where the location alone makes it an ideal getaway. Accommodations, which were recently refreshed, are airy and chic—think sand-colored linen headboards, warm wood floors, and the occasional in-suite fireplace—and are spread throughout three inns. Check out Kimball’s Kitchen, where locally sourced meat and seafood are as much of a draw as the views of the sound, as well as The Beach House Lobby Bar and Sandbar, with fresh-baked pastries on hand at the former, and poolside drinks at the latter.
5. Rosewood CordeValle, San Martin, CA
Located near the Santa Cruz Mountains, this secluded California-Craftsman resort is a solid favorite with readers. Spacious rooms come with fireplaces, leather chairs, Frette linens, and whirlpool tubs, while bungalows and villas on a hillside have private gardens or vineyard views. Play a round on the 18-hole championship golf course or take advantage of the spa facilities before tucking into some contemporary Californian cuisine at Il Vigneto. Hole up at the One Iron Bar, which has panoramas of the golf course, two fireplaces (one indoor, one outdoor), and a list of martinis.
4. The Ranch at Rock Creek, Philipsburg, MT
A short ride from the nearby 786-room Broadmoor resort, the intimate ranch has just ten cabins, each with their own fireplaces. Set in the Pike National Forest, the all-inclusive retreat offers guests a rustic outdoor experience, with fly-fishing, hiking, and horseback riding daily, as well as access to the Broadmoor's more urban amenities, including a golf course, spa, and pools. It’s the best of both Colorados.
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3. Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch, Saratoga, WY
Consistently rated one of the best resorts in the U.S. by our readers, The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch—set on 30,000 acres amid the Sierra Madres—executes the luxury dude ranch concept with skill and style: think spotted cowhide chairs in the lounge, fur throws at the edge of knotty wooden king-sized beds, and yurts decked out with antler chandeliers and leather couches. For an upscale group getaway, book the nine cabins that make up the Magee Homestead—it comes with its own concierge service.
2. Triple Creek Ranch, Darby, MT
Just 75 miles south of Missoula, Triple Creek nevertheless manages to feel like it’s in its own world. With 25 log cabins looking out onto the Bitterroot Mountains, all-inclusive Triple Creek pairs upscale rusticity with isolation—we're talking exposed log walls, slate bathrooms, and private hot tubs. Fill your days with horseback riding, hiking or snowshoeing, a fly-casting clinic, archery, tennis, or simply relax by the pool.
1. L'Horizon Resort & Spa, Palm Springs, CA
“There were a lot of fun hotels in Palm Springs, but there weren’t any great ones, and I wanted to change this.” So says Steve Hermann, the L.A.–based residential designer who spent two years (and millions of dollars) turning the historic William F. Cody–designed L’Horizon into a luxurious boutique hotel. Hermann didn’t alter the footprint much—the main house and most of the 25 bungalows were built in 1952 as a vacation spot for Hollywood producer Jack Wrather (Lassie; The Lone Ranger)—but he added an open-air spa and an alfresco restaurant and gut-renovated the interiors. As such, each bungalow is a mix of modern (custom hair-on-hide rugs, industrial-chic machined brass lighting, and fixtures) and vintage (furniture from Percival Lafer, Mullhauser, Knoll, and Katavolos). Request a west- facing bungalow with an outdoor shower and watch the sun go down over the San Jacinto Mountains while shampooing.
