The Best Honeymoon Spots in the U.S.A.
Some of the world's most beautiful (and most pampering) properties are right here in the U.S.A. Bonus: No airplanes needed.
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Only in America -149005
So maybe your wedding weekend extended into a wedding week. It was exhilarating and filled with activities like a prep-spa day with your girlfriends, that long lunch after getting the marriage license, the rehearsal dinner and — how can we forget — the main event. So it’s understandable if A: You feel a bit exhausted and don’t have the energy to get on a long-haul flight. and B: You just simply don’t have any more vacation time. enter the mini-moon, a quickie getaway that affords ample opportunities for luxury and pampering a lot closer to home. Bonus: These stateside resorts are located within driving distance from major U.S. metropolitan areas. Bon Voyage!
Photo courtesy of L’Auberge de Sedona
L’Auberge de Sedona, Arizona
Driving Distance from Phoenix 2 hours; from Las Vegas 4 hours; from Albuquerque 5 hours
It’s long been believed that Sedona, Arizona boasts a particularly healing energy — one that, legend has it, stems from a series of ancient vortexes located among the area’s red rock mountains. Whatever the source of its restorative forces, Sedona has in recent decades become home to some of the country’s best resorts and spas, including the intimate L’Auberge de Sedona. Just minutes from the galleries and boutiques of downtown Sedona and close to a host of nature-based activities like hiking, biking and off-road jeep tours, the resort is spread out over 11 acres on the banks of Oak Creek, where the slightly cooler temperatures allow for lots of outdoor settings, like a creekside fine dining restaurant (considered the most scenic spot in the state for a meal), alfresco Verandah bar and open-air spa cabanas. Many of the 61 cottages and suites and 26 lodge-style rooms also have breezy spots (like outdoor cedar showers), along with mountain views and italian linens (room rates start at $295 a night; lauberge.com). —Sandra Ramani
Photo courtesy of L’Auberge de Sedona
Blackberry Farm, Tennessee
Driving Distance from Knoxville 20 minutes; from Atlanta 3½ hours
Ensconced in the misty foothills of eastern Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains sits Blackberry Farm, an idyllic 62-room retreat robust with traditional southern hospitality. While the accommodations are limited in number, they are varied in style, and include clapboard homes, intimate cabins and guest rooms in the main mansion. The romantic hill cottages offer expansive indoor/outdoor living areas, working fireplaces and sumptuous furnishings. Each is individually appointed with period antiques. Activities abound across the property’s 4,200 pastoral acres. There’s fly-fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding and hiking, as well as clay shooting, cycling and rock climbing. And the recent addition of a wellness center has brought fresh-pressed juices, yoga and other mindful experiences to the historic hideaway. Most of the food is sourced right from the working farm, which boasts a larder, a cheese-crafting outpost, a henhouse and endless organic crops. In addition to apples and berries, the pretty fruit orchards also produce hazelnuts and truffles. The hotel’s cooking school is understandably a big draw (room rates start at $895 a night; blackberryfarm.com). —Jenna Mahoney
Photo Credit: Beall + Thomas Photography
The Resort at Paws Up, Montana
Driving Distance from Seattle 7 hours; from Salt Lake City 7½ hours
There’s something inherently romantic about the concept of sojourning a spell in frontier land. Blame it on the sweeping landscapes, endless options for adventure and a sense of being on the brink of greatness. This resort, perched on the banks of the legendary Black Foot River (site of Brad Pitt’s memorable A River Runs Through It) promises those cinematic sensations, plus a hefty dose of outdoor excursions served alongside Top Chef-crafted cuisine. Activities celebrate the surroundings with fly-fishing, cattle wrangling and whitewater rafting among the most popular. Lodgings include tented suites, which boast oversize tubs, sumptuous bedding and camp butler service. Many have spectacular river views. meals are enjoyed by the campfire or in the main dining rooms that look out on the working cattle ranch’s big sky vistas. Don’t miss: a visit to the spa, which is a collection of tents set among the sage-brush (room rates start at $453 a night and are all-inclusive; pawsup.com). —JM
Photo courtesy of The Resort at Paws Up
The Allison Inn & Spa, Oregon
Driving Distance from Portland 45 minutes; from Seattle 3 hours, 15 minutes; from San Francisco 9½ hours drive
Less than an hour outside of Portland, Oregon, and you’re in one of the country’s most buzzed-about wine regions: the Willamette Valley. Set on 35 hillside acres, and within a 20-minute drive to nearly 200 wineries and vineyards, the Allison Inn & Spa is a top hideaway in the area, thanks to its award-winning restaurant and spa. The former, called Jory, highlights the best of the region’s bounty in its garden-to-table menus, while the spa features organic products and signature “pinotherapy” services. Boasting a contemporary design, handcrafted furnishings and a 500-piece-strong art collection, the resort encompasses 85 rooms and suites, each with a private terrace or balcony, a gas fireplace and a soaking tub. In between excursions like wine tours, hot air ballooning and gallery hopping, take a dip in the indoor pool or relax around the firepits in the garden, while soaking up views of the valley with a glass of the Allison’s estate-grown pinot noir in hand (room rates start at $350 a night; theallison.com). —SR
Photo courtesy of The Allison Inn & Spa
Canoe Bay Resort, Wisconsin
Driving Distance from Minneapolis 2 hours; from Chicago 5½ hours
At this eco-friendly, adults-only retreat in the woodlands of Wisconsin, guests unplug from the outside world and hook up with each other. It helps that the hideaway’s 25 wood-walled rooms, vaulted ceilings, giant windows and lack of phones, are so inviting that all you’ll really desire is to cozy up with a glass of wine — as does the fact that breakfast and lunch are served in room. In addition to expansive vistas onto the idyllic natural surroundings, suites boast fireplaces, saunas, Jacuzzis and large private decks. And spa treatments can be enjoyed in the comfort of your room. If you must venture out, the property’s 300 pine, spruce and fir tree-filled acres are laced with hiking, biking and snowshoeing trails, as well as options for kayaking and swimming. In addition to a pretty spa and comfortable library, the main house features an elegant dining room and enormous wine cellar (room rates start at $250 a night; canoebay.com). —JM
Photo courtesy of Canoe Bay Resort
The Lodge at Glendorn, Pennsylvania
Driving Distance from Pittsburgh 3½ hours; from Cleveland 3½ hours; from New York City 6 hours
Once a family retreat, this rambling resort in the Allegheny Mountains retains the charm of its historic beginnings with decidedly modern amenities and a seemingly endless activity menu. Take a morning hike on one of the many trails that wind throughout the retreat, learn how to fly fish on one of three ponds or kick back by the small pool. Meals are enjoyed in the main house, which was built in 1929 and still has the telephone room where business was conducted while on vacation back in the day. Weekly barbecues are social events with guests gathering and sharing tales of their day, as are evening campfires, which are complete with gourmet s’mores fixin’s. Guest accommodations are as rustic-luxe as the signature activities, with rooms in the main lodge and individual cottages that were built by Mr. Dorn (the property’s original owner) as his family expanded. For a more intimate stay, book into the hideaway, Mr. Dorn’s personal cabin retreat that’s set apart from the more public gathering points (room rates start at $425 a night; glendorn.com). —JM
Photo Credit: Ivan Guiilot Boyer
Castle Hill Inn, Rhode Island
Driving Distance from Boston 1½ hours; from New York City 3 hours, 20 minutes; from Philadelphia 4 hours, 45 minutes
Sure, Newport has been synonymous with summer getaways since the days of the Gilded Age, but this circa 1875 property, located on a private stretch Ofaquidneck Island at the entrance to Narragansett Bay, is a romantic all-season hideaway. Castle Hill Inn hosts special food events throughout the year, and lobster bakes on the sea-facing lawn are a big draw. Winter activities include wine tours, cooking classes and cozying up by the fire. In summer, traditional Newport goings on — boating, beaching, tennis and swimming — are marquee must-dos. In high season, there’s a boat shuttle to Newport Harbor. The 25-minute tour passes the mansions that brought the seaside town to prominence, as well as the equally recognizable Yacht Club. Accommodations include rooms in the property’s original mansion, marina-facing cabins and beachfront cottages. All are stocked with only-in-Rhode-Island goodies (Del’s Lemonade and Narragansett beer), locally crafted bath amenities and super-downy beds (room rates start at $315 a night; castlehillinn.com). —JM
Photo courtesy of Castle Hill Inn
Gurney's Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa, New York
Driving Distance from New York City 2½ hours; from Philadelphia 4 hours, 15 minutes
Call it the anti Real Housewives of New York beach getaway. This surf town, known locally as “The End,” on the tip of Long Island has retained the charm of a fishing village complete with a scenic lighthouse. Take an afternoon to explore the historic site, which is surrounded by protected land. And go for a hike in one of the town’s six state parks. The beaches are perfect for standup paddleboarding and people watching, with a favorite being Ditch Plains, where locals and bold-faced names can be found surfing year round. For a pampering spa, a seaview pool and beach access, book into Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa, a 109-room all-season retreat. Three eateries offer menus for every mood — there’s even a juice-cleanse option if you’re holding onto the wedding-dress diet. The spa boasts a large hydrotherapy area in addition to traditional saunas and a fitness center (room rates start at $220 a night; gurneysinn.com). —JM
Photo courtesy of Gurney's Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa
The Inn at Dos Brisas, Texas
Driving Distance from Houston 1 hour; from Austin 1½ hours
Every spring, Texas’s famous bluebonnets light up the state’s scenic Hill Country — including the landscape around The Inn at Dos Brisas. Over the centuries, the 313 lush acres of this upscale ranch-resort have held cotton farms, horse-training facilities and more, before being transformed into an intimate hotel in 2004. Check into one of nine Spanish-style accommodations (five haciendas and four casitas), each with open living and dining areas, vaulted wood ceilings and stone fireplaces. French doors open onto screened-in patios outfitted with lounge swings. On-site activities range from clay target shooting, cycling, fishing, swimming and strolling through the rose gardens, to taking a horseback riding lesson or trail ride from the equestrian center. If food is your thing, go behind the scenes of Chef Zachary Ladwig’s award-winning restaurant with a tour of the 42-acre organic farm, or take a class in gardening, cooking or mixology (room rates start at $500 a night and include breakfast; dosbrisas.com). —SR
Photo courtesy of The Inn at Dos Brisas
Inn by the Sea, Maine
Driving Distance from Boston 2 hours; from Providence 3 hours; from Hartford 3½ hours
Vacationland — what else can you call a place where the coastline is the country’s longest, lobster is the main catch and the pace of life is just a little slower than at home? Portland, a seaport city in southern Maine, is also a great spot for gallery hopping and shopping and boasts an exciting food scene. The Inn by the Sea, a romantic and pet-friendly hotel in nearby Cape Elizabeth, is a perfect base camp from which to enjoy it all. Or you can just chill at this beautiful beachfront property with its small pool, scenic lawn and organic farm. Bonus: there’s a butterfly garden on property, as well as a rabbitrarium — a natural reserve for cottontail bunnies. Most rooms are equipped with fireplaces for those chilly maine nights and have water views. The intimate spa features treatments inspired by the sea and the hotel’s lobby bar is the perfect spot for enjoying an a.m. coffee or evening cocktail — with a lobster roll, of course (room rates start at $219 a night; innbythesea.com). —JM
Photo courtesy of Inn by the Sea
Nick's Cove, California
Driving Distance from San Francisco less than 2 hours; from Sacramento 2½ hours
Nick’s Cove has been an institution along northern California’s scenic West Marin County coastline for more than 80 years — though the regulars from back then would hardly recognize the place today. The once restaurant-only property now features 12 refined-rustic cottages — five on the waterfront and seven across famous Highway 1 that are tucked in pine and eucalyptus groves with views of Tomales Bay. Each is outfitted with cozy décor and perks like claw-foot bathtubs or wood-burning stoves. Cuisine continues to be a focus here, so along with complimentary barbecued oysters (a Nick’s signature) upon arrival and in-cottage breakfast daily, guests can enjoy romantic dinners in the restaurant’s glassed-in deck, oyster-shucking lessons off the 400-foot private dock, farm tours and homemade s’mores around the beach firepit. Other activities include guided daytime or bioluminescent kayak tours, sailing or catamaraning around uninhabited hog island, in-room massages, bocce or just lazing on your deck watching the waves drift by (room rates start at $249 a night and include breakfast; nickcove.com). —SR
Photo Credit: Frankie Frankeny
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Florida
Driving Distance from Orlando 3 hours; from Atlanta 4 hours, 20 minutes; from Miami 5 hours
With its beachfront pool, golf, tennis, variety of restaurants, multiple bars and dune-facing balconied accommodations, this 446-room hotel off the coast of north florida would understand if you confused it with one of its Caribbean cousins. The luxurious hotel features the exquisite details expected from the Ritz-Carlton name, including high-thread-count linens, an array of activities and personalized service. The branded spa excels at opulent pampering with a staggering list of day packages — we love the couples experience, which features massages, lunch and champagne. Spend your days strolling along the dunes, splashing in the pools and perfecting your tennis or golf swing. Then enjoy sundowners at the laid-back Ocean Bar & Grill. For dinner, reserve a spot at the chef’s table at salt, the signature eatery that features a dynamic menu that uses more than 40 types of salt from around the world (room rates start at $299 a night; ritzcarlton.com). —JM
Photo courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts
