ARIZONA
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
The hike through cactus fields…MORE
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Four Seasons Resort Whistler
WHISTLER
Huge timber, stone, and glass chalet a few minutes from North America’s largest ski resort. Includes 273 accommodations and an in-house ski concierge with insider info on Whistler Blackcomb’s 200 trails. Mountain bike, horseback ride, and heli-hike in summer. ($250–$5,150) www.fourseasons.com
King Pacific Lodge, a Rosewood Resort
PRINCESS ROYAL ISLAND
Spectacularly remote and implausibly refined, this 17-room lodge sits alone in a majestic wilderness of salmon-filled fjords and pine-covered peaks in the Great Bear Rainforest. North America’s ultimate indulgence for nature lovers. (Three-night packages from $4,950 per person) www.kingpacificlodge.com
The Wickaninnish Inn
TOFINO
Vancouver Island’s best spot for service, fine dining, and views of the rugged Pacific coastline. Impeccably run by a second-generation owner who spent 13 years with Four Seasons. ($300–$1,500) www.wickinn.com
CALIFORNIA
Auberge du Soleil
RUTHERFORD
Evolved in 1985 from its acclaimed California-French restaurant, this Napa Valley inn is now known as much for its 50 vineyard-view accommodations and swimming pool as for its dining room’s Michelin-starred cuisine($575–$5,000, including breakfast) www.aubergedusoleil.com
Calistoga Ranch, an Auberge Resort
CALISTOGA
Set on 157 acres in a forested Napa Valley canyon, the 48 freestanding cottages at this rustic-chic resort feature decks, private outdoor showers, and fireplaces. An on-site vineyard produces the house wine. ($675–$4,200) www.calistogaranch.com
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Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA
Intricately restored Spanish-colonial landmark overlooking a quintessential California beach in Montecito. Guests of the 12 garden cottages and 207 rooms and suites enjoy a Peter Marino–designed spa and, across the street, the hotel’s legendary Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club. ($425–$975) www.fourseasons.com
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Montage Laguna Beach
LAGUNA BEACH
Cliff-top Craftsman-style estate with direct access to a sandy Southern California beach. Opened in 2002, this ultimate Orange County address boasts a first-rate destination spa, a world-class fine-dining restaurant, and a massive mosaic-tiled pool. All 250 rooms face the ocean. ($400–$6,500) www.montagelagunabeach.com
The Resort at Pelican Hill
NEWPORT COAST
Admire colossal Palladio-inspired architecture and golf-course and Pacific Ocean views at this 504-acre estate, which includes two Tom Fazio–designed layouts plus 204 bungalows and 128 villas. Do not skip the house-made gelato and pasta at Andrea. (From $500) www.pelicanhill.com
The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe
TRUCKEE
Expansive mountain and valley views, 170 rooms with fireplaces, and ski-in/ski-out access to Lake Tahoe’s Northstar California Resort. Enjoy a royal après-ski treatment at the 17,000-square-foot spa, the Living Room bar, or Manzanita, the California-French restaurant from San Francisco chef Traci Des Jardins. ($400–$4,000) www.ritzcarlton.com
BIG SUR
Most visitors to Big Sur simply pass through…MORE
COLORADO
The Little Nell
Aspen’s only ski-in/ski-out hotel offers perks including a first-tracks program that puts guests on the mountain before the general public. After a day of skiing, the Terrace Bar is the place to view Aspen’s social scene. Nearly all of the 92 rooms were redesigned in 2009 for the lodge’s 20th anniversary. ($275–$8,000) www.thelittlenell.com
The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch
BEAVER CREEK
Grand Rocky Mountain lodge tucked among pine trees and ski slopes and featuring 180 rooms. Children’s programs, ski nannies, and nightly marshmallow roasts cater to families, while Wolfgang Puck’s Spago satisfies foodies and après-skiers. ($225–$4,600) www.ritzcarlton.com
HAWAII
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka‘upulehu
KAILUA-KONA
On a half-mile-long white-sand beach, this Big Island fantasy world encompasses 243 bungalow-style accommodations, seven pools, eight tennis courts, and a Jack Nicklaus–designed golf course winding through a lava-rock landscape. ($550–$13,000) www.fourseasons.com
Four Seasons Resort Lana’i, the Lodge at KoeleLana’i City
LANA’I CITY
Visit the private island of Lana’i by checking into this 102-room lodge nestled in the rain forest–covered mountains of this former Dole pineapple plantation. Enjoy a Greg Norman–designed golf course, horseback riding, and access to the beach and ocean activities at the island’s other Four Seasons, Manele Bay. ($300–$1,500) www.fourseasons.com
The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua
MAUI
Sprawling resort on the western tip of Maui that encompasses 463 rooms and suites, a massive spa, a trilevel swimming pool, and 36 holes of championship golf yet still manages to feel intimate and remote. Nightly serenades by wild tree frogs are perfectly timed for sunsets. ($400–$10,500) www.ritzcarlton.com
The St. Regis Princeville Resort
KAUAI
Privy to one of North America’s best views, this 251-room complex crawls down a cliff above Hanalei Bay. The north-shore retreat manages five-star service without losing its local, laid-back vibe. Hang ten in Hanalei’s consistently gentle surf break. ($1,000–$7,350) www.stregis.com
MONTANA
The Ranch at Rock Creek
PHILIPSBURG
Top-shelf gentlemen’s ranch hosts as many as 95 guests on 6,000-plus acres in Montana high country. On-site activities range from fly-fishing and horseback riding to clay shooting and paintball. The saloon entertains guests in the evenings with four bowling lanes, a pool table, and large flat-screen televisions. ($1,000–$7,000, all-inclusive)www.theranchatrockcreek.com
NEW YORK
Glenmere Mansion
CHESTER
Impressive Hudson Valley revival of an early 1900s estate, just over an hour’s drive north of Manhattan. Restored antique chandeliers, the owners’ contemporary art collection, and heated Carrera marble floors lend charm to the 19-room mansion, which is surrounded by European gardens and a cabana-lined swimming pool.($650–$3,500) www.glenmeremansion.com
Lake Placid Lodge
LAKE PLACID
Following a 2005 fire, several suites at this 30-room Adirondack Mountains landmark were spectacularly renovated and now pay homage to the Great Camps of the 19th century. Head to Artisans restaurant for après-ski drinks; in the summer, board the lodge’s Hacker-Craft for a lake cruise. ($350–$1,900, including breakfast) www.lakeplacidlodge.com
SOUTH CAROLINA
The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, an Auberge Resort
BLUFFTON
Fifty cottages and cottage suites with vaulted ceilings and verandas, plus several full-size residences, on 22,000 acres of low-country marshland between Charleston and Savannah. Play the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus course, go horseback riding, or take a kayak trip down the May River. ($350–$2,500) www.palmettobluffresort.com
UTAH
Amangiri
CANYON POINT
Indonesian hotelier Adrian Zecha patiently persisted for more than a decade to secure this remote and surreal slice of real estate. Witness a mystical desert mirage where 34 modular adobe suites blend camouflage-like into the jagged red-rock landscape. The spa employs a local Navajo shaman. ($1,000–$3,600)www.amanresorts.com
Montage Deer Valley
PARK CITY
A 220-room California Craftsman–inspired lodge located just beyond the Empire Express chairlift at Deer Valley Resort. Montage’s team of ski/bike valets and its 29-room spa prepare guests for mountain pursuits. Try Daly’s Pub & Rec for comfort food, microbrews, bowling, billiards, and vintage arcade games. ($300–$15,000) www.montagedeervalley.com
VIRGINIA
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Primland Resort
MEADOWS OF DAN
More than 12,000 wilderness acres frame this 26-room mountaintop lodge and 18 cabins—a Frenchman’s vision of eco-sensitivity-meets-opulent-seclusion. Hunt, fish, hike, or ride ATVs, horses, or mountain bikes through the Blue Ridge Mountain environment. Also home to one of the state’s top golf courses. ($275–$1,200) www.primland.com
