The Brant, Nantucket, Massachusetts

Growing up, I spent my summers on Nantucket, but I still return to the tiny island—a mere 14 miles long and 3.5 miles wide—for quintessential New England vacations, complete with cobblestone streets, cedar-shingled homes, and hearty lobster rolls. This past spring, a refurbished hotel with 26 rooms across four buildings seamlessly folded into the mold, shingled exterior and all. While the property from family-owned Salt Hotels looks the part, what I found during my two-night stay was an unexpected, and very welcome, air of ease and playfulness. In true Nantucket fashion, I was welcomed by two Brant-branded Jeep wranglers sitting in the shell-lined driveway. Behind the cars, the lush lawn was sprinkled with lounge chairs, yard games, and bicycles parked off to the side. The bar doubles as a check-in desk, where I had coffee and breakfast in the morning and cocktails in the evening. Room styles vary from studios to spacious multi-bedroom suites—mine had an outdoor shower; others have bunk beds for kids or swing seats on private front decks. The Brant’s location is particularly appealing because it’s less than a 10-minute walk to the heart of Main Street, and a short bike ride from one of the best beaches to catch a sunset, Steps Beach. Yet, it’s still tucked away; I found it a perfect retreat after a long day in the sun, like visiting a friend’s private home, where you’re greeted with a drink and a warm smile. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $400. —Jess Feldman

Casa Loma Beach Hotel, Laguna Beach, California

Casa Loma was born from a $15-million renovation and total rebrand of the former Inn at Laguna Beach—but that doesn’t mean it’s erased its past. “What we tried to do with a lot of sensitivity, respect, and humility is speak to the roots and ethos of Laguna Beach before Laguna Beach became so recognized,” says John Grossman, the president of Marc & Rose Hospitality, the hotel group behind Casa Loma. “We went much further back in time to the beginning of what made Laguna Beach so special, and that was the artists.” It’s true: The hotel maintains Laguna’s laid-back, bohemian roots, even with a location in the thick of the downtown buzz. A sun-worshipping goddess by the graphic designers at Land fills the main lobby wall, setting the mood while a custom radio station plays curated tunes. As we walked the halls, my husband and I were amused by the way the playlist flowed seamlessly throughout the hotel—but we still couldn’t resist interrupting it with a vinyl on the LP&No.1 record player in our oceanfront suite. The only amenities that paired even better with the clifftop sunset view over Main Beach were the picture-perfect charcuterie board and the agave spirit-only minibar beside it, fresh lime waiting to be sliced. Though it doesn’t have a restaurant, Casa Loma offers a menu of “grazing boards” using local products that pair well with its list of organic juices and wines. They can be enjoyed wherever guests find themselves in need of a snack, including at the pool deck, the Pacific Terrace rooftop bar, and the (seasonal) cabanas on the beach. All three are perfect spots to laze the day away, but we spent most of our time browsing the shops and galleries on our doorstep. “You can park your car once and never get in it again,” Grossman told me before my visit, and while some might expect to tour Orange County in a flashy sports car, we found the best way to see the real Laguna was early morning walks in the sand, self-curated afternoon art strolls, and warm cookies before bed in a quiet little hotel that quickly came to feel like home. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $529. —Nina Ruggiero

The Dunes on the Waterfront, Ogunquit, Maine

If you’re after that old-fashioned, soft-focus vision of summertime in Maine—all white clapboard cottages, lobster shack lunches, and sailboats in the distance—then Ogunquit’s newly revamped Dunes on the Waterfront is the place to be. This seaside haven looks like it was plucked from a mid-century souvenir postcard, but a recent $10-million overhaul by Maine hotelier Tim Harrington has ushered the 89-year-old resort into the modern era. Scattered across a 12-acre stretch of shoreline overlooking the Ogunquit River and the ocean beyond, the property’s 21 cottages are airy and fresh, outfitted with spool beds, striped- and floral-print accents, and custom-made leather trunks that double as coffee tables. There’s no full-fledged restaurant, but sunny, simple comforts are a culinary throughline: I was charmed by warm chocolate chip cookies at check-in and pastries and a thermos of coffee on our door each morning, plus nightly s’mores by the firepit and a kitchenette stocked with treats like Topo Chico and Kettle chips. Some resorts keep guests busy with a dizzying schedule of events and activities, but here, long, idle days felt, to me, like the ultimate luxury. At Dunes on the Waterfront, the pleasure lies in flitting from one low-key seaside activity to the next—reading on your screened-in porch, taking a dip in the heated pool, kayaking the Ogunquit River, and hopping aboard the resort’s natty yellow-striped Cabana Cruiser pontoon at high tide and hitching a ride to Ogunquit Beach. And should languid afternoons lose their luster, you’re just a short jaunt via beach cruiser or golf-cart shuttle into town, where a stroll along Marginal Way, a show at the Ogunquit Playhouse, or an afternoon mingling with the likes of Calder and Hopper at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art await. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $650. —Lila Harron Battis

The Dunlin, Auberge Resorts Collection, Johns Island, South Carolina

South Carolina’s newest luxury resort is a love letter to laid-back Lowcountry living. The latest addition to Auberge Resorts Collection—and the brand’s first South Carolina hotel—has 72 guest rooms and suites spread across several buildings that feel more like a group of Southern homes, many offering river and marsh views. Surrounded by marshland on Johns Island, the resort is just 20 miles from downtown Charleston, but it’s a world of its own. The property showcases designer Amanda Lindroth’s whimsical and nostalgic interiors that pair the natural beauty of the coast with a fresh take on the classic Lowcountry aesthetic, complete with plenty of pastels, wicker, and gingham. The Dunlin also has a serene Aster spa, a picture-perfect pool lined with 1950s-inspired umbrellas and loungers, and three restaurants, plus a slew of activities that take advantage of its Kiawah River location. 

As a native South Carolinian, I’m well-versed in the magic of the Lowcountry. I checked into The Dunlin this past fall with my sister (a Charleston local) for a girls getaway. Taking in the sunset over Charleston swizzles on the porch, dining on caviar-topped fried oysters at signature restaurant Linnette’s, and dipping in the marshfront pool were all highlights, but the most exciting moment of our stay happened during our Into the Salt Marsh excursion, when more than a dozen dolphins jumped and swam all around our boat in the Kiawah River. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $749. —Elizabeth Rhodes

Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, Utah

Rising like a stone-and-glass fortress along U.S. Route 40 in Utah, the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley anchors what has been billed as the the newest alpine ski area in North America since 1981.  When completed, the ski area, Deer Valley East Village, will have 4,100 acres of skiable terrain, 130 trails, and a base village filled with shops, restaurants, spas, and multimillion-dollar homes.

That vision began to take shape this winter with the opening of the Grand Hyatt. I was greeted by a soaring, two-story lobby that led to a wall of glass framing the mighty Jordanelle Reservoir and the snow-capped Wasatch Mountains. A terrace with blazing firepits invited me to take a closer look, but it started to snow, so I explored the warm and toasty lobby instead. 

When I visited the 436-room hotel, there were families seated on plush sofas around a fireplace, decompressing after a day of skiing and enjoying artisanal hot chocolates with Oreo cupcakes. Kids played chess in their pajamas. Couples shared bottles of wine. Down a long hallway, teenagers in bathrobes and flip-flops were running to the heated outdoor pool, which overlooks Deer Valley. Meanwhile, a steady stream of black SUVs rolled up, depositing yet another batch of skiers and their mountain of gear. It all seemed like organized chaos. And if it took a little longer for the s’mores cookies to arrive, few seemed to mind. Guests understood this was a new hotel in a brand-new ski village. While some kinks needed to be worked out, they were stoked to be among the first to ski down the country’s freshest trails. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $799. —Denny Lee

Hotel Saint Augustine, Houston

The 71-room Hotel Saint Augustine, in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, occupies prime real estate, adjacent to the Menil Collection—a monumental museum with key 20th-century works by Picasso, Matisse, and Pollock. There are other nods to Houston history and trivia: the restaurant Perseid, named for the meteor shower, nods to the city’s importance in space exploration; a cocktail, the Noble Night Heron, with white rum, rhum agricole, lemongrass, pineapple, and lime, is named after the city’s official bird. Indeed, the name Saint Augustine is taken from Augustus Chapman, who helped found Houston in 1836. The new stay from Bunkhouse Hotels feels true to the destination and is a perfect addition to Houston’s growing hospitality scene. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $429. —Taylor McIntyre

Palm House, Palm Beach, Florida

Palm House, the first American property for the London-based Iconic Luxury Hotels, opened in Palm Beach not with a bang, but rather with a mother-of-pearl shimmer and a pastel-colored splash. The hotel, housed in a pink Mediterranean-Revival building from the 1960s, feels like stepping into a whimsical fantasy of Murano-glass chandeliers, shell and coral murals, pink marble, and plush, ruby-colored seating (Minda Dowling, the hotel’s art curator, told me it’s “’The Little Mermaid’ meets ‘Alice in Wonderland’” during my stay). Muza Lab, responsible for the interior design, worked with Dowling to devise a more contemporary version of Palm Beach’s classic design codes. The restaurant, with indoor and outdoor seating, has views of the pool deck and serves traditional Japanese sushi, nigiri, and ​​kushiyaki alongside Peruvian ceviches. The hotel’s beach concierge service is another highlight—the team will set up all necessities at the nearby Midtown Beach. But it’s the palm-fringed pool deck, with its pink-and-white striped daybeds and a turquoise-tiled swimming pool, that steals the spotlight and makes the hotel feel undeniably like a Palm Beach hot spot. During my recent visit, my 6-year-old splashed in it for hours while I looked on from a nearby shaded daybed, enjoying chilled drinks served by the pool concierge. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $499. —Dobrina Zhekova

Pendry Natirar, Peapack, New Jersey

High on a ridge overlooking the rolling hills of Somerset County, New Jersey, the 66-room Pendry Natirar is a revelation for New Yorkers: a genuine luxury resort just an hour’s drive from midtown Manhattan. The stately manor, once owned by King Hassan II of Morocco, sits on a 90-acre parcel, to which Pendry has added an organic farm, a complex with two pools and a hot tub, tennis courts, and an event space. I spent much of my late-fall visit cozied up by the original hearth in the Great Room, Vesper cocktail in hand. The nearly 20,000-square-foot spa was another highlight, with its salt cave and cedar saunas. Just as impressive were the dining options, whether the exceptional burger at Ladd’s Tavern or my dinner at Ninety Acres, where chef Peter Rudolph puts an emphasis on local products—some harvested just outside the back door. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $850.​ —Paul Brady

Regent Santa Monica Beach, California

The beachside building that houses the Regent Santa Monica was constructed in 1989, and—I mean this in the best possible way—feels perfectly of its time. At the heart of the hotel, which began as part of the Loews brand, is a multi-story atrium—that quintessential feature of 1980s malls and office complexes. Here, though, all those glass panels shape an airy birdcage that floods the lobby with West Coast sunshine. 

In its former life, the hotel had 347 guest rooms—as part of the Regent’s overhaul, almost all of them have been merged with their neighbors, resulting in 167 double-sized spaces. My north-facing room had a spacious living area with a funky modular couch and a banquette seating area where I ate my room-service breakfast every morning. (Overnight oats topped with peanut butter and a banana was a revelation, and has duly been incorporated into my daily repertoire.) My floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panorama of the neighborhood, with views to the west, overlooking the Santa Monica Pier, and to the east, over busy Ocean Avenue. I had a superb massage at the Regent’s Guerlain spa, the Paris-based fragrance company’s West Coast flagship. (I meant to work out in the impressive 2,000-square-foot fitness center, but lazier impulses prevailed.) But what I’ll remember most fondly is the food at Orla, chef Michael Mina’s signature restaurant, which hit every sweet spot: hearty but not heavy, spiced but not overly so. Mina’s menu pays tribute to his family’s Egyptian roots, and everything I tried was knock-your-socks-off delicious: prawns wrapped in pastry, fluffy breads, a just-right hummus sprinkled with za’atar and pomegranate seeds, a decadent macaroni slathered in bechamel. It was a perfect confluence of Pacific and Mediterranean. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $1,100. —Peter Terzian

Terra Palm Springs, California

Power walking down Palm Canyon Drive on an uncharacteristically chilly day in Palm Springs, I had only one goal in mind: to get myself back into the Himalayan salt sauna at Terra as quickly as possible. The 13-room boutique retreat is the first hotel opened by its founders, a young team of architects and entrepreneurs, but you’d never know it. Diana Ossa, Soli Cayetano, Josh Dobken, and Carrick Young have created what they’re calling Palm Springs’ first wellness-focused hotel—and while their claim sounds bold in a destination built for leisure, the truth is there’s nothing like it so close to downtown. Revamping a poolside motel with modern design certainly isn’t a new approach for the California desert’s hospitality scene (though the team’s use of organic materials brings a fresh vibe). Yet Terra’s immersive wellness options make it an area standout. “There are so many boutique hotels in the area, but we noticed none of them were catering toward that health and wellness aspect,” Cayetano, the project’s creative director, told T+L. “We wanted to bring that down to Palm Springs and allow people to have a more restorative experience.” In addition to Terra’s inviting Himalayan salt sauna, common areas include a cold plunge, a Jacuzzi, and a “rain forest room” with a rain shower, soothing thunderstorm sounds, and lush greenery. The self-led wellness circuit is free and low-key (no one is judged for adding a stop at the pool bar for a craft cocktail or mocktail and a snack catered from neighboring eatery Workshop). Guests can also book an Ayurvedic spa treatment and make use of in-room wellness products like HigherDose infrared Pemf mats, Gracious Minds hydrating sheet masks, Plant People mushroom gummies, and Raw Juicery cleanses. Ground-floor rooms have private gardens, with amenities ranging from an outdoor soaking tub and a private cold plunge to a firepit. A movement-themed room comes with yoga gear, while another is outfitted with technology aimed at optimizing sleep. A yoga class and sound bath is open to all guests on Saturdays. 

“Everyone in L.A. and San Diego is craving that deeper reset,” Cayetano says. “They’re coming on vacation and they want to have fun, but they also want to reconnect with themselves and disconnect with technology.” As I exhaled in the quiet sauna, feeling the comforting heat emanate from the pink walls around me, I had to agree—it was exactly the type of reset this Angeleno was looking for. Accessible hotel. Doubles from $400. —Nina Ruggiero