Refresh your relationship at these stately nature-rich hotels in settings sure to remind you why you first fell in love. These five destinations are high on charm and ready to sweep you off your feet with their picturesque settings — be they rolling country vistas, colorful woods or peaceful ocean views. Each singular property satisfies that craving to disappear for a zesty romantic fall caper.
Hawks Cay Resort
Duck Key, Florida
Relish the pampering style of the oceanfront Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys in Duck Key (mile marker 61). The quiet paradise offers a heavy adult-only footprint in an area called Oasis Cay, complete with its own bar and restaurant. Catering to rum-loving or rum-curious couples out there, the bar features Papa’s Pilar Rum — made down the road in Key West — and conducts tastings, a perfect addition to chillaxin’ by the adult-only pool in your private cabana.
Start your day with an ocean-facing private yoga class and bid the day adieu cuddling on a sunset cruise aboard a chartered boat just-for-two through resort partner Solé Watersports. And if you care to shake it up with some hoppin’ nightlife, Key West is little more than an hour away.
Keswick Hall
Keswick, Virginia
Change up your surroundings to revive your love life by relaxing in Northern Virginia’s iconic horse country surrounded by rolling vineyards at the historic Keswick Hall, built in 1912. This Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star resort near Charlottesville neighbors Keswick Vineyards — a 400-acre estate that offers tours and tastings of their award-winning wine. A newly unveiled full-service spa incorporates advanced wellness tools for a full mind-body-soul, and an infinity pool affords sweeping mountain views. If staying together means playing together for you, pick up a racket and head to the European-style clay tennis courts or play a round of golf at Full Cry, an 18-hole course built by Peter Dye. The picturesque bucolic setting also permits endless hiking opportunities at the nearby Shenandoah National Park.
The Swag
Waynesville, North Carolina
For a mountaintop experience (literally), Asheville-area hidden gem The Swag offers a regal escape. Abutting the majestic Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Cataloochee Divide at 5,000 feet, this Relais and Chateaux property affords 50-mile views of four of the state’s highest mountain ranges. The inn is all-inclusive, and the award-winning restaurant sources straight from their expansive culinary garden — an idyllic place for a quiet conversation as you ramble through the produce as well as cutting garden. Expect an unforgettable time together under the stars at the outdoor hot tub or curl up with a book in the library with a crackling fireplace. With 17 unique rooms, the tiny luxurious inn oozes romance — something owners David and Annie Colquitt can attest to: They enjoyed their honeymoon at The Swag so thoroughly that they eventually purchased the restorative sanctuary.
Elk Cove Inn
Elk, California
On Northern California’s stunning Mendocino Coast, the boutique 16-room Elk Cove Inn takes romance to the next level with complimentary champagne-breakfast room service each morning of your stay. The inn’s enviable location on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean allows you to blissfully bask in whale-watching and otter-spotting from the signature gazebo, and a private staircase connects you to the beach for daily, quiet strolls along the water.
Specially curated experiences evoking romance include the Bonfire Kit for a memorable beach-bonfire-for-two experience, which comes with wood and starter, blanket, s’mores and wine. The Champagne & Berries add-on offers Anderson Valley bubbly or French Champagne and fresh strawberries.
The onsite European-style spa and French restaurant Sibo complete the refined ambiance of this award-winning inn.
Hillbrook Inn
Charles Town, West Virginia
An ideal getaway especially convenient for those on the eastern seaboard, this charming historic property dates back to George Washington. Sitting on woodsy, rolling grounds, the 19-suite inn even has a picturesque babbling creek. Besides offering Honeymoon, Engagement and Babymoon packages, the upscale bed-and-breakfast created romantic-minded escapes to help you follow the admonition to date your partner. The Date Night Package comes with dinner at the inn’s acclaimed restaurant under the capable leadership of Chef Jan Van Haute, and a dozen roses will be waiting in your room. The Rest & Rejuvenate Package includes an artisan cheese and charcuterie platter, dinner for two and a 60-minute signature couples massage.
Looking to go a bit further afield? What about a vacation in Hawaii? Here's something that can help you plan it.
Also, anyone have a favorite romantic getaway spot? Let us know about it in the comments below.
