Whether you crave a loved-up timeout from the kids or want to embrace a romantic summer trip alone with your SO, book a luxury adults-only resort to immerse yourself in great food, wine, wellness, nature, and couples bonding experiences. Here are six dreamy adults-only hotels and resorts in cities, countrysides, and beach destinations around the US that promise relaxation, romance, and a retreat-style stay.
Wine & Unwind: Auberge Du Soleil, CA
Live la vie en rosé at Auberge Du Soleil, a fine-dining restaurant (eating on its iconic patio has been a wine country bingo square since the ‘80s) and 50-room hillside hotel that combines Gallic and Golden State vibes and flavors to achieve laidback luxury in the Napa Valley. It’s always tranquil here, especially if you decide to join the meditation class in the Japanese ryokan-style pagoda. Bliss out at the spa after hours, a package that features a soak, steam, a massage, something sparkling, and something sweet. Relax by your suite’s fireplace in winter evenings and wake up with the summer sun in your private terrace’s deep tub or outdoor rain shower.
Curated Romance
Get lost roaming 33 lavender-scented manicured acres via winding sun-dappled nature trails dotted with ancient oaks, some with great views down to the vineyards that line the valley floor and across to the Mayacamas Mountains. Play art critic in the sculpture garden featuring more than 100 pieces by California artists before having charcuterie, cheese, and bubbles delivered to the olive grove for a picnic.
Vacay with Intention: Sensei Lanai, HA
Selfcare is sexy when you ship out to Pineapple Island and settle into Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort and wellness retreat founded by Larry Ellison and celebrity oncologist Dr. David Agus. Determine your goals for the stay with the help of a guide who will customize an itinerary that can include yoga and meditation classes in a lakeside pavilion, couple’s massages, infrared sauna sessions, kettlebells, aquatic bodywork, golfing on a cliffside course where the Pacific Ocean provides a built-in water hazard, or a four-mile trek through a pine forest and up Koloiki Ridge to a mesa with views all the way to Maui and Moloka’i. Re-fuel with Asian-influenced, locally sourced bites sprung from the brilliant culinary mind of Michelin-starred chef Matsuhisa Nobu including roasted Kona lobster or his famous black cod while staring at graceful koi swimming in a reflecting pond.
Curated Experience
Set sail at sunset around the vibrant red craggy coast and search the surf for playful spinner dolphins while sipping Mai Tais and noshing on pupus.
High-End Glamping: The Green O, MT
Hidden within a dense grove of pine trees at the secluded southern edge of its sister property, high-end glamping leader The Resort at Paws Up, The Green O in Montana offers year-round adrenaline rushes with activities such as rappelling, snowmobiling, ghost town bike tours, and whitewater rafting as well as a respite in 12 design-forward cabins. The only rugged thing about these sleek hygge-inspiring accommodations in the wilderness are the floor-to-ceiling windows or from the Tree Haus’ decks elevated more than 20 feet in the air. Each has unique traits that make them special like the Green Haus’ swinging chair and living roof or the deck hot tub at the Light Haus. The Social Haus contains the bar, lounge, and restaurant that’s centered around live-fire cooking and local delicacies like cherries, wild chamomile, and Douglas fir fronds.
Curated Romance
Take to the big sky and soar over the unspoiled Blackfoot River Valley, meadows, undulating hills, scampering elk herds, babbling brooks, pristine lakes, and evergreen treetops in the basket of a hot air balloon. If you prefer to stay grounded, arrange instead to snuggle up under the blankets on an enchanting horse-drawn sleigh ride
Cozy Catskills: The Amelia, NY
On a quiet residential street in Hudson, two hours by train from New York City and three from Boston, The Amelia wants to be your home away from home. Although unless you also have a brilliantly restored, feng shui-ed 19th century Queen Anne with eight rooms, a mahogany fireplace, leaded windows, fresh baked goods daily, a library, Frette towels, Matouk bed linens, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol originals, a pool. and a recurring literary series that highlights Asian American writers, this is a definite step up in the “where you lay your head” department. Walk a few blocks to take a peek inside antique shops and art galleries, grab natural wine at Kitty’s Market, or learn to make candles at a Poured Candle Bar workshop.
Curated Romance
After snacking on s’mores—adorable pre-packed bags of ingredients are provided—at the fire pit, retire to your room to partake in Amelia’s new partnership with the trendy sexual wellness brand backed by Dakota Johnson, Maude. The Staycation kit contains a bottle of its organic personal lubricant and harmful chemical-free condoms. We trust you can take it from here.
Lone Star Love Nest: Hotel Otto, TX
Not everything is bigger in Texas and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Take this newly opened Fort Worth micro-resort in the River District, Hotel Otto, the brainchild of lauded local chef Tim Love. Made out of shipping containers, each of the eight bungalows boasts a rooftop that overlooks the Trinity River and is outfitted with a Yeti cooler and smokeless Solo stoves, a prime place to polish off the in-room Aperol Spritz kits. The grounds, adjacent to Love’s pizza and pasta joint called Gemelle, which also serves decadent breakfasts to hotel guests only, feature a pool, bocce court, 10,000 square foot vegetable garden, and a fleet of Pedego electric bikes to take cruising along the river park’s trail.
Curated Romance
If the way to your heart is through your stomach, you’ll be happy to hear that guests get priority reservations at any of Love’s delicious area establishments including Lonesome Dove Bistro, White Elephant Saloon, Woodshed Smokehouse, and of course Gemelle. Just make sure to grab a table after the daily 5 p.m. knocktails are delivered.
Unplug in Paradise: Little Palm Island, FL
Though you do need a ticket on a boat or a seaplane, no passport is required to get to the stunning and serene Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, the only private isle resort within US borders. Not quite deserted, but there are never more than 60 castaways checked into the 4.5-acre Florida Keys property’s thatched-roof quarters. Crushed seashell paths lead to hidden swaying hammocks, fire pits, coves of turquoise water, and the spa where you can sign up for treatments inspired by Balinese and Thai body-care rituals. If you can motivate yourself to move out of the outdoor bath, you can join a sunrise yoga class or take out the complimentary kayaks, paddleboards, and Hobie Cats to search the mangroves for seabirds and marine life.
Curated Romance
Set up a toes-in-sand supper under the stars with lapping waves as the soundtrack. The chef will prepare a personalized menu based on the couple’s preferences. To elongate the romantic vibes, have CBD massage oil delivered to the room and a bath drawn.
