10 Romantic Weekend Getaways Every Couple Needs To Check Out
10 Romantic Weekend Getaways Every Couple Needs To Check Out
No matter where you're traveling from — or if you're staycationing in your own city! — we hit all regions of the U.S. for a comprehensive couple's weekend guide. From romantic mountain lodges to cozy bed and breakfasts, these retreats are just the getaway you need to get it on.
Friday Harbor House, San Juan Islands, WA
If your weekend getaway is more about the away, take a ferry ride (or float plane, if you live in Seattle, Bellingham, or Vancouver) out to Washington's San Juan Islands. At the modern Friday Harbor House, hit the snooze button in one of their king-size beds and take a soak in an oversized jetted tub (there's one in each room!). Early riser? Watch the boats and ferries come in and out of port with the sunrise in the background. Dine overlooking the San Juan channel and marina, and definitely hit up the island's impressive antiques scene — start at Funk and Junk, the island's oldest vintage shop.
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Hotel Saint Cecilia, Austin, TX
With rooms painted in opulent colors (think rich blues and reds), Austin's Hotel Saint Cecilia was inspired by the patron saint of music and poetry — as well as the Beat Generation and rock and roll culture of the late 1960's and early 1970's. (The hotel's neon "SOUL" sign at the foot of the pool underscores this.) Only five suites, six poolside bungalows, and three studios make up the entire hotel, and the remote, manicured grounds are guest-only, so you'll have some privacy. Remote doesn't mean removed, however; you're just steps away from South Austin, which boasts a brewery, an Alamo Drafthouse theater (cocktails and cinema!) and the pizza mecca that is Pieous. With pies with names like "Fat Queen," you can't pass that one up.
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The Manchester Inn, Manchester, VT
In a four-acre valley between Vermont's Taconic and Green Mountains, the Manchester Inn offers nature-lovers a breath of fresh air — literally and metaphorically. The inn is family-owned and operated, so you can expect to be treated like family during your stay. I'm talking a home-cooked country breakfast, afternoon cocktails you can sip next to the fire in a living room-style pub, and rocking chairs you can relax in as you take in the mountains in the distance.
Pro tip: Request the Sweet William suite in the Carriage House. With vaulted ceilings, a sunken tub, and hardwood floors, you might never want to leave the room. If the Battenkill and Mettawee river fishing, hiking, and biking don't get you moving though, nearby downtown Manchester, with art galleries, restaurants, and shops, certainly will. It doesn't get more Vermont than this.
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Poetry Inn, Napa, CA
Napa Valley's Poetry Inn stands at the end of a gated drive, perched on the mountainside, so you'll truly feel away from it all. Five rooms — all named after famous poets, of course — make up the entire couples-only hotel, each boasting sanctuary-inspired bathrooms (they're double the size of the sprawling guest rooms), a private terrace, wood-burning fireplaces and ethereal views of pastoral Napa.
The hotel's smallness works in your favor; a representative reaches out before your stay to customize your experience. Also included in your visit is complementary tastings at the inn's private winery, Cliff Lede Vineyards, located on the valley floor just across the Silverado Trail. Oh, and there's a spa, where you can enjoy a couple's massage from their rooms or your private terrace. Now that's hot.
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Zero George Street, Charleston, SC
The Zero George, one of Charleston's elite boutique hotels, has its own rich history, dating back to Revolutionary times. A two-story, Federal-style house and an accompanying two-story outbuilding were built at the dawn of the 19th century, and they remain in use to this day. It's surrounded by three more historical buildings, two of which were transported to and preserved at Zero George Street, making up the hotel's 16 studios and suites.
Be sure to tour a historic home (try Drayton Hall or the Nathaniel Russell House), window shop on King Street and grab cocktails at The Ordinary (which is anything but).
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The Collector Inn and Gardens, St. Augustine, FL
While all of St. Augustine is ripe with history (the city's Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort in the continental U.S., has been controlled by four countries since it's completion in 1695), the Collector Inn sits on a romantic, one-acre garden that was once home to the Dow Museum of Historic Homes, comprised of nine houses built from 1790 to 1910. Before its restoration in 2000, the grounds served as a 16th-century hospital and cemetery, an 18th-century Spanish defense line, and setting for the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation reading that freed Florida's slaves. Today, the original nine homes have been converted into a 30-room inn with coquina walls, fireplaces, verandas, and refurbished hardwood floors. The garden still remains and is full of quiet corners and scenic trails — perfect for an early evening stroll.
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Danforth Inn, Portland, ME
Just past the Danforth Inn's 200-year-old colonial brick exterior is a modern, mid-century interior — and that old-meets-new combo really works. With working fireplaces in nearly every room, a third-floor conservatory, and a private garden, this cozy inn is the perfect escape, right in the center of one of the country's most romantic seaport towns. Portland boasts more dining spots per capita than any other American city, and is also home to though the award-winning artisanal bakery, The Holy Doughnut, which crafts its delicious handmade treats with a special ingredient — potatoes.
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The Gastonian, Savannah, GA
Nestled in the heart of Savannah's Historic District, two Regency-Italianate style mansions, originally built in 1868, have withstood the test of time. Originally two freestanding homes, 220 East Gaston Street was owned by Savannah insurance broker R. H. Footman, and the one next door, 218 East Gaston Street, was built for wholesale grocer Aaron Champion. A classic bed and breakfast since 2005, The Gastonian is frequently visited by couples celebrating honeymoons or anniversaries — the Caracalla suite, with its king-sized bed and whirlpool tub draped in sheer paneling, will make you feel like you're the Duchess of Sussex.
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Lafayette House, New York City
More pre-war apartment building than hotel, the East Village's Lafayette House was originally built in 1848. A perfect staycation spot for the Manhattanite couple (and equally worthwhile for out-of-towners!), expect some of that good, ol' New York quirk upon arrival. There won't be a butler — or a lobby or public space, for that matter — to greet you; instead, guests buzz up, apartment-style, and an attendant grants access. You and your significant other are really on your own (at last). Furnished with stunning antiques, the brownstone seamlessly blends in with the other buildings on Lafayette Street. The result: You feel like you actually live there. Their concierge can help you feel like a local, but we recommend starting at Gasoline Alley Coffee for a killer cup of joe. From there, get lost wandering the city that never sleeps.
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Scribner's Catskill Lodge, Hunter, NY
Perfect for a "new generation of urban explorers," Scriber's Catskill Lodge, established in 1966, is the hotel your Instagram feed has been missing. The decor is slightly offbeat — operating somewhere between mod and pastoral, the lodge is all maple wood and white walls, punctuated with Scandi leather chairs, macrame wall hangings, vintage rugs, and local art. The quiet lodge overlooks Hunter Mountain (the skiing is prime) — it's best to book the Bungalow King room, which features custom furniture, a rain shower, and floor-to-ceiling windows with unparalleled views of the mountain. Year-round, enjoy cocktails in the cozy lobby (it has a hearth and all!), dine at Prospect, Scribner's Hudson Valley-inspired American restaurant and explore the vast Catskills. Reconnect with nature, each other, and your sanity.
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Is it hot in here, or am I just in FL?