Other hotels in America must look at the Hotel del Coronado and weep with envy. First, there's the location, set on a sublime stretch of California coastline that Dr. Beach, Stephen Leatherman, named one of the top ten beaches in America for 2008. Look to the right of the beach and you'll find a spit of land that curves into the Pacific, home to the precipitous bluffs of Point Loma. Then...

Club Med, the company that brought the all-inclusive product to travelers over a half-century ago, has undergone a major transformation this past decade. Look no further than its Ixtapa property on Mexico's Pacific Coast, where you'll notice that those wild singles' parties on the beach have been replaced by activities staff pushing baby strollers. Yes, those singles are now couples on the...

The whimsical yet sublimely professional Winnetu Oceanside Resort draws a crowd of in-season families and off-season romance seekers craving hospitable service at the only oceanfront accommodation on Martha's Vineyard. Ditch your car for a week, settle in to a classic New England-style resort, and allow its heaps of amenities to entertain, inspire, and help you unwind. A wealth of activities,...

It's easy to drive right past the unobtrusive white brick pillars in the village of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Before you know it, you've missed the small brass plaques announcing The Greenbrier. First-time visitors expect a flashy entrance. After all, this is the American icon that was named the 20th century's top resort by Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report. Every major travel...

"Go jump in the lake" has been a favorite summer rallying cry at Mohonk Mountain House, near New Paltz, New York, since its founding in 1869. With towers, turrets, and a cliffside setting overlooking a pristine lake, the 261-room stone and wood structure has a Victorian castle-like look set within 2,200 forested acres of the Shawangunk Mountains. Located 90 miles north of New York City, the...

Set amid thick stands of bamboo, gardens of brightly-colored orchids, and swaying palm trees, the 1,000-room Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando whisks you halfway around the globe to the sights, sounds, and aromas of the South Pacific. Approaching the resort, you pass through a bamboo forest and under an authentic Kul-Kul tower, a Balinese structure used to celebrate special...

Take the fairytale architecture and celebrity chefs of Las Vegas, add a water park straight out of the Disney playbook, plop it down on an island in the Caribbean, and voilà, you have Atlantis. To say this Bahamian outpost is a mega-resort is no exaggeration. Close to 3,000 rooms pepper the 171-acre complex, from the affordable and nondescript Beach Tower (a holdover from the days of...

An hour's drive south of Cancun on the Yucatán Peninsula, Playa del Carmen is the gateway to miles of soft white beaches, popular snorkeling and scuba diving sites, and the famous Mayan ruins of Tulum. It's grown exponentially in the past decade, with the sprouting up of numerous all-inclusive resort complexes along the beachfront. A more exclusive alternative is the relatively new...

Cheeca Lodge is a 27-acre gem full of Florida Keys flair that's known for bone-fishing, eco-sensitivity, and groundbreaking kids' programs. Located 20 miles south of Key Largo, Cheeca Lodge fronts the Atlantic and features a patch of protected beach, a rarity in the Keys. The décor of the 199 handsome rooms and suites incorporates a dash of Hemingway plus a splash of the tropics. Adding...

Perched on 300-foot cliffs overlooking the convergence of the Atlantic and the Caribbean at Puerto Rico's eastern tip, this four-diamond resort is big—five "villages" that house a total of 983 rooms, including Las Casitas, a complex of 155 one- to three-bedroom villas that come with butler service. The resort also has 22 restaurants and lounges, a casino, tennis courts, golf, and its own...