Inspired by the log and stone architecture of the national-park lodges, the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch is much more refined than its rustic predecessors out West. At the 9,000-foot base of Beaver Creek Mountain, a mere 30-minute drive from Vail, Colorado, the Ritz is one of the premier resorts in the Colorado Rockies. Let the doorman in that Stetson cowboy hat open the door into the main...

One of three Loews hotels at Universal Orlando, the 650-room Hard Rock Hotel is a fantasy getaway for music fans, designed to look like a wealthy rock 'n' roll star's Southern California manse. It's filled with cool collectibles like a rhinestone-encrusted jumpsuit worn by Elvis, one of Elton John's outlandish costumes, and boots worn by the likes of Mick Jagger, Baby Spice, and June Pointer...

On the grounds of Maui's 1,500-acre Wailea Resort are six world-class hotels, including the 780-room Grand Wailea. In addition to three golf courses (and two more adjacent), the hotel has an amazing pool complex, an extensive spa, and one of the island's best beaches—all of which make it a top choice for families.

The Wailea Golf Club is home to the Blue, Emerald, and Gold...

At the turn of the last century, Philadelphia blueblood Spencer Penrose made a fortune in gold and copper mining in Colorado and decided to build a grand hotel near the source of his wealth. He chose a site in Colorado Springs with a view across a manmade lake of the Front Range of the Rockies. Sparing no expense, Primrose created an Italianate palace furnished with treasures from all over the...

The PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn hails from the days of Bogner one-pieces and Norwegian ski sweaters. It was remodeled in 1955 with the aim of giving delegates for the 1960 Winter Olympics, held in Squaw Valley, a comfy, luxurious abode. That mid-century charm still holds in the exterior's wood-shingled facade and...

If the sound of water soothes you into calm, the Renaissance Orlando Hotel at SeaWorld will be just the thing (though not to worry, Orlando's high-energy attractions are mere minutes away). Just across the street you can get splashed by Shamu at SeaWorld, swim with bottlenose dolphins at Discovery Cove, or ride the waves at Aquatica water park.

The hotel had a recent major facelift,...

E'Terra is the ultimate hideaway, tucked beneath a cedar canopy on the eastern shore of Lake Huron, in the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve at the tip of Ontario's pristine Bruce Peninsula. The attention to comfort and detail in its six suites is striking. Take, for example, the North American craftsman furniture and original artwork; the heated flagstone and cherry-wood floors covered...

Hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics has put British Columbia's Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort in the international spotlight, but there's another side to Whistler. When the snow melts in the spring, it becomes one of Canada's top golf destinations and one of the most popular summer resorts in North America.

In 1989, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler opened as a year-round luxury hotel in the...

There's no "official" hotel for Canada's Wonderland and its sister water park, 20-acre Splash Works, but this recently renovated, family-friendly hotel offers the best nearby lodging for Toronto's biggest area theme park. Less than ten miles from the center of all the action, the hotel features a special one-night package that includes park admission (Canada's Wonderland is considered a...

The Ritz-Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation occupies an enviable setting—35 acres on Lake Oconee, 75 miles from Atlanta, in the heart of Reynolds Plantation. One of the South's most exclusive gated communities, Reynolds Plantation has a host of amenities, including three full-service marinas and five golf courses by top designers.

In the early 1900s, Mercer Reynolds, Sr....