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Nothing takes the steam out of a relaxing getaway like a long-haul flight. These four new properties minimize your travel hours so you can maximize your beach—or wine-tasting or cabin-dwelling—time, while still feeling worlds away from home.
Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo
La Manzanilla, México
No, the other Tamarindo. This under-the-radar Mexican beach shares a name with the popular Costa Rican surfing destination, but the similarities end there. As the crow flies, it's about 1,300 miles closer to the United States, yet it attracts only a fraction of the visitors. Much of the land surrounding the property is protected under a mix of private and government-owned biosphere reserves, and the hotel is committed to rewilding its own lush forests so that any endemic flora and fauna affected during construction will bounce back and continue to thrive. It's one of only a handful of resorts south of Puerto Vallarta (unlike bustling Punta Mita to the northwest), meaning you'll likely have this slice of beach mostly to yourself. The resort was built to disappear into the coastline; even the hue of the cement was made to exactly match the color of the nearby sand. And of course there are all the classic Four Seasons touches, including an indulgent spa and locally inspired cuisine celebrating the best of this relatively untouched corner of Mexico. Doubles from $1,550.
Getting there: Three-hour direct flights from Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles to Manzanillo-Costalegre International Airport
The Inn at Mattei's Tavern, Auberge Resorts Collection
Los Olivos, California
Over the past two decades, Central Coast's Santa Ynez Valley—with its scores of boutique wineries and tasting rooms and an elevated food scene—has been gaining ground on the state's more established wine regions to the north. The opening of an Auberge Resort in the little town of Los Olivos is further proof of the area's status as a preeminent New World wine destination. A Santa Barbara County Historical Landmark, The Inn at Mattei's Tavern has been a popular traveler's refuge since the 1880s, when it welcomed visitors on California's stagecoach route. Now it's been given a five-star makeover with indoor-outdoor rooms and cottages with private terraces, a sun-drenched spa, and locally harvested California cuisine. There are also a few cheeky nods to the area's Old West past, including saloon nights with live music and card games and outdoor firepits for roasting marshmallows. Doubles from $750.
Getting there: Two-and-a-half-hour drive from Los Angeles; 40-minute drive from Santa Barbara
The Boca Raton
Boca Raton, Florida
This resort has all the pink stucco, palm trees, and balmy weather you'd expect from the name. Thanks to its relatively private location straddling a quiet stretch of beach and intracoastal harbor, The Boca Raton feels refreshingly set apart from the hullabaloo of South Florida. As part of a recent redo, the 96-year-old resort renovated the Tower's 225 rooms and reimagined its 50,000-square-foot spa with 44 treatment rooms. There are 12 new restaurants and bars, including an outpost of brunch favorite Sadelle's. The best part of the reboot, though, has to be its new four-acre Harborside Pool Club, with all sorts of bells and whistles, like a 450-foot lazy river, two three-story water slides, and a surf-wave simulator. A long weekend here will provide more than enough sun and water fun to get you to summer. Doubles from $429.
Getting there: 45-minute drive from Fort Lauderdale; 60-minute drive from Miami
The Chatwal Lodge
Bethel, New York
Hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal—founder of Dream Hotel Group and namesake of Midtown Manhattan's The Chatwal, New York, a Luxury Collection Hotel—brings his vision of high-end hospitality to the countryside with this long-awaited debut. Set on 30 tranquil acres, Chatwal Lodge offers all the diversions one could want from a Catskills sojourn: boating, hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, as well as Ayurvedic wellness treatments that can be arranged en suite. For evening plans, ask the concierge to organize a visit to the nearby Bethel Center of Performing Arts, or simply stay put and leaf through the classics from the fireside comfort of the lodge's cozy library. A little bit log-cabin yet entirely luxe, the suites have vaulted ceilings, reclaimed wood walls, hand-carved furniture, and beds piled high with (faux) fur throws. The best part might be that there are only 10 rooms, so if mountain seclusion is your goal, you can easily go the entire stay without bumping into another guest. Doubles from $1,200.
Getting there: Two-hour drive from NYC
This article appeared in the March 2022 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
