Note: If you're looking for our latest recommendations, check out our 2023 list of our favorite New England resorts.
This year's World's Best Awards survey closed on March 2, shortly before widespread stay-at-home orders were implemented as a result of COVID-19. The results reflect our readers' experiences before the pandemic, but we hope this year's honorees will inspire your future travels — whenever that may be.
The most attractive resorts in New England and New York use all the amenities of a classic bed and breakfast and turn up the dial. A cozy glass of wine next to a roaring fire? Control. Walking paths through picturesque forests or next to peaceful lakes? Control. Cozy rooms and thick mattresses with warm blankets? Control.
Each year for the World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the world — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines and others. Hotels were rated based on their facilities, location, service, food and overall value. Properties were classified as city or resort based on their locations and amenities.
This year, a number of properties are new to the list. The Vanderbilt, an Auberge Resort, is housed in a Gilded Age mansion in the heart of downtown Newport, Rhode Island. Located minutes from the Atlantic coast in Kennebunkport, Maine, Hidden Pond offers a treehouse-like spa and cabins on stilts. The Taconic Kimpton, just outside of Manchester, Vermont, opened in 2017 and won over our readers, mostly because, like all Kimptons, it's pet-friendly. “We were able to bring our fur baby Charlie Brown, a long haired German Shepherd,” wrote one voter. “The resort had water bowls when we entered the lobby, a chalk board with the names of guests' dogs, and local cookies. They provided a loaner bed and bowl and we were allowed to bring them into the lobby for free time.”
Alongside the newcomers are some of the region's much-loved classics. Lake Placid Lodge was rebuilt in 2005 after a massive fire burned the original 1882 camp to the ground. But the spirit of the hotel is still intact. “My husband and I stayed here for our three night minimoon,” wrote one reader. “We arrived exhausted after all the wedding festivities and were looking forward to relaxing and having a quiet romantic weekend. Lake Placid Lodge provided just that. Between the luxurious room with the wood burning fireplace and a balcony with a great view of the lake, it was the perfect autumn escape”.
Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York, has been around in some form since the 1860s. The range of activities at the lodge has perhaps never been greater. “Visit in the summer and see the incredible gardens and take in the golf,” said one reader. “Visit in the winter and go ice skating, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. In all seasons, the trails are perfect for walking independently or on one of the many guided hikes. You can also do tomahawk throwing — see if you can succeed the goal!”.
Sometimes it's the little things that bring visitors back year after year. For one reader, the Sagamore, a hotel on the shores of Lake George in New York that dates back to 1883, was thoughtful service: “I'm not sure how they do it, but the staff who have been there for years remember how you like it. your coffee in the morning, what you like to order and exactly when you need something.”
One place that does the little things exceptionally well: the charming Rabbit Hill Inn, which repeats as No. 1. Read on to see why it earned top billing again—and what other accommodations rank among the best resorts in the northeastern United States.
1. Rabbit Hill Inn, Lower Waterford, Vermont
Score: 96.69
More information: rabbithillinn.com
The Rabbit Hill Inn in northeastern Vermont has topped this list for two years in a row. The 19-room retreat has everything readers want from a luxurious New England stay. “We live in Hawaii and wanted to take a mini winter vacation,” wrote one reader. “Rabbit Hill Inn lived up to our imaginations of what the perfect winter vacation could be. The Inn couldn't control the perfectly timed snowfall that graced our visit, of course, but the room, the service, the food – everything was done so well and so thoughtfully, with so much care and special touches. We stayed for five nights and couldn't have had a better experience.”
2. Twin Farms, Barnard, Vermont
Score: 95.31
More information: twinfarms.com
3. The Chanler at Cliff Walk, Newport, Rhode Island
Score: 95.15
More information: thechanneler.com
4. Wequassett Resort and Golf Club, Harwich, Massachusetts
Score: 94.97
More information: wequassett.com
5. The Vanderbilt, Auberge Resorts Collection, Newport, Rhode Island
Score: 94.86
More information: aubergeresorts.com
6. Hidden Pond, Kennebunkport, Maine
Score: 94.46
More information: hiddenpondmaine.com
7. The Wauwinet, Nantucket, Massachusetts
Score: 92.70
More information: wauwinet.com
8. Lake Placid Lodge, Lake Placid, New York
Rating: 91.73
More information: lakeplacidlodge.com
9. Woodstock Inn & Resort, Woodstock, Vermont
Score: 91.47
More information: woodstockinn.com
10. Taconic, A Kimpton Hotel, Manchester, Vermont
Score: 90.96
More information: taconichotel.com
11. White Barn Inn, Auberge Resorts Collection, Kennebunkport, Maine
Score: 90.63
More information: aubergeresorts.com
12. Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, New York
Score: 90.19
More information: mohonk.com
13. The Sagamore Resort, Bolton Landing, New York
Score: 89.96
More information: thesagamore.com
14. The Nantucket Hotel and Resort, Nantucket, Massachusetts
Score: 89.80
More information: thenantuckethotel.com
15. Castle Hill Inn, Newport, Rhode Island
Score: 89.73
More information: castlehillinn.com
See all our readers' favorite hotels, cities, airlines, cruises and more in the World's Best Awards 2020.
