As the world slowly starts opening its doors—and packing its suitcases—the team at luxury travel and lifestyle consultancy In the Know Experiences is planning our next adventures. With hotels and airlines across the globe embracing new disinfecting technology and stringent PPE protocols, we'd argue that in many ways travel has never been safer. Bonus: luxury hotels are more alluring than ever, thanks to fresh offerings and special post-Covid-19 promos worth booking right this second, whether you hit the road today or plan for a future adventure. Read on for a few we're loving for some sun, fun, and adventure this summer.
INNS of AURORA, New York Finger Lakes
Set in a fairytale 1789 village, guests can now rent three historic inns for their exclusive use, including E.B. Morgan House (7 guest rooms), Rowland House (10 guest rooms) and Zabriskie House (11 guest rooms). They're the types of properties that put Airbnb to shame, thanks to ultra-luxe amenities like private chefs and grocery-stocking services, plus loaner thrills galore, from kayaks and paddle boards to plein air easels for painting and picnic blankets for enjoying their lush lakefront perch to the hilt.
The Green O at PAWS UP, Montana
Long a hideaway for megawatt celebrities, Paws Up is bringing privacy to new heights with the August opening of The Green O, a separate adults-only, year-round camp with 12 sleek, glass-walled lodgings set in an evergreen forest. Included amenities: 100 miles (!) of private hiking, mountain biking, horse riding, and ATV trails, not to mention a shooting range and fly-fishing trips that would make a circa A River Runs Through It Brad Pitt jealous.
TWIN FARMS, Vermont
The former estate of Nobel prize-winning author Sinclair Lewis is an iconic retreat on 400 acres of undulating Vermont hills—including 100 acres that are a brand new addition (and ideal for social distancing delights). On your to-do list? Picnicking with caviar and Champagne, fat tire biking on dedicated trails, and curling up by your fireplace in your cottage (we'd book the Aviary for a fieldstone fireplace adjacent to a natural stone hot tub. Bliss.)
Bernardus Lodge, California's Carmel Valley
Wellness is priority number 1 at this beloved hideaway decked by lush gardens in Carmel, which feels very much like a fever dream Director Nancy Meyers might have had, it's so perfect. In-the-know regulars are booking villas for an extra-spacious stay at 2,100 square feet, each one complete with two fireplaces, a terrace with a fire pit and a wet bar that does this corner of wine country proud.
Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, California
This clifftop legend has been dropping jaws since it opened on 1,500 pristine acres that seem to float above the Pacific Ocean. Honeymooners flock here for good reason, and now more than ever, it's Romantic with a capital R—complete with rooms stilted 9 feet off the ground (and an above-bed skylight) and a spa where floor to ceiling windows peep out on the surrounding forest and treatments include facials formulated with locally plucked wildflowers.
Caldera House, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Guests can nab 25% off when they book seven days or more at this alpine wonder, where chalet life awaits in all seasons. We love that the hotel is now offering contactless check-in, so you'll find yourself steeping in a tub overlooking Grand Teton National Park even faster.
Hotel Jerome, Aspen, Colorado
The grande dame of Aspen since 1889 has been stunningly reborn for the Instagram generation—though you'll still find plenty of nods to its storied history, including the bar Hunter S. Thompson used to hang at. This summer, if you stay four nights or longer, the fourth night is free—giving you more time to kick back with a CBD massage in the spa where treatments are inspired by botanicals in the local Roaring Fork Valley.
Under Canvas, America's National Parks
There's glamping, and then there's Under Canvas, which takes even outdoor luxury to the next level. Whether you opt to head to the Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, or other eye-popping American bucket list stars, you'll have your own safari-style canvas tent with daily housekeeping, wood-burning stoves (and s'mores, natch)—surrounded by the freshest possible air.
Gurney's Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa, The Hamptons, New York
Picture the Hamptons without the crowds, and you've got Montauk—still a charming fishing (and surfing) village home to a lighthouse built in 1796. Our favorite place to stay, Gurney's combines the best of nautical charms (a 2,000-foot private beach; a pool filled with water from the Atlantic ocean beyond the windows) with urban musts (note-perfect cocktails). Among the many post Covid-19 protocols: sanitizing stations galore, gratis masks, and grab-and-go Scarpetta Beach dining. Heaven.
