What makes a destination iconic? Whether boasting an illustrious history, extraordinary location, impressive guest list or enchanting atmosphere, it’s a place that just feels special when you set foot on its property. These 12 hotels and resorts from around the United States and Canada fit the bill, each offering luxurious accommodations and unique experiences alongside Wine Spectator Restaurant Award–winning wine and food menus.
To discover more dining destinations around the world, check out our list of more than 3,700 Wine Spectator Restaurant Award–winning establishments, including four new Grand Award winners in 2024 among the 96 restaurants that hold our highest honor.
Do you have a favorite you’d like to see on this list? Send your recommendations to restaurantawards@mshanken.com. We want to hear from you!
Element 47
The Little Nell, 675 E. Durant Ave., Aspen, CO
Telephone (970) 920-6330
Website thelittlenell.com
Grand Award
Tucked high in the Rocky Mountains, The Little Nell opened its doors in 1989 as the only resort with ski-in, ski-out access to Aspen Mountain. Over the decades, the Colorado resort has earned fame not only for its skiing but also for its stellar wine and dining. The name of its flagship, Grand Award–winning restaurant—Element 47—refers to Aspen’s founding as a mining town (47 being silver’s atomic number on the periodic table).
What’s on the Menu
Chef Matt Zubrod’s dishes are refined yet comforting and highlight locally sourced fruits and vegetables. Some standout starters include Wagyu beef tartare with beets and eggplant, a Jonah crab salad with tomatoes and nasturtium leaves and grilled gem lettuce with sea beans and chèvre from nearby Western Culture Farmstead & Creamery. With each season comes a curated selection of pastas and new preparations of premium meats, which have most recently included dry-aged Rohan duck breast with berries, Green Circle–certified chicken with cashews and a pea tortellini with ricotta.
Wine List Highlights
Element 47 has earned a Grand Award every year since 1997 and has a reputation for helping mint some of the country’s leading sommeliers. Wine director Chris Dunaway’s 3,300-selection list, which draws from a 18,520-bottle cellar, shows strength in Bordeaux, Burgundy, California, Italy and the Rhône Valley. Especially notable are the verticals and horizontals from the likes of Armand Rousseau, Château Latour and Dalla Valle, among bottlings from other leading wineries.
HMF at the Breakers
The Breakers, 1 S. County Road, Palm Beach, FL
Telephone (833) 777-7518
Website thebreakers.com
Grand Award
A historic resort set right along the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Beach, Fla., the Breakers has long attracted America’s wealthy families at play, from the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts and Astors to the Carnegies and Morgans. Today, the resort’s flagship restaurant, HMF at the Breakers, continues to be a glamorous gathering place. Named after hotel founder Henry Morrison Flagler, HMF is known for its lively, cocktail lounge atmosphere, with wine on full display. With two Master Sommeliers at the helm of its wine program, HMF is one of the few restaurants to maintain a Grand Award since 1981, the award’s inaugural year.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Joey Tuazon and his team prepare an eclectic menu of mostly small plates with a strong focus on Asian cuisine, including sushi, sashimi, momo dumplings with a sweet chile dipping sauce, shrimp pad thai and dishes cooked on a robata grill. Other options include Low Country crab dip, salumi and cheeses, pizzettes, and “food truck” fare like Greek lamb sliders and fish tacos. For maximum fun, order a bunch and plan on sharing.
Wine List Highlights
This destination restaurant is a wine tour de force, with a program led by wine director and Master Sommelier Virginia Philip, who has been with the resort since 1999 and oversees all of the Breakers’ other wine programs. Master Sommelier Juan Gomez is assisted by four other sommeliers in guiding guests through the 2,220-wine list, which is strong in picks from California, France and Italy. Star names appear throughout the list, with Champagne from Taittinger, Sonoma Chardonnay from Kistler and Pauillac from Lynch Bages all on offer. There’s also a wide selection of California Cabernets, with verticals from wineries such as Cardinale, Chappellet and Grace Family.
The Inn at Little Washington
Middle and Main Streets, Washington, VA
Telephone (540) 675-3800
Website theinnatlittlewashington.com
Grand Award
In the rolling hills of Virginia farm country, about 1.5 hours west of Washington, D.C., the Inn at Little Washington is comprised of multiple country buildings dating from the mid-1700s to the early 1900s. Chef Patrick O’Connell opened the inn in 1978 and has championed local farmers and purveyors ever since at its famed restaurant—an effort that was originally out of necessity, as decades ago milk was the only item he could receive via delivery in the tiny town of Washington. The establishment has gained international recognition, attracting diners from across the globe (including some particularly quiet guests).
What’s on the Menu
O’Connell’s cooking pays homage to classic French techniques, with a contemporary American philosophy of healthful, creative cuisine. The Inn’s two tasting menus—the Gastronaut’s Menu and the vegetarian Good Earth Menu—are each $368 per person, with optional wine pairings available for an additional $250 per person. Some dishes that have appeared on these menus include grilled Carolina shrimp with corn three ways, a seafood (swordfish and bigeye tuna) carpaccio with a wasabi sorbet and a grilled Colorado lamb chop with chickpeas and spätzle. For $32, guests can conclude their meal with cheeses selected by in-house “cheese whiz” Cameron Smith.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Lindsey Fern’s list of 2,200 wines (representing a cellar of 16,000-plus bottles) shows notable strength in California, France and Italy. The Rhône Valley particularly shines, with selections from noteworthy domaines such as Cornas’ Thierry Allemand, Hermitage’s Jean-Louis Chave, Crozes-Hermitage’s Paul Jaboulet Aîné and Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s Château de Beaucastel on offer. The robust array of large-format bottles and dessert wines highlights gems from French appellations such as Arbois in the Jura, Condrieu in the Rhône Valley and Coteaux du Layon in the Loire Valley.
Post Hotel Dining Room
Post Hotel & Spa, 200 Pipestone Road, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada
Telephone (800) 661-1586
Website posthotel.com
Grand Award
Founded in 1942 in the Canadian Rockies hamlet of Lake Louise, Alberta, Post Hotel & Spa is a skiers’ paradise in winter, with premier ski trails just minutes away, and a summer hub for hikers, who come to enjoy the trails of Banff National Park. For recovery after all those activities, an in-house spa specializes in relaxing, rejuvenating treatments. It is also home to the Post Hotel Dining Room, which delivers one of the finest wine programs in Canada and has held a Grand Award since 2002.
What’s on the Menu
The breakfast menu encompasses a handful of sweet and savory dishes, with a full buffet option, while the dinner items are showcased across a four-course prix fixe menu ($116 per person). Chef Hans Sauter highlights Canadian meat, fish and produce in his dishes, which have included such standouts as heirloom tomatoes with mozzarella di bufala, miso-marinated black cod with roasted fingerling potatoes and an Alberta bison tenderloin with fregola sarda and king trumpet mushrooms. To elevate the dining experience, guests can add on a Miyazaki A5 Wagyu beef striploin ($22 per ounce).
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Julian Simard-Gillis’ 3,400-selection program primarily features wines from Australia, California, France and Italy. The list delivers many value bottlings under $100, as well as wines from Canadian producers such as British Columbia’s CheckMate and Ontario’s Flat Rock Cellars. To complement sweeter items on the menu, guests can pick from dozens of Vintage Ports and a deep vertical of Château d’Yquem Sauternes.
Topper’s at the Wauwinet
120 Wauwinet Road, Nantucket, MA
Telephone (508) 228-8768
Website wauwinet.com/dining/toppers
Grand Award
The Wauwinet Inn has been hosting parties in northeastern Nantucket since opening in 1875. Today, the same stunning views guests have enjoyed for more than a century are on full display at Topper’s, the inn’s flagship, Grand Award–winning restaurant. Once accessible via a 50-cent steamship ride, the Wauwinet Inn can now be reached by car or a free Nantucket water taxi (called the Wauwinet Lady). With two private beaches and the neighboring Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge, the inn is an ideal getaway for those looking to relax amid nature. An ideal time for enophiles to visit is during the Nantucket Wine Festival in mid-May, when Topper’s rolls out special wine dinners that continue through the summer.
What’s on the Menu
When it comes to Topper’s regional cuisine, chef Kyle Zachary strikes a delicate balance between satisfying guests expecting New England classics and exciting those looking for something new. For the true Nantucket experience, look to the hyperlocal oysters (harvested 300 yards away) or one of Zachary’s lobster preparations: butter-poached atop spaghetti, tossed with a Meyer lemon aioli and served on a brioche roll or mixed with crab and roasted corn relish for an elevated crab cake. The chef’s broader culinary influences shine in such offerings as the halibut katsu sandwich with a jalapeño-yuzu tartar sauce, the striped bass ceviche with cucumbers and Fresno chiles and the Fog Town Farm eggplant tortelloni with ricotta, Parmesan and basil. The three- and seven-course dinner tasting menus have featured such gems as Atlantic bigeye tuna cured with finger limes, roasted lamb with zucchini and fregola tabbouleh and a Grand Marnier soufflé with vanilla ice cream.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Jason Irving manages Topper’s 2,200-label program, which has held a Grand Award since 1996. Bordeaux, Burgundy, California, Italy and the Rhône Valley are particularly well represented in the 25,000-bottle cellar. Impressive verticals from French producers include Guigal, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Château Léoville Las Cases. Piedmont and Tuscany are featured extensively among the Italian reds, and the Californian collection boasts Cabernet Sauvignons and Pinot Noirs from such names as Bond, Shafer and Sea Smoke. Also notable is the selection of more than 250 half-bottles, as well as the collection of large-format bottles and sweet wines (including a vertical of Château d’Yquem Sauternes going back to 1989).
The Cheyenne Club
Brush Creek Ranch, 66 Brush Creek Ranch Road, Saratoga, WY
Telephone (307) 327-5284
Website brushcreekranch.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Bordering the Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest, the 30,000-acre Brush Creek Ranch transports guests to 19th-century Wyoming, when well-heeled guests sought high adventure and luxurious relaxation in the Equality State. A collection of private log cabins and a luxury lodge are scattered across the enormous dude ranch, which offers downhill skiing and snowboarding on a private ski mountain, horseback riding (including a cattle drive), fly fishing and more. Among the resort’s culinary options, the fine-dining Cheyenne Club—a tribute to an elite social club in 1880s Cheyenne, then a wealthy ranching and railroad city—provides one of the most distinctive mountain-set experiences for wine lovers in the United States. Adding to the atmosphere, Cheyenne Club’s team suggests diners wear “ranch-style” and “Western chic” apparel; baseball caps and collarless shirts are not permitted, but dress jeans and cowboy boots are encouraged.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Ricky Biswas sources ingredients from the ranch’s 30,000 acres of farmland, ranchland and greenhouses. Notable dishes on the menu include American Wagyu beef (raised on the ranch) tartare with pickled black mustard seeds and hen egg yolk jam, a Caesar salad (prepared tableside) with Spanish fish sauce and Grana Padano, pan-seared halibut with a potato-fennel hash and a forest mushroom risotto with caramelized leeks. The restaurant also hosts cooking classes twice a week, where participants receive custom aprons and recipe cards (plus wine and cocktails with their meal), plus guests can visit the Farm at Brush Creek’s own bakery, creamery and distillery.
Wine List Highlights
Across a 2,145-label list that shows strength in Bordeaux, Burgundy, California, Piedmont and Tuscany, wine director Sydney Werry highlights more than 500 grape varieties. On offer are gems from St.-Julien’s Château Léoville Barton, Napa Valley’s Staglin, Sonoma’s Ramey and Champagne’s Pol Roger (part of a 65-selection sparkling wine list). The Cheyenne Club also boasts extensive collections from Château Clinet, Chapoutier and Tenuta San Guido—and that’s only scratching the surface. Tours of the 94-yard-long wine cellar are offered, and wine-focused events are a regular occurrence. Most recently the resort invited winemakers Mike and Kara Dunn of Dunn Vineyards for a weekend experience that included fly-fishing, wine tastings and a five-course dinner.
The Fearrington House Restaurant
The Fearrington House Inn, 2000 Fearrington Village Center, Pittsboro, NC
Telephone (919) 542-2121
Website fearrington.com
Best of Award of Excellence
For nearly four decades, the Fearrington House Inn has been a beacon of elegant hospitality in Fearrington Village, an 18th-century farmstead-turned-countryside community near Chapel Hill, N.C. The inn’s Fearrington House Restaurant is a vital part of this legacy, featuring a prix fixe menu of regionally inspired fare complemented by a Best of Award of Excellence–winning wine list.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Paul Gagne prepares a four-course menu ($150 per person) that changes with the season. Some recent dishes have included cured hamachi with heirloom tomatoes and avocado, a pecorino soufflé with plums and radicchio and a rib eye steak with black lentils and summer squash. For $195 per person, guests can experience a separate chef’s tasting menu or vegetarian tasting menu, which are punctuated with canapés and feature a cheese course. The restaurant also offers kid-friendly afternoon tea experiences Thursday through Sunday, where adults and children can partake in the fun for $65 and $35 per person, respectively.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Troy Revell’s 1,200-selection program represents a 3,500-bottle inventory, which highlights producers from Burgundy, California, Germany, Italy and the Rhône Valley. This includes picks from esteemed wineries such as Marquis d’Angerville, R. Rostaing and Mayacamas. The restaurant also hosts classes on wine and spirits for those looking to expand their beverage knowledge.
Grand Hotel
286 Grand Ave., Mackinac Island, MI
Telephone (800) 334-7263
Website grandhotel.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Since 1887, Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island has been luring summer vacationers from Michigan and farther afield. While guests of the hotel no longer arrive via steamship, they still get a taste of old-school luxury when they’re brought to the property on horse-drawn carriages (following their arrival on the Lake Huron island by ferry or plane). Once at the hotel, guests can enjoy rounds of golf at the Jewel course, horseback riding at the Grand Hotel Stables, facials and body treatments at Astor’s Salon & Spa and shopping at on-site boutiques. That’s not to mention the sizable Esther Williams Swimming Pool (complete with a waterslide) and the sprawling 660-foot front porch boasting views of the Straits of Mackinac. Grand Hotel is also a mecca for fine wine and cuisine, thanks in large part to its Best of Award of Excellence–winning restaurant Salle à Manger (French for “dining room”).
What’s on the Menu
Chef Jason Siles looks to American and French culinary traditions for his dishes, which are served across breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. In the Main Dining Room, diners can choose from three prix fixe dinner menus, which are regularly updated to reflect the season. Some recent menu highlights include a slow-roasted Berkshire pork loin with a mango-mostarda glaze, quinoa-crusted lake trout with acorn squash and pretzel-crusted chicken breast with caramelized Brussels sprouts. The hotel requests “special occasion” attire at dinner, where the food is complemented by live music from the Grand Hotel Orchestra. Those looking for a sweet treat will appreciate the signature Grand Pecan Ball composed of Guernsey Farms vanilla ice cream, pecans and fudge sauce; since its debut in 1947, the dessert has been ordered more than 60,000 times.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director and Master Sommelier Elizabeth Schweitzer oversees the list of 470-plus wines, tapping an inventory of 18,000 bottles. California, France (particularly Bordeaux), Italy and, of course, Michigan are the main focuses of the wine program. This includes the hotel’s own labels of blanc de noirs, Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, as well as picks from respected producers such as Champagne’s Veuve Clicquot, Napa Valley’s Bouchaine and Michigan’s own Chateau Chantal and Cascade.
The Greenbrier Resort
101 W. Main St., White Sulphur Springs, WV
Telephone (855) 453-4858
Website greenbrier.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Nestled in a valley among the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia, the Greenbrier Resort has been a travel destination since its founding in 1778. The area’s mineral water springs have long provided visitors with restorative spa, swim and bath experiences. Today, the Greenbrier’s accommodations include rooms and suites in the main hotel building, as well as luxurious estate houses and cottages, while the resort has added golf courses, an in-house casino and a host of dining options, including its Best of Award of Excellence–winning Main Dining Room.
What’s on the Menu
In the Main Dining Room, chef Luis Solorio serves a menu influenced equally by French fine dining and Southern American fare. Notable starters include a warmed brie tart with charred peaches and spiced pecans, black pepper–seasoned tuna with a honeydew sorbet and bone marrow campanelle with a short rib marmalade. Among the main dishes are such delicacies as basil mousse–stuffed chicken breast with asiago-polenta croutons, a Berkshire pork chop with white Cheddar grits and Chilean sea bass with a carrot-ginger silk.
Wine List Highlights
Thomas Kirby oversees the 960-selection list (drawn from a 28,000-bottle inventory) that focuses on Bordeaux, Burgundy, California, Italy, Oregon and Spain, among other regions. This includes Champagne from Nicolas Feuillatte, Châteauneuf-du-Pape from St.-Cosme and several vintages of Château Mouton-Rothschild’s grand vin. The Main Dining Room also offers signature cocktails, mocktails and wine flights.
La Mer
Halekulani Hotel, 2199 Kalia Road, Honolulu, HI
Telephone (808) 923-2311
Website halekulani.com
Best of Award of Excellence
With a history dating to 1883, the Halekulani Hotel sits right on Oahu’s Waikiki Beach, offering white-sand serenity amid the bustle and attractions of the surrounding neighborhood. After relaxing by the surf, at the pool or in the spa with a traditional Hawaiian lomi lomi massage, guests can enjoy fine dining at Best of Award of Excellence winner La Mer, which embraces its surroundings, offering stunning views of the Pacific from its outdoor dining space and incorporating local ingredients into its French-leaning menu.
What’s on the Menu
Some recent highlights on chef Alexandre Trancher’s tasting menus ($255 and up per person) include poached lobster with squid ink gnocchi, duck foie gras with strawberry jam and grilled deep-sea pomfret (monchong) with a pea puree. Guests can add standard or premium wine pairings to their meal, with options starting at $135 per person, and there are also several add-on caviar options, each coming with blinis and traditional accoutrements. Larger parties can choose to dine in either of two private rooms, one for up to 22 guests and the other for up to 16.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Kevin Toyama oversees the restaurant’s 1,800-selection program, which shows strength in Bordeaux, Burgundy, California and Champagne. Especially notable is the robust collection of half-bottles, including 11 vintages of Château d’Yquem going back to 1989 and 17 vintages of Opus One going back to 1995. Guests can also expect choices from the likes of Louis Roederer, Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, Château Pichon Longueville Lalande and more.
The Polo Lounge
The Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows, 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA
Telephone (310) 887-2777
Website dorchestercollection.com
Best of Award of Excellence
For more than a century, the Beverly Hills Hotel has served as a symbol of old Hollywood glamor, attracting an elite crowd to its private bungalows and enchanting grounds. John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon and Yoko Ono are among some of the more notable guests of the hotel, which has itself been featured in numerous films. The hotel’s Best of Award of Excellence–winning restaurant, the Polo Lounge, provides both upscale dining and a vivid backdrop for people-watching.
What’s on the Menu
Chef Ashley James leads the culinary charge at the Polo Lounge, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with brunch on Sundays. The dinner menu kicks off with a selection of rich starters, including oysters with a mignonette sauce, steak tartare with toast points, crab cakes with a lemon aioli and a few caviar options. The chopped McCarthy salad and soufflés (chocolate or flavor of the day) are the restaurant’s signature dishes, while the rest of the menu is primarily comprised of Italian and steak house staples, including rigatoni Bolognese, Maine lobster risotto, an American Wagyu beef burger and a filet mignon served with a black truffle–infused red wine reduction.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Csaba Oveges oversees the 1,000-selection list, which focuses on Bordeaux, Burgundy, California and Champagne, though many other regions are represented as well. Bottles from Château Cos-d’Estournel, Bodega Numanthia and Château de Beaucastel are standouts on the international collection, but the list’s primary strength lies in the Polo Lounge’s home state of California. Fans of Golden State Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays have many options to choose from, including bottlings from Williams Selyem, Wayfarer and DuMOL. The Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon selection is the most extensive, with offerings from Dana Estates, Heitz, Faust and many others appearing in the 20,000-bottle cellar.
Mohonk Mountain House
1000 Mountain Rest Road, New Paltz, NY
Telephone (866) 288-6039
Website mohonk.com
Award of Excellence
The Mohonk Mountain House resort is an adventurers’ oasis, ensconced among 40,000 acres of protected forest in New York’s Hudson Valley. Activities and experiences abound for guests, from hiking and horseback riding to golfing and rock climbing. While almost everything is included under the resort’s all-inclusive payment structure, guests can enhance their stay with a wide array of spa treatments and wellness experiences. At Mohonk Mountain House’s Award of Excellence–winning Main Dining Room, guests can savor modern American and French fare alongside a top-notch list of wines.
What’s on the Menu
Chef James Palmeri prepares a rotating menu informed by the bounty of the restaurant’s surrounding farms and purveyors. For the hotel’s Main Dining Room, recent sample menus have included the likes of French plantain gnocchi with charred carrots, wild mushroom mille-feuille with a turnip cream and roasted veal with a green peppercorn sauce. As for dessert, the restaurant offers a selection of house-made ice creams and sorbets, which pair nicely with either an espresso or one of the signature nightcap cocktails.
Wine List Highlights
Wine director Sam Harris oversees the 150-selection list, which holds an Award of Excellence. The program highlights leading areas of France and California, particularly Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Loire and Rhône valleys, along with Napa, Monterey and Paso Robles. Notable picks include Albert Mann Pinot Gris, Christian Moreau Chablis and Duckhorn Merlot. Through monthly wine-pairing dinners, the restaurant highlights different terroirs represented in Harris’ program alongside special five-course meals.
Edited by Collin Dreizen, Chris Cardoso, Julia Larson, Olivia Nolan, Megan Tkacy and Greg Warner
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