Revealed: Boston Common's Best Of Luxury Travel Awards 2025

From serene spas to five-star stays, the Boston Common editorial team curates the ultimate list for luxury travel around New England. The main dining room at the White Barn Inn.

BEST HOTEL MAINE
WHITE BARN INN, KENNEBUNK
The epitome of classic Maine luxury recently introduced a new unparalleled accommodation on the Cora Houseboat. Designed by celebrated interior designer Jenny Wolf and custom-built to float on the Kennebunk River, secured to the inn’s private dock, it features a 640-square-foot private rooftop. aubergeresorts.com/whitebarninn

The exterior of the Pennyweight Hotel

BEST NEW HOTEL
PENNYWEIGHT HOTEL
The latest addition to Boston’s West End celebrates both the old and the new with sophisticated urban decor and a locally curated art collection. pennyweighthotel.com

MOST ANTICIPATED HOTEL OPENING
THE LAKE ESTATE ON WINNISQUAM, TILTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Slated to open in the summer of this year, the year-round lakefront resort on 36 acres will feature a 5,000-square-foot spa, pools, hot tubs, private beaches and an array of restaurants. thelakeestatenh.com

BEST HOTEL GENERAL EXCELLENCE
RAFFLES BOSTON
From its renowned restaurants to its buzzy nightlife to its stylish surroundings and lush guest rooms, this hotel is as popular with the locals as it is with the tourists. raffles.com/boston

BEST HOTEL PROGRAMMING
OMNI BOSTON HOTEL AT THE SEAPORT
From day one, the hotel has amplified the local art scene with its robust collection and partnership with Artist in Residence Will Dailey. Their always-packed events calendar features everything from poetry slams to jazz, and their event spaces have become the go-to setting for Boston’s most coveted galas. omnihotels.com

BEST HOTEL CAPE COD
WEQUASSAT RESORT & GOLF CLUB
For the past 100 years, this has been a favorite Cape Cod escape for locals and out-of-towners alike, and this year, the resort unveiled a grand renovation with refreshed guest rooms and enhanced spaces, ushering in a new era of luxury. wequassett.com

BEST HOTEL NANTUCKET
FARAWAY NANTUCKET
Boasting six buildings that each offer unique accommodations (including a stand-alone suite), a restaurant and an outdoor courtyard oasis perfect for people watching in the heart of downtown, makes this hotel impossible to leave. farawayhotels.com

BEST HOTEL VINEYARD
HARBOR VIEW HOTEL
The iconic hotel’s unbeatable location is just steps away from beaches, shopping in downtown Edgartown and the ferry to Chappaquiddick Island, and it boasts the best views on the Vineyard. harborviewhotel.com

BEST HOTEL VERMONT
WOODSTOCK INN & RESORT
The year-round destination excels at every season with its refreshing outdoor pool, cozy guest rooms, world-class spa and prime location to downtown Woodstock, skiing, hiking and foliage-filled vistas. woodstockinn.com

BEST HOTEL RHODE ISLAND
OCEAN HOUSE
It’s hard to beat this iconic seaside resort, which holds the first and only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five-Star hotel in the state, with an award-winning spa and restaurant to boot. oceanhouseri.com

BEST HOTEL BERKSHIRES
THE INN AT KENMORE HALL
Its history includes turns as a private home and boarding school before Frank Muytjens, the former head of menswear design at J.Crew and artist/restaurateur Scott Edward Cole, purchased and painstakingly restored the building as an informal but luxurious inn with a character all its own. theinnatkenmorehall.com

BEST HOTEL FOR A STAYCATION
ENCORE BOSTON HARBOR
Get lucky at the craps table, unwind in the spa, enjoy oysters at happy hour and steak for dinner, dance the night away and be back home in about a half hour. encorebostonharbor.com

BEST HOTEL RESTAURANT
LA PADRONA
Even if you didn’t book a room at Raffles Boston, the Italian restaurant’s gorgeous dining room, expert service and unsurpassed dishes will feel like an escape from the everyday. lapadronaboston.com

BEST HOTEL BAR
THE STREET BAR, THE NEWBURY BOSTON
Any seat in the house offers up the best people-watching in Boston, from the Newbury Street window tables to the bar stools—that is, if you can score a seat in the always packed room. thenewburyboston.com


The saunas at the Rowes Wharf Health Club at the Boston Harbor Hotel.

BEST HOTEL GYM
ROWES WHARF HEALTH CLUB, BOSTON HARBOR HOTEL
After an $8 million renovation, the hotel unveiled a completely transformed health club complete with a cutting-edge fitness studio, exclusive wellness pods, a new golf simulator, steam rooms, halotherapy infrared saunas and private workout and recovery pods. The best part? Memberships are available to Boston residents. roweswharfhealthclub.com

BEST GOLF RESORT
MIRVAL BERKSHIRES
The property’s wellness focus extends even to golf. The Mindful Golf program on the historic 18- hole golf course at the Wyndhurst Golf Club encourages players to shift their mindset, slow down and dial into the details. Specialty programming includes Swinging Under the Stars, a nighttime putting session that asks guests to remove their shoes and utilize all of their senses to make the perfect shot and The Journey to Mindfulness in Golf, which explores the benefits of replacing negative self-talk with positive visualization. miravalresorts.com/berkshirs

BEST SKI RESORT
SPRUCE PEAK, STOWE, VERMONT
The only slopeside ski-in-ski-out resort at the base of Stowe Mountain also offers an entire village of restaurants and shops in addition to their numerous accommodations that include everything from guest rooms in The Lodge to large luxury rentals to the highly coveted penthouses. sprucepeak.com

BEST SKI GETAWAY
MAD RIVER VALLEY, VERMONT
The popular locale with skiers boats two mountains, Mad River Glen and Sugarbush, as well as plentiful cross-country trails and a lively aprés scene. madrivervalley.com

BEST MUSEUM EXHIBIT
JAMES TURRELL C.A.V.U. AT MASS MOCA, NORTH ADAMS
Experience James Turrell’s largest free-standing circular Skyspace, C.A.V.U., at the western Massachusetts modern art museum. Thirty years in the making, the repurposed concrete 40-foot high water tank transforms into one of the artist’s signature immersive light installations. It joins the exhibition Into the Light, a long-term retrospective of Turrell’s work that currently includes nine light installations, making MASS MoCA the only North American institution offering a comprehensive overview of the artist’s career. massmoca.org

BEST VISITOR ATTRACTION
NEWPORT MANSIONS, NEWPORT, RI
Get whisked back to the Gilded Age by visiting Newport’s impressive 11 mansions, each open to the public for a truly unique experience. newportmansions.org

BEST LUXURY TOUR
HIDDEN GARDENS OF BEACON HILL
Peek around the corners and behind the gates of the storied neighborhood’s most exclusive addresses on a self-guided tour of private landscapes and gardens. beaconhillgardenclub.org

BEST DRIVEABLE DESTINATION
PORTSMOUTH, NH
In just about an hour from Boston, this seaside town houses numerous award-winning restaurants, a bustling downtown with boutique shopping, a historic theater showing current films and a roster of live entertainment and several beautiful beaches. goportsmouthnh.com

BEST FAMILY EXPERIENCE
CHATHAM BARS INN, CHATHAM
In addition to the idyllic beach, oceanfront pool, award-winning spa, numerous eateries and luxurious accommodations, the inn has a host of activities to be enjoyed by every generation. Classes include everything from oyster shucking to patio planters and there is biking and tennis, whale watching and boating trips, golf and a seasonal farm stand, among numerous other amenities and activities. chathambarsinn.com

BEST WEEKEND GETAWAY
MOUNTAIN TOP RESORT, CHITTENDEN. VT
When nature calls and an escape from the city is in order, an action-packed weekend awaits at the Mountain Top Resort in Vermont. In addition to the 740-acre lake and 700 private acres with miles of trails and access to the Green National Forest, there is cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, horse-drawn sleigh rides, sledding, horseback riding, clay bird shooting, fishing, tennis, volleyball and disc golf. mountaintopinn.com

BEST ROMANTIC GETAWAY
BLOCK ISLAND, RI
Steal your honey away to a place where time seems to stand still. The island’s open landscape and beautiful beaches aren’t yet crowded by development, and the many inns with wraparound porches encourage lingering. blockislandinfo.com

The exterior of The Chanler at Cliff Walk.

BEST OCEAN GETAWAY
THE CHANLER AT CLIFF WALK, NEWPORT, RI
The impressive hotel looms large on the cliffs overlooking the ocean, but its elegant interior and manicured lawns provide a peaceful refuge. New to the hotel this year is the French restaurant Remy’s Loose. thechanler.com

BEST MOUNTAIN GETAWAY
SOUTH PEAK, LINCOLN, NH
Development has already begun to transform this White Mountain town into a year-round destination. The Waterside Group brings South Peak Resort, nestled between the Pemigewasset River and Loon Mountain, and has plans for a future village featuring upscale retail, dining and entertainment. In the last year alone, they opened a sushi bar, a brick oven pizzeria and a martini lounge. watersidegroup.com

BEST GIRLS’ WEEKEND
CANYON RANCH, LENOX
Grab your closest, hardest-working female pals who always give 100% and steal them away to this wellness spa in the mountains where they can recharge and be pampered with self-care and zero responsibilities. canyonranch.com

BEST LOCAL VINEYARD
SAKONNET VINEYARD
Our own little Napa in New England, the area’s oldest vineyard, is also one of the most scenic. Drive along the breathtaking farm coast and pull up a chair among the vines on 169 acres to sip wine and snack on white truffle and potato croquettes, prosciutto and arugula flatbread, cheese and charcuterie. sakonnetwine.com

BEST ESCAPE
ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, MAINE
For when you need to truly unplug and get away from it all, head to the crown jewel of the North Atlantic, where nearly 50,000 acres along Maine’s coastline provide islands to explore and hundreds of miles to hike. nps.gov

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