The 8 Best Stays in the Americas

The Big Sur is arguably California's most scenic – if not, the most popular – strip of road, thanks to its spectacular Pacific views as it hugs the state's rugged western coastline south of San Francisco. With vistas this irresistible, sometimes you need to linger a little longer to appreciate them to the full. Enter the Post Ranch Inn, one of the best hotels in America.

The rooms in this resort are so closely perched over the Pacific coast that you feel as if you could reach out and touch the ocean. This is a retreat that's intimate with nature, not just because of the ultimate sea and mountain views it delivers but also because of its construction, largely made with reclaimed stone, wood and glass.

Despite its remote location there are plenty of excursions the hotel offers, from guided nature walks, stargazing programmes and forest meditation. Even though it's small in size, the treatments utilised at the on-site spa all use wildflowers plucked from the meadows nearby. Just another sign the Post Ranch Inn is at one with Mother Nature's majesty in this glorious corner of California.

Yosemite National Park is an emerald-coated jewel of cloud-baiting sequoias, granite cliffs and seeping waterfalls that really deserves more than just a day of your attention. And with a setting that's everything - located just a couple of miles outside of the national park, less than five miles from Mariposa Grove and an hour's drive from the iconic views of Yosemite Valley - Tenaya Lodge is perfectly placed for enjoying the national park's unbridled natural splendour.

The facilities and activities it offers move in line with the changing seasons, whether it's guided nature walks, mountain biking and horse-riding adventures in summer to snowshoeing, sledding and ice skating in winter. But Tenaya Lodge offers the perfect forest lodge base for guests to rest when they recharge for another day's adventure.

It offers everything you'd want from a classic American lodge resort: a roaring fireplace, grand wood-beamed halls and a s'mores bar which, unsurprisingly, is always popular.

It's often said the best places in life are the hardest to reach. In Fogo Island Inn's case, that especially rings true. A futuristic, whitewashed build, it rises starkly up from the blackened rocky shores of a remote slice of Fogo Island, one of Newfoundland's most pristine corners.

Getting there from St John's includes a combination of domestic flight, ferry and car – but the journey really is worth it. For this is where icebergs float, whales cavort and the northern lights dance in the night sky. This luxury hotel's heart is firmly rooted in Newfoundland at every turn, whether it's the elegant locally made furniture in the guest rooms or the vibrant quilting and crafts that add colourful splashes to the otherwise bright white decor.

Guests at the property really feel like a Fogo Island villager, especially as the resort's Guest Host Program matches a local with each guest so they can get oriented with the region quicker. This is embellished with wholesome activities like berry-picking, bonfire nights, geological hikes and snowmobiling.

To unlock some of the planet's most special wildlife experiences, you really need to be staying with those who know it best. Spirit Bear Lodge meets that criteria with aplomb, a property owned by the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation people, who have lived in the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia since time immemorial.

Based on a traditional longhouse, local Tsimshian art and thick cedar tables pay homage to the West Coast First Nations people, while huge picture windows mean you can keep an eye out for marine life like orcas, sea lions and white-sided dolphins.

Of course, the star attraction of the Great Bear Rainforest is the unusual spirit bears. But combine this unique species with the intricate knowledge the Kitasoo/Xai’xais peoples have of this region and guests will be treated to incredible sightings of not only spirit bears but also grizzlies, too. Most of all, you'll come away feeling like a stay at Spirit Bear Lodge has been the privilege of your life.

With a pristine rainforest on one side and honey-hued beaches on the other, when it comes to location then SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge is as close to paradise as you'll get. Situated in a 170-acre private reserve on the fringes of the national park, the only way to access this remote hideaway is by boat – need we say more?

The accommodations are fairly rustic, a collection of terracotta-topped, hacienda-style houses hidden along winding jungle paths. Their simple, understated decor ensures the emphasis is firmly placed on the rainforest outside, with locally made shutters opening out onto the manicured garden and hammocks for relaxing in.

But visitors who have made the effort to come to this resort have come only for one thing: the abundant nature the lodge is encased in. The lodge offers plenty of activities to help immerse you in Mother Nature's majesty, from snorkelling the crayon-coloured coral reefs that lie off the Osa Peninsula to jungle hikes to waterfalls, night-time wildlife walks and an early morning birdwatching tour. Corcovado Wilderness Lodge knows it needs to protect its prized asset – nature itself – and that's why the resort is committed to being sustainable, with eco-friendly measures like rainwater harvesting, electric turbines and local employment all major focuses here.

Wannabe cowpokes, rejoice! Mayan Dude Ranch is possibly the closest you'll get to living like a real-life cowboy or cowgirl. Located in Bandera, which itself is the self-proclaimed 'Cowboy Capital of the World', you get the feeling this is somewhere that has been unchanged for generations. Bedrooms are holed up in lodges spread out across the grounds and feel true to the cowboy lifestyle with lone stars on the wall, saloon-style doors and vintage signs.

But visitors really come to the Mayan Dude Ranch for the immersive cowpoke experience it gives you. Mealtimes give you a literal taste of Americana with barbecue cookouts, roasting s'mores over open fires and Tex-Mex nights.

You'll certainly need all that hearty cowboy cuisine after tackling the roster of activities the ranch has to offer – think line-dancing classes, a pair of horse-riding tours each day, hayrides and classic American games like cornhole and shuffleboard.

Private island resorts are few and far between in continental USA but boy do they make them count. Floating off the coast of the Florida Keys, adults-only Little Palm Island Resort & Spa is a remote escape you'll never want to be rescued from. If Robinson Crusoe had ever come into money, he would have picked to stay somewhere like this.

Snugly set among palm trees and mangroves, the bungalow-style villas all hide suites kitted out with wooden furniture, four-posted beds and either a private deck or patch of sand to call your own. The onus here is on letting you fully unwind, with concierge and porters catering to your whim from the moment you step off the speedboat.

The luxe spa is a real highlight of your stay at Little Palm Island. It might be small but its range of massages, scrubs and treatments, which use luxurious ingredients like macadamia nut oil, seaweed and vanilla, feel truly indulgent. That's not to say there aren't opportunities to stretch your legs here – there are plenty. Explore rich marine habitats with snorkelling and scuba diving adventures on Looe Key Reef, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding or birdwatching in the Great White Heron Wildlife Refuge.

A rebirth of a legendary resort that first opened in the 1960s (before succumbing to a tsunami) and was one of Steve Jobs' favourite places to unwind, Rosewood Kona Village is faithful to its predecessor. Find thatched-roof hale bungalows and the luxe Asaya Spa here, which is carved right into the island's lava flow, while this slice of coastline on Hawaii's Big Island is teeming with history. The resort itself being laced with Polynesian petroglyphs and close to where Captain Cook came ashore when he reached Hawaii in 1779.

The hales are dreamy thatched cocoons that are perfect for couples. The only difference is what view you choose (spoiler alert: there aren't any bad ones in Hawaii), from the natural lagoon to the tropical gardens to watching the waters of Kahuwai Bay lap the caramel-coloured sand. When you finally convince yourself to leave your hideaway, there's plenty to embrace around the resort, from the four pools to the three main eateries (the Pacific Rim plates of Moana are a particular highlight) and Shipwreck Bar, a feature of the original hotel crafted from the first owner's boat they once sailed around the world in.

But at Kona Village it's not all rest without play. You can cruise Kahuwai Bay in an outrigger canoe, fish for tilapia in the resort's ponds and learn more about Hawaiian heritage at the Ka'uluola Cultural Center. Away from the resort, explore the molten lavascapes of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, spy waterfalls at Akaka Falls State Park and meet locals at the charming Waimea Farmers' Market.