5 Incredibly Tasty Must-Visit Hotels for Foodies
There’s nothing quite like slipping in edible excursions while traveling, or heck, making your whole vacation a food excursion! Or giving yourself license to say, “Hey, it’s okay to order two entrees for dinner; when’s the next time I’ll be in Nashville?” while cozying up with the bartender’s recommendation for the best cab sauv (or hearing their story of how they quit their job and became a profession vintner). But for those nights where you don’t feel like venturing out of your temporary abode, these top-notch boutique hotels have completely swoonworthy food. No continental breakfasts or lame room service menus here, folks.
Best Hotel for Beer Drinkers
Hotel Vermontin Burlington, Vermont: Sure, there’s the beautiful fall foliage, picturesque winter skiing and that whole Ben and Jerry’s thing, but Vermont is also a hub for a burgeoning food and craft beer scene. In Burlington, Vermont, the “Biking and Brews” tour takes leaf peeping to incredible new heights. Armed with a charming vintage bicycle, and led by Hotel Vermont’s very own Beer Concierge (yes, you read that right), you’ll take yourself for a spin to some of the best breweries in town, including Switchback Brewery, Queen City Brewery and Citizen Cider.
After the tour, cozy up with a craft cocktail at Juniper, the hotel’s locavore-focused craft cocktail bar and restaurant, washed down with a dinner delight like Maple Wind Farm fried chicken, Brussels sprouts and pepper jelly glaze, or braised local rabbit, spiced red cabbage and celeriac puree with a fennel beurre blanc. File that under: Insanely Tasty.
Best Hotel for Pancake and Omelette Enthusiasts
Washington School Housein Park City, Utah: We’re ingredient dorks, and we love that the beautiful boutique hotel Washington School House is making breakfast our favorite meal of the day. Washington School House’s culinary team is helmed by Executive Chef Ernesto Rocha, who has crafted a menu featuring a modern and refined take on classic American fare (Bonus: It’s included in the price of your stay).
Start your day off right with hits like a BLT fried egg sandwich or market scramble with smoked salmon, cream cheese, spinach and green onions, or for those of us with a sweet tooth, indulge in caramel cranberry pancakes or chocolate chip banana pancakes that would make Jack Johnson swoon. Enjoy fun banter with friends or family about last night’s adventures at a charming breakfast table in the understated and elegant living room, or slink into a cozy couch and read the paper while you nosh. Enjoy a cup of French press coffee or a soothing local herbal tea to help you get used to the altitude. Worth remembering: Thanks to said altitude, just half a glass of wine can get you feeling tipsy!
Best Hotel for Dessert Lovers
Vanderbilt Grace in Newport Rhode Island: A vintage Newport mansion with a second life as a stylish boutique hotel? You don’t have to tell us twice to book our travel now. This property also boasts two restaurants and a cocktail bar that will have you coming back for seconds and thirds. Shake off the “brrrrs” with their Sunday Fireside Brunch with an a la carte menu at fine-dining restaurant Muse.
Come back for dinner and enjoy phenomenal selections like oysters three ways with walrus and carpenter oysters, or lobster “pot pie” with potato foam, braised root vegetables, lobster cream and a buttermilk biscuit. But save room: Their dessert really takes things over the top. Whether you go for show-stoppers like strawberry bavarian or champagne souffle, your taste buds will be in excellent company.
Best Hotel for Comfort-Food Cravers
Whiteface Lodgein Lake Placid, New York: Toto, we don’t think we’re talking tents and dirt roads anymore. Tucked away in this stunning setting of woodlands and uninterrupted nature lies a beautiful backdrop for vibrant imagery… and eating. You’ll love the hotel’s rustic elegance, where you truly feel like you’re at home as you warm up with cozy fireplaces en-suite and oven-fresh, homemade cookies at turndown.
Enjoy the property’s exquisite restaurant KANU, which features regional cuisine with standouts like bottom longline caught pacific cod “scampi” with West coast clams, preserved lemon, garlic confit, kale and parsley sauce, or yankee farmers’ market venison stew with porcini mushrooms, potato dumplings and American grana. Or, to indulge more of your senses, try the rustic elegance romance package for two, which includes a welcome gift of chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne, and a couple’s massage in The Spa at Whiteface Lodge. Sign us up.
Best Hotel for Farm-to-Table Fans
L’Auberge de Sedonain Sedona, Arizona: Multi-million dollar summer renewal? Check. A beautiful desert locale? You betcha. This gorgeous hotel and spa turned itself into a culinary destination with three revamped restaurant concepts worthy of some serious dining stars: Etch, Cress and 89Agave Cantina. At Etch, you’ll love edible thrills like tenderbelly pork chop with farro risotto, asparagus, whipped brie, speck ham and garden radish.
Feeling casual? Try 89Agave, with Sonoran-style Mexican food and taste bud-tickling Tequila cocktails. Unwind after a grueling day of spa treatments and scenic strolls with ceviche del mar, Mexican street corn sopa, or a burrito verde. Meanwhile, you’ll also want to save some room for Cress, where you’ll get seasonal options made from locally sourced ingredients, along with year-round signature dishes.
Which one of these hotels do you want to visit the most? Tweet us @BritandCo!
(Photos via Hotel Vermont, Washington School House, Vanderbilt Grace, Whiteface Lodge + L’Auberge de Sedona)