Note: If you’re looking for our most recent recommendations, check out the 2023 list of our favorite resorts in the West.
Travelers to the western U.S. are so spoiled for amazing places to stay that many states in the region — Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming — get their own lists in Travel + Leisure‘s World’s Best Awards. But resorts in other parts of the West should still be on travelers’ radar, especially for anyone in search of stunning forests, slopes, and shores…sans the crowds.
Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Hotels (including safari lodges) were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Properties were classified as city hotel, resort, or safari lodge based on their locations and amenities.
Many beloved resorts in this half of the country are found in secluded locations in the mountains, on rivers and lakes, or overlooking the Pacific. But a few properties on the list offer access to another highlight of the western states: wine. Willows Lodge (No. 8) is not set directly among the vines, but its home in Woodinville, just outside Seattle, is still the beating heart of Washington’s viticulture industry, with 130-plus wineries (and their tasting rooms) using grapes from around the state. “The rooms and service were absolutely amazing,” one voter remarked. “We will definitely be staying here again.”
Another wine haven can be found at the Allison Inn & Spa, in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, which ranked No. 3. The contemporary, 85-key resort is a relaxing home base for exploring the Pinot Noirs and sparkling wines of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. (“Get a massage, then head to a winery,” recommended one reader. “Can’t beat it.”) The Allison is in great company in Oregon: a third of this year’s top properties can be found in the state. Of the No. 2 Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach, one respondent said: “There’s no better place to enjoy the outdoors.”
Travelers who look beyond the busiest slopes in the Rockies will also discover some of the country’s best ski resorts. One such property is this year’s No. 11 entry: Sun Valley Lodge, in Sun Valley, Idaho. The destination, long a low-key celebrity favorite, is now getting a wider audience. For a less hyped experience, consider visiting in the warmer months — as one reader put it, “winter or summer, this is a fabulous place.”
This year’s top property is within striking distance of under-the-radar ski spots, as well as areas for hiking, biking, rafting, and horseback riding. Read on to see the full list of the best resorts in the western United States.
1. Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection, Santa Fe, New Mexico
This reborn icon — originally opened in the 1920s and recently acquired by the Auberge Resorts Collection — makes a stunning debut at the top of the 2022 list. Once the desert estate of 19th-century French missionary Jean Baptiste Lamy, the 317-acre property in the Sangre de Cristo foothills still includes the original 150-year-old chapel and lodge. The resort’s 100 newly renovated rooms and suites are the epitome of sophisticated Southwest design, with whitewashed kiva fireplaces, black-and-white desert photographs on the walls, and plenty of patterned textiles and other pieces from Native artisans.
Score: 92.71
2. Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach, Oregon
Score: 92.61
3. The Allison Inn & Spa, Newberg, Oregon
Score: 92.47
4. Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino, Incline Village, Nevada
Score: 92.00
5. Shore Lodge, McCall, Idaho
Score: 91.18
6. Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico
Score: 90.91
7. Brasada Ranch, Bend, Oregon
Score: 89.55
8. Willows Lodge, Woodinville, Washington
Score: 89.33
9. Suncadia Resort, Cle Elum, Washington
Score: 89.27
10. Edgewood Tahoe Resort, Stateline, Nevada
Score: 89.26
11. Sun Valley Lodge, Sun Valley, Idaho
Score: 87.53
12. The Coeur d’Alene Golf & Spa Resort, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Score: 87.08
13. Salish Lodge & Spa, Snoqualmie, Washington
Score: 86.96
14. Salishan Coastal Lodge, Gleneden Beach, Oregon
Score: 86.95
15. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Oregon
Score: 86.53