Salt-worn cedar shake cottages adorned with strings of colorful buoys, wooden docks tracing a line from pine forest to glassy lake, hillsides ablaze in autumnal red and orange — so many of our quintessential images of the American vacation have their roots in New England scenery. This part of the country has an old-fashioned, nostalgic quality, and nowhere is that more on display than in its resort destinations. And while many of the spots that Travel + Leisure readers love most are at their best in peak summer, a number of the places on this year’s list offer year-round pleasures for those ready to discover them.
How Voting Works
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. Over 186,000 T+L readers completed the 2024 survey. A total of more than 700,000 votes were cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).
Hotels were classified as either resort hotel, city hotel, inn, or safari lodge based on their location and amenities, and they were specifically rated on the criteria below:
- Rooms/facilities
- Location
- Service
- Food
- Value
For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores are averages of these responses.
Courtesy of The Winnetu Oceanside Resort
What Readers Loved
Coastal charms reigned supreme on this year’s list, with a bevy of spots in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; Newport, Rhode Island; and southern Maine. Travelers can’t get enough of those coastal views and beachy pursuits, but it’s excellent service and robust offerings that set these places apart from the rest. Wrote one reader of the Brenton Hotel in Newport: “The concierge has been impeccable, the facilities are nothing short of stunning. Combine that with the central location, complimentary items, and full suite of services, and you get long weekend perfection.”
That premium on true hospitality held true for this year’s non-coastal picks, too. Quisisana Resort on Lake Kezar in Lovell, Maine, attracts repeat guests with simple pleasures, executed to perfection — one guest, a visitor on and off since childhood, calls it “our favorite vacation for years,” while another raves that it’s “the best hotel I’ve ever stayed in. Perfect location, consummate service, no detail unaddressed, thoughtful in all aspects.”
The second landlocked resort on the list, the Wentworth in Jackson, New Hampshire, also attracts impassioned repeat visitors. “We instantly fell in love,” says one guest. “Since our first trip, we’ve stayed at the Wentworth nine times and seen it evolve from an elegant country inn to what it has become after the renovation: a White Mountain boutique hotel.”
Read on for this year’s first-place pick — a quintessential Martha’s Vineyard spot — plus our full list of travelers’ favorite resorts in New England.
The Winner
The Winnetu Oceanside Resort: Edgartown, Massachusetts
Courtesy of The Winnetu Oceanside Resort
Situated right at South Beach on Martha’s Vineyard, the Winnetu Oceanside Resort is a beloved Katama fixture, and it still reigns supreme among T+L readers. With 54 rooms and suites, plus cottages, townhouses, and three- and four-bedroom standalone rentals, it’s an ideal place to convene with a crowd. The property’s 11-acre grounds include all the classic beach-resort facilities — two heated pools, tennis courts, a fitness center — plus a full slate of activities, from toddler-friendly sensory play for the littlest guests to late-night beachfront clambakes for the grown-ups. For T+L readers, the Winnetu’s staff are what make it so special: One reader highlighted chef Richard Doucette’s work at Dunes, the on-site restaurant, while another commented that “the service in every way was excellent” across the whole of the property. All in all, as one guest put it, the Winnetu has assembled “a great team of hospitality professionals.”
The Full List
1. The Winnetu Oceanside Resort: Edgartown, Massachusetts
Reader Score: 99.00
2. Quisisana Resort: Lovell, Maine
Reader Score: 97.77
3. Hidden Pond: Kennebunkport, Maine
Reader Score: 95.19
4. The Nantucket Hotel and Resort: Nantucket, Massachusetts
Reader Score: 94.95
5. Brenton Hotel: Newport, Rhode Island
Reader Score: 94.40
6. Inn by the Sea: Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Reader Score: 93.44
7. The Vanderbilt, Auberge Resorts Collection: Newport, Rhode Island
Reader Score: 93.17
8. The Wentworth: Jackson, New Hampshire
Reader Score: 93.07
9. White Elephant: Nantucket, Massachusetts
Reader Score: 91.56
10. Faraway Nantucket: Nantucket, Massachusetts
Reader Score: 91.31
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