10 Uber-Romantic Places That Center Around The Fireplace

Where to snuggle up this winter

With the colder months fast approaching, now is the time to enjoy a romantic getaway while keeping warm and cozy next to a stunning fireplace. From California to Vermont, below you will find 10 romantic destinations to kindle the sparks.

By Alison Lewis
USA TODAY - 10BEST

Twin Farms — Photo courtesy of Courtesy of Twin Farms

Twin Farms 
Barnard, Vermont

Set amidst 300 acres of meadows and woodlands in an unspoiled valley just 15 minutes north of Woodstock, Twin Farms is a romantic hideaway offering a variety of unique fireplaces. The only five-star resort in Vermont, Twin Farms boasts 20 distinctive accommodations ranging from four large suites to cottages built for two, with at least one wood-burning fireplace in each. The staff at Twin Farms ensures a crackling fire is roaring at all times without ever entering guest rooms.  In addition to the rustic-elegant accommodations, The Barn Room is a fine prelude to dinner, where guests can enjoy a blazing fire paired with a signature cocktail—the ideal way to warm up both inside and out. Casual elegance and camaraderie come together over the artistic culinary preparations, situated by a large field stone fireplace in The Dining Room. The property also offers a Japanese-style soaking tub (called a Furo), a hot soaking pool with a wood interior and 104° Fahrenheit water temperature that gives the building a relaxing, sauna-like atmosphere—romance at its best. 

Rancho Valencia — Photo courtesy of Courtesy of Rancho Valencia

Ranch Valencia Resort & Spa
Rancho Sante Fe, California

With more than 70 on-property fireplaces, Rancho Valencia offers a variety of indoor and outdoor spots to warm up next to a crackling flame. Located outside Rancho Valencia's signature restaurant and bar, The Pony Room, are outdoor fire pits, where guests can take in views from the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the resort's picturesque croquet lawn bordered by lush canyons and mountains. In addition, each guest casita offers an indoor fireplace, with many of them including outdoor fireplaces on the private patios—a perfect place to relax with your favorite person.

Old Edward's Inn and Spa — Photo courtesy of Courtesy of Old Edward's Inn and Spa

Old Edwards Inn and Spa 
Highlands, North Carolina

Romance is always swirling in the air at Old Edwards Inn, the European-style resort set on the scenic southwest plateau of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Book your stay at the new Falls Cottages, which surround an also-new outdoor amenity terrace with a second heated mineral pool, whirlpool and freestanding double-sided fireplace. Their two-night Romantic Mountain Escape combines an array of romantic offerings, including 24-hour Butler’s Room, luxurious Italian linens, romantic rooftop terrace with fireplace, alfresco wine garden, luxury robes and slippers and sumptuous room amenities such as rose petal turndowns, spa credits, Champagne, strawberries and more. January brings winter romance to the North Carolina Mountains with the return of Old Edwards' Romance Weekend, the perfect place to unwind after the chaos of the holidays. 

The Lodge at Vail — Photo courtesy of Courtesy of The Lodge at Vail

The Lodge at Vail
Vail, Colorado

Having debuted an extensive renovation in late 2014, The Lodge at Vail is a historic property (the first hotel in the ski village) that is a favorite spot among locals and visitors alike. Located just steps away from the new Gondola One and at the heart of the city's dining and shopping scene, the historic hotel offers an alpine chalet charm coupled with impeccable service—and now with significant upgrades to the lobby and guest rooms. Guests take in breathtaking views of powdery white mountaintops and snow-capped evergreens from the renowned fire pit outside the newly renovated Cucina restaurant, which offers mountain comfort cuisine. The Lodge is an unbeatable location in the heart of Vail Village for an après ski scene.

L'Auberge de Sedona — Photo courtesy of Courtesy of L'Auberge de Sedona

L'Auberge de Sedona
Sedona, Arizona

L'Auberge de Sedona is one of the Southwest’s foremost luxury retreats, nestled on the banks of Oak Creek in Sedona’s renowned Red Rock region. Each guest room on property offers a wood-burning fireplace. Even more romantic and luxurious, during the colder fall and winter months guests can cozy up in their cottage-style suite and enjoy L’Auberge’s in-room Fireside Menu. An on-site Fireside Concierge will come to your room and build the perfect flame. Specialty and seasonal drinks and snacks (Fireside Delights) are also available as part of the services and include s’mores pops (milk chocolate covered marshmallow with graham cracker crumb), apple pie cocktail with salted caramel pie crust bar, gingerbread macaroon and local wines.

The Vendue — Photo courtesy of Courtesy of The Vendue

The Vendue 
Charleston, South Carolina

The Vendue, Charleston’s Art Hotel, is housed in elegantly repurposed warehouses dating back to the 1780s. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the owners of the warehouses regularly rented out the upstairs rooms to ship captains and other seafarers. Today, those same spaces serve as The Vendue’s guest rooms, retaining their original charm with details such as exposed brick walls, wide heart-pine floors, high ceilings and working fireplaces. Each room is unique and furnished with an understated mixture of period and reproduction furniture (including canopy beds), fine linens and original artwork. One exciting note: the fireplaces have been converted to easy-starting gas logs. Enjoy a completed redecorated room with a double fireplace—one side faces out into the bedroom and the other faces the bathroom with a soaking tub.

Hotel Jerome — Photo courtesy of Courtesy of Hotel Jerome

Hotel Jerome
Aspen, Colorado

The 125-year-old Hotel Jerome, Aspen’s crown jewel since 1889, is surrounded by the magnificence of the Rocky Mountains in the heart of town. Rebranded Hotel Jerome, an Auberge Resort, in 2011, the hotel unveiled an extensive renovation of its 93 guest rooms and public spaces in December 2012. As you might imagine, Hotel Jerome has a number of extraordinary fireplaces throughout the main level of the hotel—many of which are surrounded by beautifully salvaged, rich furniture pieces and art from when the hotel first opened in the late 1800s.

Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe — Photo courtesy of Courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe

Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado
Sante Fe, New Mexico

Featuring 56 casitas and nine suites styled with chic, contemporary Southwestern flair, each guest space at this luxe resort includes an indoor wood-burning fireplace and private patio or terrace with sweeping views of the mountains. Guests will enjoy the resort’s complimentary fireplace butler, who can help set the mood by bringing wood logs, lighting a fire and leaving you with hot chocolate. A simple but gorgeous fire pit on the terrace outside the hotel restaurant commands vistas of the iconic red New Mexico landscape, and is the just-right spot to enjoy pre-dinner cocktails. 

Calistoga Ranch — Photo courtesy of Courtesy of Calistoga Ranch

Calistoga Ranch 
Napa, California

Winter is such a cozy, romantic time to visit Calistoga Ranch, the 157-acre oasis tucked into the wooded landscape of Napa. At the heart of the eco-resort’s Estate Lodges is an outdoor living room, complete with a fireplace. The placement of each lodge is unique depending on the topography: some lodges appear to float above streams, while others are protected beneath a canopy of native oak trees or elevated high into stands of pines, allowing guests to take in the surrounding nature while snuggled up in front of their secluded hearth. The lodges also boast indoor fireplaces and feature floor-to-ceiling windows to create the feeling of space melting into the outdoors; warm contemporary interiors mimic the surrounding Californian environment.

The Ritz Carlton Reynold's Plantation — Photo courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee

The Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation
Lake Oconee, Georgia

Situated on 30 acres of stunning shoreline property on northeast Georgia’s Lake Oconee, the resort features 251 newly refurbished rooms with resort and lake views; a newly enhanced 27,600-square-foot, full-service spa and fitness center; and the cottages by the lake and The Lake House to offer guests a new level of leisure and luxury. The updated accommodations include five 1,800-square-foot, two-bedroom cottages, one 2,400-square-foot three-bedroom cottage and one 5,400-square-foot, four-bedroom Lake House. Two- or three-bedroom cottages by the lake and the four-bedroom Lake House offer private fireplaces in the living room.  Enjoy drinks by the gorgeous lobby fireplace, or complimentary s’mores fireside outdoors. For romantic bliss, try the Fire and Ice Couples Massage, where you will start by soaking in a warm spruce and pine-scented bath while enjoying a glass of Champagne, followed by a massage with the warm essence of ginger and Arnica to help relax your entire body.