12 Best Hotels in The White Mountains, New Hampshire

With easy access to the many recreational activities of Waterville and Woodstock, this 20-acre glamping hideaway offers downright plush accommodations in stylish safari tents and A-frame cabins, all with premium linens, cooking utensils, and battery chargers. The units all share an attractively designed climate-controlled bathhouse with hot showers. Many sites overlook a tranquil pond and babbling brook, and rustic campsites are also available, and there are two saunas on the property.

The finest room in this pastoral inn's main gambrel-roof house (built in 1916) has 12 windows that look out over the Presidential Range, and many guest rooms—some in a carriage house and a new outbuilding—have fireplaces. The inn is set down a quiet lane on the eastern edge of the White Mountains and Lakes Region, a short drive from Maine's famous Stone Mountain Arts Center. Max's Restaurant serves a seasonal dinner menu of sophisticated local fare with international flavors.

At this 65-acre family-friendly resort anchored by an affordable three-story inn with unfussy country furnishings, you can play tennis and pickleball on four clay courts, soak in the outdoor heated pool or hot tub, hop on a mountain bike, or soar in a glider, and cross-country ski on 40 miles of groomed trails. You can also enjoy horse-drawn sleigh rides, snowshoeing, snow tubing, and ice-skating on a lighted rink. Rooms have period-style wallpaper or wood paneling. The dining room serves updated American cuisine, and Peaks Pub offers lighter fare.

This small, attractively updated, and economical motel is an easy drive from the Mt. Washington Auto Road, skiing at Attitash Mountain Resort, and the inviting villages of Jackson and North Conway. Rooms have granite counters, plush towels and linens, fast Wi-Fi, and attractive decor, and some have Jacuzzis and gas fireplaces. 

Convenience to the Kancamagus Highway and the Lakes Region are among the draws of this 50-acre glamping (cabins and canvas tents) compound on a pristine mountain lake and offering a wealth of amenities, including a food truck, pool, beach, yoga classes, and recreational activities. Kayak and paddleboard rentals are available. Some units overlook the lake. 

In the quaint village of Eaton Center, about 10 miles south of North Conway, this stately 1884 Greek Revival inn contains finely appointed rooms with dramatic themes, each filled with a mix of curious and whimsical art and collectibles from the innkeepers' travels. The gardens are spectacular. Breakfast is a tasty and filling country spread with delicious baked goods.

Most of the rooms—which are all outfitted with armchairs and ottomans and floral-print duvet covers and featherbeds—in this unabashedly romantic 1893 inn on the Ellis River have fireplaces, and some also have balconies with Adirondack chairs and whirlpool tubs. A pub room has a pool table, dart boards, and other games, and you can watch the river from the enclosed indoor hot tub or relax outside in a dry sauna and heated swimming pool.

This homey yet distinctive B&B—designed in 1902 by famed architect Stanford White for the Baldwin family of piano fame—is reasonably priced, charmingly furnished, and in the heart of the village. The foyer's staircase is grand, but the overall ambience is relaxed and unpretentious, and guest rooms have oversize windows that let in plenty of sunlight; most also have fireplaces.

Set on the pine-shaded shore of a rippling lake and adjacent to the slopes of King Pine Ski Area, this inviting boutique resort is a year-round destination for family-friendly recreation. Amenities are extensive and include lawn games, an indoor pool, free use of kayaks and canoes, and a restaurant with traditional but reliably good food. Accommodations come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and many have kitchens. This is a great option for a family getaway or reunion.

It's all about the view at this striking Victorian inn set high on a ridge in tiny Sugar Hill, its 70 acres holding lovely gardens, a seasonal outdoor pool, and a great little golf course. Having been updated with modern amenities and contemporary room decor, the inn offers a wide range of room types, from spacious suites with expansive decks, whirlpool tubs, and fireplaces, to smaller, simple rooms with wallet-friendly rates. The casual restaurant serves creative burgers and comfort fare, and there's seating on a deck overlooking the mountains or in a bar that looks west over the golf course and offers dazzling sunsets.

This former grande dame with a distinguished roster of past guests—including Ulysses S. Grant, Henry Ford, and P.T. Barnum—offers quirky and fun budget accommodations and a great location in one of the liveliest little downtowns in the White Mountains. In the lobby and lining the hall are photos and memorabilia from movie star Bette Davis's huge birthday bash and artifacts of other illustrious guests. Two rooms are open to the public as exhibits: one set up as a guest room from the 1840s, and the other a scene from Pollyanna, written by Littleton native Eleanor Hodgman Porter (born 1868).

With smartly updated guest rooms and common areas, this baronial 1869 Victorian also offers a nice slate of amenities, including a full spa, a first-rate restaurant, and access to a terrific golf course and cross-country ski trails. Many rooms have whirlpool baths, and the lavish Thornycroft Spa Suites have private balconies with large Jacuzzi tubs and flat-screen TVs, as well as Bluetooth speakers, gas fireplaces, and steam showers inside. The hotel also rents out modern two- and three-bedroom condos that have full kitchens and are ideal for families.