8 Best Hotels in Virginia, USA

This Hilton is the only four-star hotel in Virginia Beach; towering 21 stories over the oceanfront, it has shops, three restaurants, a rooftop bar, and infinity pool. The seafood restaurant, Catch 31, receives consistently good reviews, and there is great outdoor seating overlooking the boardwalk. At night the bar is a happening scene for thirtysomethings. Rooms use muted tan textiles to give the space a warm feeling. Flat-screen TVs are in both bedrooms and the bathrooms. Most rooms have balconies with panoramic views, but if yours lacks a beachfront view, you can always hang out at the rooftop pool with rails of glass looking down to the boardwalk. Recently upgraded, the three floors of the Empyrean Club level have really taken it up a notch: the bathrooms even have built-in TVs in the mirrors. Book early, as the Hilton sells out quickly, even in the off-season.

What began as a small-town eatery in 1978 has grown into a legendary establishment. The rich interior of the three-story white-frame inn is the work of Joyce Conway-Evans, who has designed theatrical sets and rooms in English royal houses. Plush canopy beds, marble bathrooms, and fresh flowers make the rooms sumptuous. If you need more space, the Inn also has two luxurious cottages: the 3,200 square foot Claiborne House and the smaller but equally charming Gamekeeper's Cottage, both steps from the main inn. Chef Patrick O'Connell's much-loved New American food is served in a slate-floor dining room with William Morris wallpaper, and his restaurant consistently wins respect from international critics. Gourmands can reserve a seat at the Chef's Table to watch the kitchen in action.

If you've got the money for it, this 1912 Tuscan villa on 600 lush acres 5 miles east of Charlottesville is a luxurious, cosmopolitan retreat. The 48 guest rooms and suites contain modern amenities like high-speed Internet and flat screen TVs, which exist in harmony among English and American antiques and claw-foot tubs. Some rooms have whirlpool baths and balconies. The 18-hole golf course designed by Pete Dye, spreads across the rear of the estate. There's no check-in desk here; you are welcomed inside as if you're entering someone's home.

This small inn is the ultimate in luxury, with top-shelf amenities like Mascioni linens and robes, and Molton Brown toiletries. There are 18 uniquely appointed rooms and suites situated on 100 acres, offering spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Many of the rooms are named to reflect the property's ties to the Jefferson family. About 350 acres passed to Thomas Jefferson's daughter and her husband, Thomas Mann Randolph, who established their home, Edgehill, on the property. The foundations of the main building are thought to be the original foundations of one of Mann's warehouses. The Inn is also known for its excellent restaurant.

This 1890 schoolhouse is now a pale honey-color Victorian B&B. The first-floor classrooms have been opened into an expansive, columned lobby with a painted checkerboard floor. The upstairs bedrooms and six small cottages behind the inn are decorated romantically chic, with pastel painted floors and decorative window treatments. In the garden, surrounded by a tall wooden fence, there's a completely open-air bathroom that can be booked by adventurous couples. In 2004 the inn built new cottages called "tents" in an allusion to turn-of-the-20th-century Methodist tent communities. On wooded bluffs overlooking the headwaters of Carter's Creek, the tents each have three bedrooms and a kitchen, and there's a pool and dock for canoes and kayaks, as well as the "Detention" wine bar.

Yes, this is a hotel chain in the Marriott family, but it still stands out from the pack because all the rooms here are suites—outfitted with two flat-screen TVs, separate living area, and granite-counter-top kitchenettes. The rooms have bursts of color: red, blue, and yellow linens and carpets mixed with tropical art on the walls. Its location is close to events on the end of the boardwalk. From the balcony you can see fireworks (when launched) and free beach concerts. Breakfast is always included; the Belgian-waffle station is a standout. And parking is free—a rarity on the beach. Although it's a newer property, some of the rooms' carpets are showing damage. Ask to inspect a room before booking it.

This grand hotel from 1937 is owned and operated by Colonial Williamsburg—rooms are beautifully and individually furnished with reproductions and antiques in the English Regency style, and genteel service and tradition reign. Rooms come with such perks as morning coffee and afternoon tea, a daily newspaper, turndown service, and bathrobes. The Providence Wings, adjacent to the inn, are less formal; rooms are in a contemporary style with Asian accents and overlook the tennis courts, a private pond, and a wooded area.