TOP-VALUE
Travel
B Y BILL NEWCO TT
PHOTOGRAPH B Y JASON VARNEY
America’s most lavish
vintage resorts can be
surprisingly affordable
Plush Digs
Vacation
Like a
Vanderbilt
DONNA BALDWIN TALENT
THE BROADMOOR Colorado Springs, Colorado Best rate: $160 per night, except in summer
Royalty, presidents, and giants of
industry have sipped champagne and
danced the night away at America’s
“grande dame” resorts—those ornate,
sprawling destinations that defined
the golden age of privileged travel in
the early 20th century.
In later decades many of those
resorts faced extinction as the nation’s
travel tastes changed. But if the
Rockefellers don’t drop by as often as
they used to, you might see the folks
from down your street, looking for a
taste of classic top-tier vacationing—
thanks to bargain rates during the resorts’ off-season periods (of course, all
rates listed are subject to availability).
Here are six classic destinations—many
of them recently renovated—waiting to
treat you like a king.
