We get it: You are over connecting with friends virtually, mixing cocktails solo and toasting by touching your rocks glass or flute to your screen. As the world collectively wakes up from its COVID-induced fog and things slowly start returning to the (new) normal, we’re all more than ready to socialize IRL.
While you look ahead to a day in the near future when you and your crew can imbibe again in person, start planning a getaway to one of these hotels that are intrinsically-linked to your favorite adult beverages from beer to bubbly.
In its heyday, this classic property built in the 1920s in Virginia Beach was frequented by movie stars, musicians and U.S. Presidents. After an extensive renovation a few years ago, the hotel reopened with a sleek South Beach-esque oceanfront beach club and several dining concepts including modern garden-to-table dining concept Becca. It also houses Tarnished Truth Distillery, making the property the only hotel in the U.S. to have a distillery onsite. Founded in 2013 by Virginia Beach natives Andrew Yancey and Josh Canada and named as a reference to the city’s notorious bootlegging past during Prohibition, Tarnished Truth crafts Bourbon, rye and vodka. Sip them during a distillery tour or in the tasting room, in a cocktail in the hotel’s elegant early twentieth-century-era cocktail bar or at a table in Orion’s Roof, the new oceanfront rooftop restaurant with some of the best views in the entire region.
Everything about the world’s first craft beer hotel in Columbus, Ohio is a suds lover’s dream come true. At check-in, your room key comes with a choice of a pint of whatever’s on tap; rooms overlook tanks and barrels and are named and designed for the offerings they brew; an in-room tap can be filled with a mini-keg of your choice; toiletries are infused with grapefruit IPA; and a minibar in the bathroom means you can indulge in a shower beer, complete with a foam koozie to keep it cold. Downstairs you’ll find a brewpub, gift shop, self-touring beer museum and game room with pinball machines, shuffleboard and ping pong, while outside is a patio, cornhole tables and a dog park. You just can’t help but feel the happy vibe of a utopia for disciples of barley, malt and hops. And forget about those strong floral fragrances those other boutique hotels pump into the hallways: Here you’ll be breathing in the intoxicating scent of fermenting grains, 24/7.
Set among 500 acres of vineyards on the Duero River in Spain’s Castilla y Leon region is this converted 12th-century abbey that’s now a luxe hotel and an immersive experience for oenophiles. The Michelin-starred Refectorio offers a multi-course tasting menu paired with wines made at the property, the more casual Vinoteca pairs smalls plates and vino, which can also be enjoyed in the Cloister Garden on warm evenings, and Calicata Terroir Bar is the latest venture, where you can take in the stunning views while sitting on a terrace overlooking their pine forests and vineyards. The most unique experience is a customized spa treatment with the country’s first spa sommeliers, who guide guests through a wine tasting beforehand to help them glean their favorite scents and goals for the treatment, whether that be relaxation or rejuvenation.
Nestled 45 minutes outside Paris in the French countryside that doubles as the world’s most renowned region for bubbles is this hotel that pays homage to the beverage in so many sparkling ways. Its 47 rooms overlook the vineyards, and a terrace is the perfect spot to sip a flute (or three) at sunset. Michelin-starred restaurant Le Royal offers multi-course tasting menus or a la carte meals paired with wines selected by sommelier Daniel pires, while tables in Le Bellevue are set underneath a thousand crystal pendants that reflect the rays of the sun and evoke thoughts of the thousands of bubbles trailing up your glass. A Champagne concierge can organize excursions including private tastings at the most exclusive houses or a hot air balloon Champagne tasting. The latest amenity is the in-room Champagne Please button, which will satisfy guests’ thirst for the effervescent elixir any time of day or night with a delivery from the Champagne trolley, a most-welcomed sight.
Located in the city’s famous Portobello Road are three accommodations within an homage to the botanical-based beverage where several iterations of Portobello Gin are distilled. Book a session at The Ginstitute for an in-depth exploration on the history and production of gin before selecting botanicals to create your own bespoke spirit recipe. The Bon Vivant Cocktail Masterclass gives you the mixology skills to mix up a perfect Martini, Tom Collins, Negroni and Clover Club, and you can visit the Bottle Shop pick up some tonic and other mixers to tote back to your room for happy hour G&Ts and record parties (rooms come with turntables and a selection of vinyl). Downstairs, The Resting Room serves up potent potables mixed with spirits made onsite as well as British small plates with locally-sourced ingredients, while the Malt Room offers spirits sourced from around the world.
Each of the eight rooms in this boutique hotel in East Nashville that welcomes guests aged 21 and over is inspired by and decorated to reflect a different boozy beverage. Rum has a vibrant, tropical vibe, Tequila features Mexican textiles and tapestries, Gin has modern pops of color and Vodka’s color palette is (unsurprisingly) full of whites and neutrals. When you get thirsty, head to the bar downstairs or the rooftop terrace for wine, beer or creative cocktails.
