Photo courtesy of Primland
Savor a cocktail by the fire pit at The Lodge at Primland, Auberge Collection
Virginia's mountains delivered a one-two showing in this year's most closely watched hospitality rankings. Travel + Leisure has named Primland, Auberge Resorts Collection in Meadows of Dan the No. 1 resort in the South — and No. 14 in the United States — in its 2026 World's Best Awards, while The Inn at Willow Grove in Orange landed in third place among Southern resorts.
The two properties sit roughly two hours apart in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and together they gave the Commonwealth two of the South's three highest-ranked resorts on a list drawn entirely from traveler votes.
The World's Best Awards are decided each year by Travel + Leisure readers, who rate hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise lines and more in an annual survey. The 2026 results, announced July 7, drew on responses from more than 207,000 readers and appear in the magazine's August issue. Respondents score resorts on rooms and facilities, location, service, food and overall value.
Primland: 12,000 acres of Blue Ridge wilderness
Photo courtesy of Primland
The Primland Resort Mountain Top Treehouse
Perched high above the Dan River Gorge, Primland spans 12,000 acres of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the North Carolina line. French industrialist Didier Primat founded the eco-conscious retreat in the early 2000s; after his death in 2008, Auberge Resorts Collection took over stewardship in 2021, with ownership remaining in the Primat family.
Guests can settle into rooms and suites in the main Lodge or spread out in stand-alone cottages, secluded tree house suites or the six-bedroom Hawk Eye residence. The resort's amenities read like a checklist for the well-rounded escape: the championship-caliber Highland Golf Course, a full-service Auberge Spa and a rooftop observatory staffed by an on-site astronomy team for guided stargazing. Outdoor programming runs through the Primland Sporting Club, an Orvis double-endorsed wingshooting and fly-fishing lodge, alongside clay shooting, horseback riding, hiking and an aerial adventure course.
A recent refresh led by Chad Dorsey Design brought a contemporary, distinctly southwestern-Virginia character to the Lodge's public spaces and introduced two signature restaurants — Leatherflower, a farm-to-table dining room built around Appalachian flavors and the Laurel Bar. In all, the resort now operates five distinct culinary experiences.
Primland has been a fixture on the World's Best list for years, and its rise to the top of the Southern rankings caps a stretch of steady investment in the property.
The Inn at Willow Grove: history and hospitality in Orange
Photo courtesy of The Inn at Willow Grove
The Inn at Willow Grove
Where Primland trades on wilderness and scale, The Inn at Willow Grove leans into intimacy and history. The Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star property centers on a circa-1778 manor house — built by prominent Virginia land surveyor Joseph Clark. The manor and several of its outbuildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today the inn offers 25 individually designed rooms and suites spread across a 40-acre estate of manor rooms and cottages, tucked into Central Virginia's wine country roughly a half-hour northeast of Charlottesville. Current owners David and Charlene Scibal purchased the property in 2008 and completed a top-to-bottom renovation in 2010, reopening it as a luxury boutique resort.
Photo courtesy of The Inn at Willow Grove
A relaxing spot at The Inn at Willow Grove
Dining anchors the experience at Vintage Restaurant & Pub, which serves regional American cuisine from seasonal, locally sourced menus. Guests can also unwind at the 3,000-square-foot Mill House Spa, a full-service day spa offering massage, body and holistic wellness treatments. The inn's proximity to Montpelier, the home of James and Dolley Madison, and to the region's wineries makes it a favorite for history-minded weekenders.
The third-place finish continues a long run of national recognition for the inn, which topped the same Southern resorts list in an earlier World's Best survey.
A strong showing for Virginia travel
For readers plotting a summer or fall road trip, both resorts are within comfortable driving distance of the Alexandria area — Primland a scenic run down the Blue Ridge, Willow Grove an easier hop into Orange County wine country.
