Parental Pause: 20 Places to Stay for Your Next Momcation

The Millennium Knickerbocker Chicago Hotel is a Chicago landmark in its own right and remains one of the most prominent hotels in Chicago. On a momcation, you can work off that parental stress in their fitness center, unwind in the library (with a book that doesn’t involve cartoon characters), or sip a “Mommy drink” in the hotel’s Martini Bar. Best of all, the Knickerbocker hotel is located right in the middle of the Magnificent Mile and is surrounded by plenty of opportunities for some much-needed retail therapy.

Revel in a momcation in the heart of Chicago by staying at the Hyatt Chicago Magnificent Mile. Here you’re central to Chicago tourist favorites, like the Museum of Contemporary Art, 360 Chicago, and the Navy Pier. Treat yourself at one (or several) of the shops on Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile before dining on a grilled ribeye and signature cocktail at the hotel’s Level Two restaurant.

Indulge in five-star luxury at The Surrey Hotel in the Upper East Side of New York City. Spend a day in the hotel’s Cornelia Spa relishing in customized spa treatments. Afterward, regale yourself with a Michelin dining experience at the on-site Cafe Boulud. No chicken nuggets on the menu here. Instead, savor a three-course meal featuring French culinary classics like foie gras terrine and sasso poussin.

Soak up the energy of New York City with a stay at the Renaissance New York Times Square. Without the kids, you can explore every nook and cranny of Manhattan and take in a Broadway hit in the theater district — all without any demands for potty breaks or snacks. After you’re done, escape to your suite for in-room dining on your private walkout balcony directly overlooking excitement of Times Square.

The historic Waters Hotel is in downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas and puts momcation niceties like art galleries, antique shops, and walking trails within a short distance. Their on-site restaurant, The Avenue, is the highlight of the hotel with southern-artisan dishes such as truffled pig and rabbit pot pie. Walk to the nearby Bathhouse Row and try a traditional hot mineral steam bath where your own personal bath attendant will help you soak, buff, and scrub your way to relaxation.

Watch the sunrise over Lake Hamilton at Hot Springs’ only lakefront property, Long Island Lake Resort. Every room comes with a panoramic view of the lake. You can also take advantage of their on-site boat rentals to take in the sights from the water or perhaps fish for a fresh catch. The hotel also offers fish cleaning stations, boat slips to store your own boats, and water tube rentals.

Spend your momcation sipping a cocktail poolside at The Venetian Las Vegas. Each of their two pools has a deck the size of a football field where moms can soak up some sun, finally catch up on the book they’ve been dying to read or celebrate the freedom of an adults-only weekend at a poolside party. If you’d prefer to spend the day inside, the hotel boasts the largest casino in Las Vegas with table games, slots, poker, and sports betting along with a world-class shopping center with over 160 luxury brand stores. At night, blow off some steam to the latest hip-hop, dance, and top 40 music at the always lively (and celebrity-laden) Tao Nightclub located within the hotel.

The Encore at Wynn Las Vegas is one of your best bets for a top-notch momcation on the Vegas strip. The majority of this five-star hotel is adults only, so no little ones running around here. Feast on a filet mignon at the Wynn’s Lakeside restaurant while watching a holographic light show on the Lake of Dreams or make an appointment for a massage in a garden villa at the Spa at Encore. You can also treat yourself to a new haircut and color at their full-service salon or shop at high-end stores like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Dior.

With its top-notch spa, rooftop deck, and seven on-site dining options, the Intercontinental Hotel Miami offers moms the chance to live la vida loca. The hotel even features a rooftop pool with a poolside cafe serving up panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, classic bar fare like hamburgers, and decadent cocktails all while rocking out to tunes from some of the best DJs in Miami. If you want to have some fun in the sand, some of the best beaches in Miami are within walking distance.

The JW Marriott Marquis Miami is a five-star luxury hotel giving moms the best of what Miami has to offer. The hotel features an indoor golf school, basketball court, virtual bowling alley, full-service spa, 24-hour fitness center, four on-site restaurants, 24-hour room service, and a rooftop pool. Other small touches throughout the hotel, like having a television in the bathroom mirror, add to indulgence of the momcation experience.

The Arizona Grand Resort is a four-star resort with six on-site dining venues, a 71-par golf course, and a suite all to yourself. An afternoon of relaxation is no problem with their on-site spa offering services like massage, facials, body scrubs, and more. You can also visit their private water park or take a yoga class at the fitness center.

Live extravagantly for a weekend at the five-star Arizona Biltmore Hotel. Dine like British royalty during high tea in the Lobby Tea Court, jam to live jazz musical selections at their The Wright Bar while sipping craft cocktails, or take a cigar rolling class from a professional cigar roller. They also have eight pools, two golf courses, a full-service spa, and a concierge that can plan other activities to help fill your day, like hot air balloon rides or shopping excursions.

The Triple Creek Ranch is an all-inclusive countryside resort granting moms a vacation free of logistics. Simply book lodging here and let their staff take care of the rest. Doze in a king-sized bed all to yourself, relax by a wood burning fireplace, or unwind in your own private hot tub, while letting the staff take care of your every need. If you’re craving privacy and solitude, the hotel features several amenities such as in-room fine dining and in-room massages. Or escape to nature with the hotel’s western themed activities like fly fishing, horseback riding, or cattle driving. They also offer expert culinary classes with renowned Chef Jake to learn everything from Italian pastas to cooking fresh seafood.

Set your own schedule and do as much (or as little) as you want at the all-inclusive, five-star Ranch at Rock Creek. You can enjoy billiards, card games, movie screenings, board games, bowling, tennis, shuffleboard, or you can simply relish in the quiet of their 6,600 acres and spend your days exploring the rolling, green countryside of the property. And whatever you do, don’t forget your camera. The hotel also offers guided photography tours allowing you to create a visual narrative of your momcation using the Montana countryside as your backdrop.

Get the quintessential Nantucket experience during your momcation with a stay at the quaint White Elephant Village. It’s home to the harborside White Elephant Spa where you can relish the waterfront view while indulging in spa treatments like the White Elephant signature massage, Amala eye-lifting treatment, and detoxifying algae body wrap.

Take a dip in the hotel’s heated outdoor pool or perk up your endorphins in their fitness center. Venture outside of the hotel with their complimentary Priority bicycle pass and head straight to the beach with their complimentary beach towels, chairs, and boogie boards.

Get the quintessential Nantucket experience during your momcation with a stay at the Jared Coffin House. Each guest room is painstakingly designed to resemble the original bedrooms of the home. The ambiance is old-fashioned, yet Jared Coffin House provides all the modern amenities needed to help make the most of your stay, including a complimentary car service to shuttle you around the island and free towels, chairs, and umbrellas for the beach.

A stay at El Monte Sagrado (translated as “The Holy Mountain”) offers a unique lodging experience. From the earth tones and decorative feathers of the Native American rooms to the viga style ceilings of the Spanish casitas, each room pays tribute to the different global influences of New Mexico. The hotel also features an indoor saltwater pool designed to emulate a rainforest experience complete with green foliage, rock landscaping, and a cascading rock waterfall.

As if you need another reason to spend your momcation here, El Monte Sagrado has The Living Spa, an award-winning spa committed to the exclusive use of all-natural products. Treatment options like their Sacred Staurolite (a regenerative treatment focusing on physical and spiritual enrichment using New Mexican crystals) are infused with herbs, flowers, and oils of the region. Moms are also invited to join their Sacred Circle, a meditative area surrounded by trees designed for hallowed relaxation.

Draw inspiration from the women of Taos with a stay at the Palacio De Marquesa where each room is designed after a specific characteristic of a notable woman from Taos. Whether it’s the two-roomed Matriarch suite named after author Mabel Dodge Luthan with its own private library or the Icon Room named after feminist painter Georgia O’Keeffe with a garden patio and ornate marble shower, a stay at this hotel will embolden your womanhood

With only eight rooms available on the property, each with a private entrance, moms gain a more intimate setting than a traditional hotel while still receiving the same comforts you’d get at a chain, like complimentary made to order breakfast and luxury marble bathrooms. You also receive access to their sister property, El Monte Sagrado, for amenities like the spa and saltwater pool.

Skiing is the highlight of a stay at The Chateaux Deer Valley Hotel. The Deer Valley Ski Resort is located right next door and the hotel provides in-house ski rentals and tuning with gratuitous ski storage. Other amenities are kept simple but elegant with features like a heated indoor pool, daily breakfast buffet, and a complimentary shuttle to escort you to Historic Main Street with more than 100 boutique shops and 50 dining establishments.

The Stein Eriksen Lodge is home to the only five-star spa in Utah. Moms can vaporize their tensions in the sauna, melt away the day in a Vichy shower, and have their cuticles buffed to manicured perfection. Cater to the kid in you (without having the kids with you) in their 3,500-square-foot Champions Club Entertainment Center or catch a cinematic classic in their newly renovated 56-seat Freestyle Theater.