With apologies to New York and California, nobody does luxury hotels like the folks in the Southeastern United States. While hotels those first two locales definitely understand the concept of luxury, they often fail to incorporate the personality that really can define hotel. Luxury without personality just comes across as excess. But personality is something that many southeastern hotels do not lack. If you are looking for a truly unique vacation experience, try one of the following locales:

The Inn on Biltmore Estate (Asheville, NC): Travel back to the Gilded Age with the Biltmore. This hotel garners its name from the nearby Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. Located on the estate grounds, this resort is the closest thing to being a guest of the Vanderbilt family (who built it) in the late nineteenth century. The Biltmore House is the largest privately owned home in the entire country with over 200 rooms and taking up over 120,000 square feet. The Biltmore is one of North Carolina's most appealing tourist attractions and offers regular tours of the house and grounds. The estate includes an indoor swimming pool, bowling alley, exercise room, grand library, tremendous art, and a garden that encompasses almost seventy-five acres. It is truly a marvel to behold one of the great productions of American architecture.

Blackberry Farm (Walland, TN): This is an opportunity to stay on an actual working farm. Located on 700 acres in the mountain region of Tennessee, this location offers some of the best outdoors experiences you will ever encounter. Available activities include carriage rides, fly fishing, horseback riding, hiking, camping, and many more. This is all combined with fantastic dining that includes many items that come directly from the farm itself. There really is not another hotel in the country that can claim a similar experience.

Pinehurst (Village of Pinehurst, NC): Do you like golf courses? If so, this is the resort for you. This hotel is conveniently located to eight top flight golf courses, including Pinehurst #2 which has hosted a number of PGA events (including the 2005 United States Open Championship). You not only get to play where the pros play, but also have the opportunity to learn from them as well with year round lessons offered by the Pinehurst Golf Institute. However, do not think that Pinehurst is limited to just golf. A terrific spa, top ranked tennis facility, and high quality dining make this hotel a grand time for people with all kinds of interests.

Grandover Resort (Greensboro, NC): Located just south of the city of Greensboro, Grandover offers perhaps the most scenic spot in this list. The hotel grounds are comprised of 1500 acres of oak, pine, and dogwood covered hills. Based upon European castles, the architecture takes on an Old World architecture where every aspect of the location screams luxury. This is complete with one of North Carolina's best spas, a world class golf course, acclaimed dining, and conveniently located to the furniture capital of the world. Despite these luxurious amenities, Grandover also checks in as the most affordable hotel on this list.