8 Best Hotels in Williamsburg and Hampton Roads, Virginia

A stay here seems particularly moving at night, when the town's historic area is quiet and you have Williamsburg pretty much to yourself. Five of the 25 homes and three lodging taverns are 18th-century structures; the others have been rebuilt on their original foundations. Antiques and period reproductions furnish the rooms, and the costumed staff reinforces the historical air. Modern amenities include hair dryers, irons, ironing boards, coffeemakers, and a complimentary fruit basket and bottle of wine. The Colonial Houses share the facilities of the adjacent Williamsburg Inn and the Lodge.

This manicured 2,900-acre resort on the James River owned by Xanterra is easily the nicest resort in Williamsburg and the largest golf resort in Virginia: it hosts the LPGA's Kingsmill Championship each May. You can play year-round on three championship courses. The guest rooms have fireplaces and Colonial-style furniture. There are three restaurants on the property: Bray Bistro, James Landing Grill, and Elements 1010. All guest rooms have been renovated, and a Lazy River pool with sandy beach is perfect for kids.

On the second floor of Merchants Square and practically across the street from the historic district stands this family-run B&B (there's no elevator). Each room is stylishly decorated by the owner in a motif that spotlights an aspect of Williamsburg town history. Modern amenities include a hair dryer, cable TV, and in-room phones with voice mail. Rooms have either a shower or a combination tub-shower. Included in the rates are homemade cookies, nonalcoholic beverages, and a full hot breakfast.

This inn was designed by a Colonial Williamsburg architect to resemble a period structure: the two-story redbrick building at the center has a wood-frame wing. Appropriate antiques and reproductions decorate the interior. The War Hill is inside a 32-acre operating cattle farm, 4 miles from the Colonial Williamsburg information center. Those in search of privacy may want one of the cottages or the first-floor suite (other rooms open onto a common hallway).

This grand hotel from 1937 is owned and operated by Colonial Williamsburg—rooms are beautifully and individually furnished with reproductions and antiques in the English Regency style, and genteel service and tradition reign. Rooms come with such perks as morning coffee and afternoon tea, a daily newspaper, turndown service, and bathrobes. The Providence Wings, adjacent to the inn, are less formal; rooms are in a contemporary style with Asian accents and overlook the tennis courts, a private pond, and a wooded area.

Charming and hospitable, this redbrick inn near the historic district is modeled after a plantation-style house from the 1700s. Rooms have 18th- and 19th-century antiques, pewter pieces, four-poster beds, and pleasant views of the city. The suites are particularly inviting: each has a separate sitting room, French doors, and a porch overlooking gardens. There are no phones in the rooms, but local calls are free from the inn's foyer.

An official Colonial Williamsburg property with contemporary furnishings, this 300-room hotel is adjacent to the Huzzah restaurant and the visitor center complex. You can enjoy the extensive free Continental breakfast indoors or on the large patio. There's gated free parking so you can abandon your car and walk to the free shuttle buses.