Romantic Luxury Inns of the Southeast
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Christopher Place - Newport, Tenn.
It's rare to find a first-rate inn deep in eastern Tennessee's Smoky Mountains, but Christopher Place - a magnificent Greek Revival mansion set on 200 wooded mountain acres - fits the bill. This intimate resort offers myriad activities, super-plush rooms, and proximity to the many kitsch attractions of Pigeon Forge (think Dollywood) and Gatlinburg.

This grand inn contains eight over-the-top-gorgeous rooms with CD stereos and terry-cloth robes, and the rates include a lavish full breakfast. The Lion's Den Suite, with its massive double whirlpool right in the center of the room, is a favorite for special occasions. Facilities include a billiard room, tennis court, gym, sauna, and miles of hiking and walking trails. There's also an exceptional restaurant, where you might dine on roast pork loin stuffed with apples and served alongside buttermilk-and-chive-mashed potatoes.

Gaslight Inn - Atlanta, Ga.
In a city with relatively few historic inns, the gay-owned Gaslight stands out for its regal accommodations and its mix of the old and the new. The 1913 Craftsman-style home, in the attractive Virginia-Highlands neighborhood (2 miles east of Midtown's gay bars and restaurants), contains eight no-smoking rooms, all with cable TV, microwaves, refrigerators, phones with data ports, and fine Lord & Mayfair bath products; there's also a guest computer with high-speed Internet.

If it sounds like a popular haunt with business travelers, indeed it is. However, leisure visitors appreciate the elegant appointments as well as the fact that quite a few rooms have private decks overlooking the neatly tended gardens. Accommodations are divided among three buildings: the main residence, a carriage house, and a small Victorian cottage. The latter building contains the two most sumptuous rooms, one with two bedrooms and a full designer kitchen, the other with a fireplace, wet bar, and whirlpool tub. The Gaslight offers the perfect blend of old-world elegance and big-city sophistication.
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