Best romantic hotels and B&Bs

Looking for an amorous getaway for Valentine’s Day — or any other day? Here are some of our favorite romance-inspiring lodgings from our Bed Check archives.

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Who’s your favorite happily-ever-after fictional couple? You can choose from seven at romance novelist Nora Roberts’s literary-themed inn in western Maryland, including Jane and Rochester from “Jane Eyre,” Nick and Nora from “The Thin Man” and Elizabeth and Darcy from “Pride and Prejudice.” Or just select the lavish Penthouse and write your own story. The romance is augmented by fresh flowers everywhere, fabulous (purchasable) art on the walls, and splashy bathrooms with slightly futuristic fixtures. Settle in and swoon.1 N. Main St., Boonsboro, Md. 301-432-1188. www.innboonsboro.com. Rooms from $225 weekdays, $255 weekends.

Zofia Smardz / TWP

Bartlett Pear Inn

Yes, the decor is all about pears, but not because the owners are crazy about the fruit. It's because the husband wanted the inn to reflect his wife's maiden name of Bartlett. How romantic is that? And that's just the beginning at this gracious B&B on Maryland's Eastern Shore, where feng-shui principles make sure that your bed faces the door and the spaces pertaining to love and marriage are properly painted Valentine's Day red. 28 S. Harrison St., Easton. 410-770-3300. bartlettpearinn.com. Rooms from $149 Dec.-Feb., from $169 March-Nov.

Andrea Sachs TWP / TWP

It's not a romantic chalet in the mountains of southern Germany, but it's just as good as one. <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/31/AR2010033104772.html'>This Alpine-flavored West Virginia hostelry</a> overlooking the Potomac will transport you to the hills of 'Heidi' while pampering you with all the comforts of home. The restaurant, complete with dirndl-clad waitresses, is more than good, and the river views are just beautiful. 164 Shepherd Grade Rd., Shepherdstown, W.Va. 304-876-2551. <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.bavarianinnwv.com'>www.bavarianinnwv.com</a>. Rooms from $95.

Bavarian Inn

It's not a romantic chalet in the mountains of southern Germany, but it's just as good as one. This Alpine-flavored West Virginia hostelry overlooking the Potomac will transport you to the hills of "Heidi" while pampering you with all the comforts of home. The restaurant, complete with dirndl-clad waitresses, is more than good, and the river views are just beautiful. 164 Shepherd Grade Rd., Shepherdstown, W.Va. 304-876-2551. www.bavarianinnwv.com. Rooms from $95.

Zofia Smardz TWP / TWP

Colonial Williamsburg historic houses

When the daytime crowds thin out, stroll the brick sidewalks by moonlight with your special someone. Night is an enchanting time at the living history museum, and you can make your visit even more authentic by staying at one of the restored historic buildings. You may never want to go back to the 21st century. Williamsburg. 800-447-8679. www.colonialwilliamsburg.com. Rooms from $169.

Becky Krystal/The Washington Pos / TWP

Think madcap 1930s romantic comedies, Cary Grant and Greer Garson and misunderstandings and make-ups, and you'll get a sense of the atmosphere at <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/bed-check-everythings-tip-top-at-new-jerseys-grand-summit-hotel/2011/07/11/gIQAaSYnTI_story.html'>this grand lady</a> with a dash of the country lodge in the hills of northern New Jersey. The restaurant's excellent, the art is eye-catching and the neighborhood's pretty. So forget that quarrel and make up already. 570 Springfield Ave., Summit, N.J. 908-273-3000. <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.grandsummit.com'>www.grandsummit.com</a>. Rooms from $145.

Grand Summit Hotel

Think madcap 1930s romantic comedies, Cary Grant and Greer Garson and misunderstandings and make-ups, and you'll get a sense of the atmosphere at this grand lady with a dash of the country lodge in the hills of northern New Jersey. The restaurant's excellent, the art is eye-catching and the neighborhood's pretty. So forget that quarrel and make up already. 570 Springfield Ave., Summit, N.J. 908-273-3000. www.grandsummit.com. Rooms from $145.

Zofia Smardz TWP / TWP

Hotel Rouge

For an urban getaway - or staycation - this Kimpton hotel radiates a sexy vibe, thanks in no small part to the not-so-subtle use of its signature color. The lobby can get a little chilly in the winter, but why hang out there when your room is 450 square feet? Besides, you can lounge all day in your leopard-print robes and feel positively animalistic. 1315 16th St. NW, Washington. 202-232-8000. www.rougehotel.com. Rooms from $159.

Paul Gelsobello / PAUL GELSOBELLO

Inn at Sugar Hill

Weddings are the order of the day at this inn set on a gentle slope above southern New Jersey’s Great Egg Harbor River, but regular guests can mingle with the bridal party in the tavern and other public areas and soak up the amour perfume in the air. The grounds, complete with white gazebo and stone benches, are lovely, and the inn’s rooms cheery. And at breakfast, you can replay the romantic scenes of the day -- and night -- before. 5704 Mays Landing-Somers Point Rd., Mays Landing, N.J. 609- 625-2226. www.innatsugarhill.com. Rooms from $79 a night.

Andrea Sachs / TWP

Inn at Meander Plantation

After a day of touring vineyards in Virginia's wine country, retreat to this gracious historic manor, where you can stay in the 1776 house or a detached cottage. The breakfast is superb, the innkeepers are friendly and the scenery is stunning. Also pet-friendly. 2333 N. James Madison Hwy., Locust Dale. 800-385-4936. www.meander.net. Rooms from $185.

Becky Krystal / TWP

The operative words are 'elegance' and 'whimsy,' both of which are in more-than-ample supply at this gorgeous lodging on <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/bed-check-virginias-inn-at-willow-grove/2011/05/02/AFkUqo2G_story.html'>a former Virginia plantation outside Orange</a>. The decor is lush and subdued, except when it surprises you with sudden splashes of color and unexpected pops of fancy, be they cow paintings in the bathrooms or a chair made of book spines. Be sure to have a meal in the stylish restaurant. 14079 Plantation Way, Orange. 540-317-1206. <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://innatwillowgrove.com/'>innatwillowgrove.com</a>. Rooms from $265.

Inn at Willow Grove

The operative words are "elegance" and "whimsy," both of which are in more-than-ample supply at this gorgeous lodging on a former Virginia plantation outside Orange. The decor is lush and subdued, except when it surprises you with sudden splashes of color and unexpected pops of fancy, be they cow paintings in the bathrooms or a chair made of book spines. Be sure to have a meal in the stylish restaurant. 14079 Plantation Way, Orange. 540-317-1206. innatwillowgrove.com. Rooms from $265.

Zofia Smardz / THE WASHINGTON POST

Lackawanna Bed & Breakfast

Rocking chairs invite guests to take in the scenery from the front porch of the Lackawanna Bed & Breakfast. (Photo by Becky Krystal/The Washington Post) This 19th-century house has only three guest rooms, so you won't be overwhelmed by other visitors. It's very prettily situated, with a view of the Shenandoah River, not far from downtown Front Royal, where you can take a walk before dinner. 236 Riverside Drive, Front Royal. 540-636-7945. www.lackawannabb.com. Rooms from $154.

Becky Krystal / TWP

Room after room after room (100 of them, in fact) crammed with art and books and objets of the most fanciful and exotic kind lend <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/08/AR2010100804121.html'>this fantastic crazy quilt of a hotel</a> in Dupont Circle an air of mystery and magic that can't be beat. Just succumb to the lure, have fun wandering among the maze of halls and themed suites, finding the secret doors and passages, ogling the decor and living in a kind of all-embracing romantic dream. 2020 O St. NW, Washington. 202-496-2000. <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.omansion.com'>www.omansion.com</a>. Rooms from $350.

The Mansion on O Street

Room after room after room (100 of them, in fact) crammed with art and books and objets of the most fanciful and exotic kind lend this fantastic crazy quilt of a hotel in Dupont Circle an air of mystery and magic that can't be beat. Just succumb to the lure, have fun wandering among the maze of halls and themed suites, finding the secret doors and passages, ogling the decor and living in a kind of all-embracing romantic dream. 2020 O St. NW, Washington. 202-496-2000. www.omansion.com. Rooms from $350.

Bill O'Leary / WASHINGTON POST

Snuggle in front of the fireplace in your own private, <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/write-print-headline-here/2010/09/16/ABiVYiD_page.html'>pet-friendly cottage</a> at this resort in western Maryland. The restaurant serves above-average food in a romantically rustic setting, and you won't have to leave your room for breakfast thanks to the morning muffin delivery. 1600 Mount Aetna Rd., Frostburg. 301-689-3200. <a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.savageriverlodge.com'>www.savageriverlodge.com</a>. Rooms from $225.

Savage River Lodge

Snuggle in front of the fireplace in your own private, pet-friendly cottage at this resort in western Maryland. The restaurant serves above-average food in a romantically rustic setting, and you won't have to leave your room for breakfast thanks to the morning muffin delivery. 1600 Mount Aetna Rd., Frostburg. 301-689-3200. www.savageriverlodge.com. Rooms from $225.

Becky Krystal / TWP

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

A protestor in a Guy Fawkes mask walks past razor wire outside a security perimeter of the G-8 summit in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on Monday, June 17, 2013. The summit is taking place under heavy security, with some 7,000 police lining roads and checking vehicles. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Photos of the day

G-8 summit, massive protests rock Brazil, Britain’s Royal Ascot and more.

Two-year old male rat named Dyatlik wears a costume during a rodent exhibition in Minsk, Belarus, Saturday, June 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Animal views

Rodent exhibition, swimming with elephants, Mexico’s feline mayoral candidate and more.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: Johnathon Carrington, valedictorian at Dunbar High School, laughs with family and friends after his school's graduation ceremony at Howard University on Friday, June 14, 2013, in Washington, DC. Carrington, who grew up in Tyler House public-housing apartments and is graduating from one of DC's low-performing high schoolsy, where academic expectations are high. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Johnathon’s journey

Johnathon Carrington graduated Friday as the valedictorian of his neighborhood school, Dunbar High, and is headed to Georgetown University. But Carrington, 17, is nervous, and so are...

U.S. actress Sandra Bullock poses for the media during a photocall to promote her latest move 'The Heat' in Berlin June 18, 2013. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch (GERMANY - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)

Eye on entertainment

Sandra Bullock, Jessica Sanchez, Snooki, Billy Porter, Billy Crystal, Sean Hayes, Gwen Stefani and other celebrities.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 16: Reenactors dressed as knights stage a medieval jousting competition at Eltham Palace on June 16, 2013 in Eltham, England. The 'Grand Medieval Joust' event at Eltham Palace, an English Heritage property which was the childhood home of King Henry VIII, aims to give a great insight into life at the palace during the medieval period. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

The Grand Medieval Joust

The Grand Medieval Joust at Eltham Palace, an English Heritage property that was the childhood home of King Henry VIII, aims to lend insight through reenactment into life at the palace...

In this June 8, 2013 photo, youth compete in the Sao Carlos slum local soccer tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The pitch is just dirt and the incandescent lights aren't so bright. But when the boys' feet strike the football in the Sao Carlos slum as night falls every Saturday, big league dreams glow, inflated by the hope of escaping the shantytown with sporting skills. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Brazil’s other soccer fields

With the Confederations Cup opening this week and the World Cup one year away, all eyes are on Brazil, where soccer is arguably played with more passion and art than anywhere else....

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 16: John F. Tatum Sr. hugs his grandson John F. Tatum III during his annual Father's Day block party on Sunday, June 16, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post)

Father’s Day picnic in Northeast D.C.

A decades-old backyard barbecue in Northeast Washington draws hundreds in honor of dads everywhere. “It’s off-the-chain fun,” says Butch McNair, who has worked one...

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 16: Miss Connecticut USA Erin Brady reacts after being crowned Miss USA during the 2013 Miss USA pageant at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on June 16, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Miss USA 2013

Miss Connecticut USA Erin Brady is crowned Miss USA 2013 in Las Vegas.

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