The most romantic Airbnbs and VRBOs in the U.S., picked for couples who want a door that locks, a view worth waking up for, and nobody else’s conversation coming through the wall.
A romantic Airbnb getaway in the U.S. comes down to three things: privacy, a view, and one good extra – a hot tub, a fireplace, an outdoor bath. Our pick for most couples is Historic Old Town Cottonwood in Sedona: red rock views, a saltwater pool, and a backyard dark enough for actual stars.
Below you’ll find romantic cabin getaways and rentals grouped by what you actually want – hot tubs, seclusion, lakefront, beach, big views.
- Best overall – Arizona: Historic Old Town Cottonwood, Sedona – red rocks, saltwater pool, and a sky with actual stars in it
- Best in California: Lake Front PGA West, La Quinta – a private spa, a golf-course lake, and an adults-only rule that means it
- Best in Texas: Chiquita Casita, San Antonio – a hot tub, a covered patio, and a city worth leaving it for
- Best hot tub: 1 of a Kind Log Cabin, Sevierville TN – 360-degree views, a firepit, and nobody overlooking either
- Most secluded: Secluded River Cabin Retreat, Glenwood AR – river, mountains, nobody within earshot
- Just browsing? See what’s free right now in California, Texas or New York – the three states couples search for most
A note on the name: several of these started out as Airbnbs and have since moved to Vrbo, which is where our links point. Same houses, different front door.
Browse Romantic Airbnbs by State
Sometimes you already know roughly where you want to be. These are the states couples search for most, what makes each one work for a getaway, and a live list of what is free right now.
Romantic Airbnbs in California
Nowhere else lets you do a redwood morning and a desert night in the same week. Couples come for the Big Sur coast road, Napa and Sonoma when you want someone else doing the driving, Lake Tahoe for alpine cabins, Mendocino for fog and bookshops, and Joshua Tree for skies so dark they feel like a special effect.
Good for: wine tasting without a schedule, coast drives that take twice as long as the map says, redwood walks, hot springs, and stargazing in the high desert.
Romantic Airbnbs in Texas
The Hill Country is the Texas nobody outside Texas pictures: limestone, live oaks, swimming holes and more wineries than you can responsibly visit. Fredericksburg does German bakeries and tasting rooms, Wimberley does creeks and cypress trees, and Marfa does whatever Marfa is doing that week.
Good for: vineyard hopping, swimming in spring-fed holes, dance halls, and some of the darkest night skies in the country.
Romantic Airbnbs in New York
Two hours from the city and the noise stops. The Catskills and Hudson Valley are built for a long weekend – wood stoves, farm dinners, and hills that turn ridiculous colours in October. Go further and the Finger Lakes give you wine on the water and the Adirondacks give you proper wilderness.
Good for: leaf peeping that lives up to the hype, cider and wine trails, antiquing, and fire pits in cold air.
Romantic Airbnbs in Arizona
Red rock does something to people. Sedona is the headline and deserves it, Jerome is a former mining town clinging to a hillside, and Flagstaff gives you pines and cool nights when the desert gets serious. The Verde Valley quietly makes good wine.
Good for: sunrise hikes on the red rocks, vortex sites if you are so inclined, wine tasting in the Verde Valley, and stargazing in a certified dark sky.
Romantic Airbnbs in Colorado
Mountains that make you stop the car. Estes Park sits at the door of Rocky Mountain National Park, Telluride and Aspen do alpine glamour, and Durango and Salida do the same scenery without the price tag. Autumn, when the aspens turn, is the one to book early.
Good for: natural hot springs, alpine hikes, aspen groves in late September, and hot tubs with snow falling into them.
Romantic Airbnbs in Virginia
The Blue Ridge does understated romance better than almost anywhere. Shenandoah and Skyline Drive give you the big views, Charlottesville and Nelson County give you the wineries, and the rivers running off the mountains give you somewhere to spend an afternoon doing nothing.
Good for: driving Skyline Drive in autumn, vineyard and cidery afternoons, river swimming, and porch evenings with nothing scheduled.
Romantic Airbnbs in Tennessee
The Smokies are the most visited national park in America and still manage to feel private if you pick the right cabin. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are the busy end; drive twenty minutes further and it is mist, hardwood forest and nobody.
Good for: waterfall hikes, the Roaring Fork motor trail, distillery tours, and hot tubs pointed at the mountains.
Romantic Airbnbs in North Carolina
Asheville is the anchor – breweries, food and a mountain town that grew up – with the Blue Ridge Parkway running out of it in both directions. Boone and Hot Springs give you creeks, hardwood forest and hot springs in the actual town.
Good for: driving the Parkway with no destination, waterfall walks, brewery afternoons, and soaking somewhere outdoors.
Romantic Cabins With Hot Tubs and Outdoor Soaking
The single most requested feature, and the one most worth paying for. Steam, cold air, no phone signal, nobody else.
Related Reading: 10 Best Cabins in Florida’s Everglades.
Related Reading: 18 Best Cabins in Florida to Rent to Get Away From It All
Log Cabin in Sevierville, Tennessee
One of a kind is a big claim, but the hot tub looking out over the trees backs it up. Two large wooden decks and a balcony mean there’s always somewhere to sit outside.
Sunrises and sunsets are the thing here – guests talk about them more than the cabin – so set an alarm once and don’t regret it.
Among the most romantic Airbnbs in Tennessee for couples who want the Smokies without the crowds.
Sleeps: 4 guests
Related Reading: 12 Treehouse Rentals in Tennessee.
Chiquita Casita in San Antonio, Texas
A cosy guesthouse with an outdoor hot tub, which is the combination most couples are actually searching for.
Full kitchen, laundry room, and a size that means neither of you can hide. That’s the point.
A good-value option if you’re looking at romantic Airbnbs in Texas and want the city close.
Sleeps: 5 guests
More hot tub cabins in Blue Ridge, Georgia and Hot Springs, North Carolina.
Secluded Romantic Cabin Getaways in the Woods
For when the point is that nobody can find you. Trees, a fireplace, and a driveway long enough to discourage visitors. These are the forest hideaways on the list.
Related Reading: 35 of the Best Cabin Rentals in the U.S.
Secluded River Cabin Retreat in Glenwood, Arkansas
Secluded is doing real work in that name. The wrap-around porch looks straight at the Ouachita Mountains, and the river is a few steps away – swim, kayak, paddleboat, or sit and watch it.
The hiking trails start at the door, and the views are the kind that make one of you disappear with a phone for twenty minutes. There’s a flexible cancellation policy too: full refund if you cancel at least 14 days before check-in.
A proper forest hideaway, and one of the best romantic cabin getaways in the South if you want nobody within earshot.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Related Reading: The Coolest Airbnbs and VRBOs for a Unique Stay in the U.S.
Related Reading: The Best Cabin Rentals in Big Bear, California.
North GA Mountain Cabin in Big Canoe, Georgia
Tranquillity with a touch of luxury, inside the Big Canoe gated community. The wrap-around deck is where the weekend happens.
There’s a good kitchen and two smart TVs for the evening, and community access to golf courses, tennis courts and 22 miles of hiking trails when you want to earn dinner.
A forest hideaway that doesn’t ask you to rough it – and one of the most popular romantic cabin getaways in North Georgia.
Sleeps: 5 guests
Recommended Reading: 24 Best Books About Elephants You Have to Read
Related Reading: The Best Haunted Airbnbs and VRBOs to Stay In.
More secluded cabins in Fredericksburg, Texas and Lake Tahoe, California.
Lakefront and Riverside Romantic Getaways
Water does something to a weekend. These sit close enough that you can hear it from bed.
Lake Front PGA West in La Quinta, California
This is the one for couples who want to be looked after. PGA West is a gated community with 54 pools, six golf courses and a sports and fitness complex, so the hardest decision is which pool.
From the rental you get 360-degree views over the lake and mountains, and a sunset every evening that makes the balcony the only place either of you wants to be.
If you’re searching romantic Airbnbs in California and ‘pampered’ is the brief rather than ‘rustic’, start here.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
Cavalier Cottage in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
This one is for couples whose idea of romance involves doing something. It sits near the Mohawk Trail, with river rafting, zip-lining and skiing all close by.
The kitchen is picturesque and properly equipped, so you can come back muddy and cook rather than find somewhere. Pets are welcome, which is rarer than it should be.
One of the better-value romantic cabin getaways in New England.
Sleeps: 4 guests
This post has been updated and republished.
More lakefront rentals in Wimberley, Texas and Fayetteville, West Virginia.
Beachfront Escapes for Couples
Salt air, long walks, and the sound machine you never have to switch on.
Indian Harbor Beach Club in Melbourne Beach, Florida
Steps from the beach, which is the only specification that really matters here. The pool area handles the afternoons you can’t face sand.
It’s a two-bedroom condo, so there’s room to spread out, and the views do most of the work.
A straightforward beachfront pick if you want salt air and no complications.
Sleeps: 4 guests
Related Reading: 18 Best VRBOs and Airbnbs in Daytona Beach.
More beachfront stays on Puget Sound, Washington and the Oregon coast.
Big Views: Desert and Mountain Retreats
Book these for the moment you step outside with coffee and neither of you says anything for a minute.
Historic Old Town Cottonwood in Sedona, Arizona
You’ll come for the red rocks and end up remembering the backyard. Coffee outside while the light moves across them, the large saltwater pool to yourselves all afternoon, then the wood-burning fireplace once the desert turns cold – and it always turns cold.
Cottonwood sits far enough from Sedona’s tour buses that the quiet feels earned, and the backyard is dark enough that you’ll both stop talking and just look up. Hiking, biking and kayaking are all on the doorstep if you want a reason to leave.
If you’re after the most romantic Airbnbs in Arizona for a just-because trip, this is the one we’d book first.
Sleeps: 2 guests
Recommended Reading: Why You Need Adventure Travel Insurance and Our Top Recommendation.
Related Reading: 20 Best VRBOs and Airbnbs in Colorado.
More mountain rentals in Boulder, Colorado.
City Escapes With Actual Privacy
Proof you can have a romantic weekend without a two-hour drive, if the walls are thick enough.
North Hollywood House in Los Angeles, California
Proof you can have a romantic weekend in LA without a two-hour drive out of it. The backyard has a koi pond, which sounds like a small thing until you’ve spent a morning next to it.
The bungalow itself is charming and fully kitted out, and you’re close to Magic Mountain, Disney Studios and Warner Brothers if you want the city-break version of a getaway.
One of the easier romantic Airbnbs in California to reach when the weekend is short.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
More private city stays in Los Angeles.
So, Which One Are You Booking?
Pick the one that made you stop scrolling. The good ones go fast, and the couple who books in October is the one who gets the hot tub in February.
Happy to cross an ocean for it? We have rounded up the most romantic hotels in Europe and 10 romantic getaways in South Africa too.