As a food writer, I live to eat and dining out is a big part of how I explore a destination. However, when a warm breeze blows, sitting indoors at a restaurant is often the last place I want to be. What I crave is an al fresco meal, whether in an urban park or country meadow. Picnics are a great solution. While shopping for provisions at local markets can be a cultural window, sometimes I like to be lazy and have a picnic prepared for me.
Meet 10 hotels that provide guest picnics. These easy-peasy packed meals come with everything from noshes to utensils, leaving you free to relax and enjoy. Of course, if you’re traveling with kids, the ability to let them run around in the fresh air and not worry about them making a mess is priceless. From California to New York City, these hotels present picnics with panache.
Four Seasons Austin, Austin, Texas
Surrounded by lush gardens and heritage Texas oaks, the Four Seasons Austin is a sanctuary in the center of this dynamic city. Situated on the shores of Lady Bird Lake, the rolling lawns are an ideal spot for an outdoor meal.
Picnics are available year-round. Guests select from a menu of tasty sandwiches, salads, and sweets, which are packed in a wicker basket with a cozy blanket and Bluetooth speaker.
Between bites, try your luck at the hotel’s cornucopia of lawn games, from corn hole to bocce ball, or listen for the buzz at the onsite beehives. Strategically placed hammocks offer a shady respite while a dip in the saltwater pool is the perfect after-lunch refresh.
Sandbourne, Santa Monica, California
With miles of sandy beach, Santa Monica is catnip for those seeking a splash of Southern California’s coastal lifestyle.
The Sandbourne is a sun-kissed oasis so close to the beach, you can hear the ebb and flow of the Pacific tides. There’s an outdoor pool, complimentary beach bikes, a restaurant serving delectable cuisine, and a resident artist program where you can watch artists and craftspeople at work in the lobby.
The hotel’s Beach Bliss in Santa Monica package includes a customizable three-course picnic, featuring treats such as hefty sandwiches, skinny truffle fries, and fresh fruit, all packed in a handy tote bag. Beach chairs, towels, and a beach umbrella are set up for you by the Beach Butler in the shadows of the iconic Santa Monica Pier. After we’ve finished eating, my family and I like to stroll over to the pier and play nostalgic carnival games before riding the vintage carousel and towering Ferris wheel.
Boston Harbor Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts
If the Boston Harbor Hotel were any closer to the water, you’d be swimming. Located on Rowes Wharf, ferries coming and going give this luxury hotel a nautical feel. It’s just a short walk from many Boston attractions, including the Rose Kennedy Greenway, a mile-and-a-half long ribbon of park that’s an urban treasure.
Boston’s Emerald Necklace, a series of parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, gives the city an abundance of green spaces to enjoy a gourmet picnic from the Boston Harbor Hotel. Guests choose from a luscious menu of New England classics, such as mini lobster rolls and smoked bluefish pâté. S’mores with homemade Graham crackers are the ultimate outdoor dessert.
NH Collection New York Madison Avenue, New York, New York
As a born-and-raised New Yorker, I’m biased when it comes to the joys of picnicking in Central Park. Whether you choose popular Sheep Meadow or journey to the park’s less-visited north end where the lochs and ravines lend big rural flavor, it’s a true New York experience.
Guests of NH Collection New York Madison Avenue can indulge with a fancy picnic, available spring, summer, and fall. In collaboration with ALIDORO, the celebrated Italian sandwich shop, and Campo Grande, renowned for their premium Iberian delicacies, this picnic is full of Euro-inspired flavors.
It comes packed in a keepsake tote bag accompanied by a souvenir blanket. If you want to stay close to the hotel, you’re steps from Bryant Park. Guests may reserve their picnic by contacting guest services.
Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles hotels are known for their fabulous swimming pools, and the refined Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is home to one of the city’s most gorgeous pools. Sit under a bright orange sun umbrella, surrounded by greenery, fragrant citrus trees, and flowers in every color of the rainbow, or tucked under a private cabana and enjoy a gourmet picnic served in a sweet wicker basket.
If you can drag yourself away from the hotel’s glorious grounds, you could try the picnic combined with a surf lesson in nearby Santa Monica.
Tamarind Hills Resort and Villas, Antigua
Tamarind Hills is a boutique resort with unbeatable views of the Caribbean Sea. Guests stay in one-bedroom suites and multi-bedroom townhouses and villas, perfect for large families and multi-gen groups. Watch spectacular sunsets on your private deck, next to your private pool, or on the beach.
The resort organizes personalized picnics that include sandwiches on fresh homemade focaccia bread, salads, local fish, and a selection of nibbles such as Italian meats and olives. Top it off with tropical fruit and a decadent dessert—gooey chocolate cake anyone? Picnics can be set up on the resort’s beach or transported to one of Antigua’s 365 beaches, one for each day of the year.
Chatwal Lodge, White Lake, New York
The Catskills have been a getaway for generations of New Yorkers, myself included. Once known as the Borscht Belt, these mountains are a springboard for outdoor adventure, from horseback riding to waterfall hikes.
Nestled in nature and loaded with amenities, The Chatwal Lodge is an all-inclusive resort with 14 upscale accommodations, including treehouse suites. Enjoy activities from yoga to movies under the stars, with three fabulous daily meals included.
Mouth-watering picnics can be delivered anywhere on the rambling grounds, from a sunny meadow to under a canopy of tall pines. Group picnics are hosted throughout the warmer months at the Pavilion, and feature a party atmosphere with lawn games and music.
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Jasper, Canada
Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is a premium alpine resort set on 700 acres of wilderness in the heart of Jasper National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a paradise for nature lovers, with a maze of hiking trails and boating on glacier-fed lakes, plus wildlife viewings right outside your cabin door. When the sun sets, stargazing is the activity of choice. When I visited the area in winter, a blanket of fluffy white made me think I might catch a glimpse of Santa Claus and his reindeer.
Few locations in North America present a more pristine setting for a picnic. The resort’s Adventure-Ready Picnics can be pre-ordered and come packed in portable backpacks or old-fashioned wicker hampers.
Mayflower Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection, Washington, Connecticut
The Mayflower Inn & Spa is a country hideaway in a bucolic corner of Connecticut, with fragrant gardens and abundant woodlands.
The property exploits its idyllic position by providing guests with the Fresh Aire Picnic, chef-crafted picnic baskets available each afternoon, with kid-friendly options such as peanut butter and house-made jam sandwiches and strawberry lemonade.
Whether enjoyed in the property’s serene Shakespeare Garden or taken on a local hike or cycling adventure, every detail is arranged for you.
The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences, London, England
Located in London’s Mayfair neighborhood, The Athenaeum is posh. This family-owned hotel specializes in offering guest activities that lean local, including picnics in nearby Green Park or Hyde Park, with a wicker hamper filled with sandwiches, cakes, and ripe strawberries and fresh cream, the essence of English summer. If you’ve got kids or are a kid at heart, ask them to include a kite.
