Picture this: You headÌýinto your bed-and-breakfast, lodge, or hotel, primed for an adventurous getaway in a bucket-list locale,Ìýand the owner who checks you in is literally the coolest person you’ve ever met. Not only do they help point you toward the area’s buffest singletrack or most-coveted powder stashes, they can alsoÌýsend themÌýharder than you. If that sounds like your ideal host, here are some spots where your hotelier is just as great as the room itself.
George Hincapie
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Travelers Rest, South Carolina
When he retired in 2012 after 19 years as a professional cyclist, Hincapie, a key team member for Lance Armstrong, Alberto Contador, and Cadel Evans’s Tour de France wins, decided to open an American hotel inspired by his European travels. The result isÌý, set inÌýthe foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Old World–style retreat has a fleet of high-end road bikes for rent, an on-site bike mechanic, yoga classes, and a saltwater pool. PlusÌýthe staff can create a custom riding route for you, or you can sign up for a group ride with a local pro, including, on occasion, Hincapie himself. (From $379)
Hans and Nancy Johnstone
Alpine House Lodge and Cottages
Jackson, Wyoming
The chef-prepared, European-style breakfast at the , located near Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, is legendary. But the hosts of this upscale B&B are even more so: both are former winter Olympians. Nancy was a member of the U.S. Biathlon team, competed in the 1992 Games, and later became a North American ski-mountaineering champion. Hans is a guide for Exum Mountain Guides, has notched many first ski descents in the Tetons, and in a former life competed as a nordic skier in the 1988 Olympics. In 1994, they built Alpine House and continue to run it today. Be sure to sign up for a guided ski tour or climb. (From $175)
Jeremy Grasby
The Riding Fool Hostel
Cumberland, British Columbia
If you’re planning a road- or mountain-biking trip to Vancouver Island, stay at the , 133 miles north orÌýVictoria.ÌýOwner Jeremy Grasby is an avid mountain biker, trail builder, and local race director. No wonderÌýthe hostel he opened in 2003 on the site of a former hardware store comes with a bike-wash station, bike storage, guided rides, and even a repair shop. You’ll have access to a communalÌýkitchen and common room, and you can choose between bunks in a shared room (from $21) or a private room all to yourself (from $51).
Casey Scieszka
Spruceton Inn
West Kill, New York
Scieszka, a Brooklyn native, spent years traveling the world as a freelance writer and graphic designer, living in places like Beijing;ÌýFez, Morocco;Ìýand Timbuktu, Mali. Then in 2013, she moved to New York’s Catskills and decided to open a guesthouse with her husband, the skier, fly-fisherman, and children’s book author Steven Weinberg. Their nine-room has a small bar that serves cocktails and craft beer, plus they provideÌýs’moreÌýfixings for the fire pits scattered around the eight-acre property. There’s plenty of hiking in the surrounding 700,000-acre Catskill ParkÌýand skiing at nearby Hunter Mountain. In addition to short-stay guests, the inn also hosts resident artists and events ranging from beginner fly-fishing clinics to writing seminars. (From $99)
Tiger and Judi Jacobi
Tailwind Jungle Lodge
San Pancho, Mexico
In 2005, when this family of VermontersÌýfoundÌýthe perfect piece of land in the jungle above the sleepy beach town of San Pancho, Mexico, a sleepy beach townÌý30 minutes north of Sayulita,Ìýthey set about constructing the . The guesthouseÌýoffersÌýthatched-roof casitas with ocean views, yoga retreats, guided kayaking, and sailing and surfing adventures, all with a minimalistÌýenvironmental footprint in mind. The Jacobi’s daughter, Tamara, an author and the lodge manager, their son-in-lawÌýWalter Wright, a sailing captain and sustainability expert, and sonÌýRhett, a tiny-home builder and surf guide, help run the place and are as cool as their parents. Head out the door and hike a five-mile trail thatÌýwinds through mango and avocado trees and an orchid plantation, orÌýan uncrowded beach is walking distance away. (From $80)
Thor Fenwick
Sugar Loaf Lodge
Sedona, Arizona
If you’re visiting the mountain-biking mecca of SedonaÌýto ride, post up at theÌý.ÌýFenwick, whose wife’s family has owned the property since 1986, is its manager and rides every day, making him the perfect source for local beta. There are also three trailheads within a mile of the property, and Fenwick has been known to take guests out for a spin. Sugar Loaf permits bikes and dogs in select rooms, has a bike-cleaning station, and provides a tire pump, chain lube, and free breakfast. There’s a pool, barbecue, hot tub, and fire pit on-site, too. (From $84)
Asa Firestone
A-Lodge
Boulder, Colorado
Firestone, a climber and entrepreneur, and his friend Kris Klauber, a former brewery manager, own and operate Boulder’s belovedÌý.ÌýLocated less than tenÌýminutes from town, up scenic Boulder Canyon, and 30 minutes fromÌýthe EldoraÌýski area, itsÌýrecently renovated lobby now includes a proper bar, and you can reserveÌýa bunk, private room, cabin, orÌýspot to pitch your tent or park your van. The front-desk staff will help you book guided adventures, like rock climbing, backcountry skiing, and fly-fishing. You can even send Firestone and Klauber a text if you’re out exploring during your stay and need quick info. Pro tip: in the summer, they show movies on a huge outdoor screen on the lawn.Ìý(Bunks from $39; rooms from $99)
Ali Pitcher and Tommy Dott
Lamb and Lion Inn
Barnstable, Massachusetts
Part B&B, soÌýyou can eat breakfast whenever you’d like, and part cozy inn, the is run by eclectic, dog-loving owners—Pitcher, a personal trainer and animal-rescue advocate,ÌýandÌýDott, a life coach, food writer, Elvis impersonator, and spin instructor at an indoor cycling gym two minutes away. Set on a four-acre property in Cape Cod Bay, the inn has a wellness studio with private yoga classes and guest rooms with wood-burning fireplaces, or you can stay in the property’s converted horse stable or a renovated barn first built in 1740. Bring your pup, and Pitcher and Dott will point you toward the cape’s best dog-friendly beaches and trails. (From $199)