Whether it's a week at the beach or a weekend in a hip urban center, the hotel vacationers choose can be a defining part of the journey.
There's a long list of how to define amenities: Fluffy towels, oversized beds, luxury bath amenities and large, flat screen TVs are just a few. Yet unique or over-the-top packages – such as the $30,000 Championship Experience package for golfers at The Inn at Pebble Beach's Spanish Bay — can transform a getaway into an epic adventure.
With summer vacation season in full swing, CNBC took a look at a handful of higher-end experiences travelers might want to consider booking this summer.
In New York: Martinis and Montauk
New York City, with its theaters, museums and nightlife; and Montauk, which offers parks and beaches on the iconic East End of Long Island, are popular vacation spots during the summer. The Martinis & Montauk package gives visitors a chance to experience both.
The "deluxe" version of the package offers guests two nights in a suite in the Loews Regency New York Hotel and two nights in a Water View room at the Montauk Yacht Club Resort & Marina. Included are two round-trip transfers between the two properties via the Hampton Ambassador luxury bus service. Rates start at $2519.
Be theatrical in New York
Broadway's 72nd annual Tony Awards will be held on Sunday night, (June 10) at Radio City Music Hall. Theater fans can extend the award-night vibe with a stay in the show stopping Tony Awards Suite at the Sofitel New York.
The suite has views of Manhattan's skyline and is filled with theater-themed memorabilia and amenities, including a Tony song book, award-winning scripts, vintage Playbills and more. (Rates start at $2,000 a night; available through July 15, 2018.)
Bed and baseball in Boston
Boston's Hotel Commonwealth (the Official Hotel of the Boston Red Sox) offers several over-the-top "insider" experiences for baseball fans this season.
In addition to the Fenway Park Suite (rates start at $700/night), which is filled with a bounty of baseball memorabilia and sports an outdoor terrace with view of the iconic ballpark, the hotel is offering two unique fan-experience packages.
The $2995 "Can You Believe It?" package includes a night in the Fenway Guest Room with views of the park, two game tickets in the State Street Pavilion Club seating, a pregame meet-and-greet with Boston Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castiglione — and the opportunity to call and record a historic play-by-play alongside Castiglione himself.
The "Top Dawg Tonight" package includes overnight accommodations in a Fenway Guest Room, breakfast for two, two top-shelf night game tickets, and a visit to the announcer booth to meet announcer Jerry Remy. (Rates start at $1499).
Rub shoulders with a chef in Denver
The Kimpton Hotel Born, adjacent to the revitalized Union Station in Downtown Denver, has just launched a package that includes a cooking demonstration, a three-course meal and a Friday night hotel stay.
Rates start at $349 for double occupancy; available July 7, August 4 and September 8, 2018.
Rock out in the Pearl Jam (or The Beatles) suite in Seattle
Seattle's iconic over-the-water Edgewater hotel, where world-famous musicians like The Beatles, Frank Zappa and Stevie Wonder have stayed, has a new suite paying tribute to the legendary Seattle-based band, Pearl Jam.
Historic Peral Jam tour posters adorn the $2000 room, which has an L-shaped couch and floor lamps activated by guitar pedals. Other amenities in the suite include a Pearl Jam-curated library of books, vinyl turn table and cassette players, a state of the art sound system and loaner guitars.
Not a Pearl Jam fan? The hotel also recently revamped its Beatles Suite with new Mop Top memorabilia, and more.
Catch and cook in Oregon
The Stephanie Inn, on the waterfront in Cannon Beach, offers complimentary daily classes for guests staying two days, and a series of special for-guests-only sojourns. The annual "What a Catch" excursion takes place this year on August 21, and includes a Columbia River salmon fishing excursion with lunch and dinner, and a portion of the day's catch shipped home. Rates begin at $1299/per person; overnight accommodations not included.
If fishing isn't your thing, the inn will offer "Inside the Mind of a Winemaker on October 4 that includes a 3-hour wine blending class at Adelsheim Vineyard, 2 bottles of your own blend to take home, and a 5-course wine pairing dinner at the inn.
Take a 'Moment'
In addition to selling hotels, Marriott offers guests the opportunity to create their own packages through the recently expanded Moments program, which boasts more than 100,000 experiences that can be booked online. Offerings include everything from a $15 scavenger hunt in Denver to a day of golf with a golf tour professional near San Francisco for $850.