Resorts are a place to escape. These highly curated, meticulously designed experiences should lift the everyday burdens of life off your shoulders and allow you to be free—free of work obligations, free of the everyday routine, and free to enjoy all this luxurious bubble has to offer, including the food.
While everyone can appreciate soft, sandy beaches or get a thrill from a tour-guided mountain bike ride through the forest, not all can partake in typical resort food.
When you’re vegan and your choices are limited to fresh fruit, grilled vegetables, and black coffee, reality intervenes in your otherwise picturesque getaway.
But good news: these vegan-friendly resorts offer plenty of five-star, plant-based options so you can fully immerse yourself in living the high life, if only for a few days. But first, let’s take a look at how the fine dining scene has changed over the last few years.
Fivelements
The growth of high-end vegan cuisine
Vegan fine dining started with a few pioneering chef entrepreneurs. We saw it bloom early in the now-shuttered (and topic of the Bad Vegan documentary) Pure Food & Wine in New York City, followed by the still-standing novel concepts like Tal Ronnen’s Crossroads Kitchen in Los Angeles and Las Vegas; Eric Tucker’s Millennium in Oakland, CA; Ronen Seri’s Blossom in New York City; and Steve Salm’s Planta in Miami, among others.
After the success of these polished restaurants, all clearly attracting more than just a vegan clientele, we began to see vegan cuisine in high-end hotel restaurants.
The Wynn Encore in Las Vegas now offers at least one plant-based option in its dining venues, and the Aria has also followed suit. Thanks to consultants like chefs Leslie Durso, the Four Seasons is another high-end hotel chain making efforts to offer plenty of plant-based menu items that appeal to a wide variety of travelers, not just vegans.
Marina Bussandri
Planning a vegan vacation? Here’s how to find a resort
When looking for a vegan-friendly resort, it’s best to start with wellness-centered companies.
Many of the resorts listed below are meant to be centers of health and wellness transformation, and a robust plant-based food program is integral to this mission. Club Med is one example. In 2022, the 72-year-old business employed chef Chloe Coscarelli to create vegan dishes for its resort restaurants across Mexico and the Caribbean.
Other hotels and resorts may not be exclusively wellness-centered but offer wellness programming, like The Peninsula Beverly Hills or The Four Seasons. There’s an advantage to choosing a resort based on its commitment to healing: it’s very likely to have an incredible spa!
The 20 best vegan and vegan-friendly resorts around the world
Planning your next vacation? Book a stay at one of these 20 resorts.
Four Seasons
1 The Four Seasons Punta Mita
Punta Mita, Mexico
Chef Leslie Durso is responsible for the 250-plus vegan options available at this luxury resort. For the past five years, she’s crafted delectable vegan menus for each of the property’s restaurants from the oceanfront Dos Catrinas to the swanky Armara. In between sipping your fresh-pressed green juice and your dark chocolate torte ordered à la room service, take a dip in the crystal blue ocean, unwind with a hot stone massage, revive your tennis skills, or sign up for a tequila class. It’ll take a while to try all 250 vegan items, so book your stay for as long as you can. Note: The Four Seasons is one of the more progressive resorts in regards to plant-based cuisine. No matter where you stay in the world, The Four Seasons can likely accommodate your dietary needs beyond grilled vegetables and sad salad.
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The Peninsula Beverly Hills
2 The Peninsula Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, CA
Looking for a five-star experience stateside? This metropolitan hotel offers resort-style luxury accommodations in the heart of Beverly Hills. The wellness offerings—from meditations to a best-in-class spa—are accompanied by a stellar vegan culinary program that includes a five-course prix-fixe menu and a plant-based tea service upon request. Bask in the glorious California sun at the rooftop pool, see the sights of Beverly Hills and beyond, then retire to the Belvedere for a sublime dinner inspired by the produce of the season.
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Laguna Lodge
3 Laguna Lodge
Santa Cruz La Laguna, Guatemala
This lakeside Guatemalan eco-resort only serves vegan and vegetarian options, so you can relax about what’s for dinner and instead take in the unbelievable atmosphere. You’ll enter the property—which sits on a nature preserve—via canoe and immediately be struck by the gorgeously blue water and towering volcanoes. The business is astutely dedicated to nature conversation and holistic wellness, which is why you’ll never see meat on the menu. Options rotate seasonally but focus heavily on vegetables and local produce along with craft cocktails, wine, and house-roasted coffee. In between meals, hike the San Pedro volcano, explore the lake via kayak, visit the nearby village of Santa Cruz, zipline off a mountaintop, or smooth out those sore muscles at the spa.
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Disney
4 Walt Disney World Resort
Orlando, FL
Once upon a time, a Disney experience was a little less magical for vegan guests. Since Disney World—and soon after Disneyland—revamped its menus in 2018, it has become a vegan destination for kids and kids at heart (we firmly believe you are never too old for Disney). Vegan renditions of park favorite dishes can be found at nearly every eatery on the expansive property.
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The Stanford Inn
5 The Stanford Inn
Mendocino, CA
While this Northern California establishment calls itself an inn, it’s truly more of a rustic resort. Nestled in the trees just off The Big River and the Pacific Ocean, the sprawling property houses plenty of things to do within a serene coastal forest. The resort is pet-friendly and completely vegan—from the lotions used in the massage rooms to the esteemed plant-based restaurant, The Raven. In between a savory breakfast crêpe and housemade ravioli at dinner, hop on mountain bikes or canoes, take a yoga class, reserve a nature tour, say hello to the resident animals, or book a cooking class. Whether you’re looking to relax or get in touch with your outdoorsy self, the Stanford Inn can support that with vegan meals at the ready.
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Nikki Sharp
6 Palmaia the House of Aia
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
This resort is meant to make you truly relax. Every service revolves around sustainability, healing, and naturopathic wellness. Beyond the prime beach real estate, amenities include a five-star spa, wellness retreats, multiple yoga modalities, ceremonial sound baths and guided meditations, and other guided tutorials centered around holistic healing. Food-wise, the resort’s plant-based options are abundant. Previously, menu items have included dishes such as Smoked Carrot Toast, Watermelon Poke Bowl, a kitchen-crafted vegan cheeseburger with housemade sauerkraut, and a divine chocolate brownie with mint ice cream. Here, it’s easy to find your bliss.
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The Sanctuary Thailand
7 The Sanctuary Thailand
Koh Phangan, Thailand
Accessible only by boat, this wellness retreat is for those who truly want to escape. The vibe is focused on relaxation and detoxification, right down to its mostly vegan dining options. Guests can entertain themselves with plenty of yoga classes, a traditional tea ceremony, beachfront activities, and massages. Menu options include traditional Thai dishes (made plant-based), raw items, salads, and more. Note: most accommodations are open-air, meaning air conditioning isn’t available and a few forest animals may stroll by your lodging. If you prefer a cushier option, book a Garden Suite.
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Golden Door
8 Golden Door
San Marcos, CA
While legendary among the elite, few know about this truly luxurious oasis. If you’re not a celebrity or fabulously wealthy, Golden Door is something you save up for. Granted, you get what you pay for. Each hour is scheduled to maximize your stay, from eight-mile morning hikes to in-room massages. If you have a moment to spare, exploring the scenic 600 acres of the property is enough to entertain you for hours—and work up an appetite. Each guest’s dietary preferences are tailored to. Guests are provided nourishing yet satisfying meals including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks. The resort also offers cooking classes to help you take a little Golden Door wellness back home.
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Volcano Eco Retreat
9 Volcano Eco Retreat
Mountain View, HI
Need an adults-only vacation? You’ll find it nestled on four acres of Hawaiian forest on the Big Island. This place is remote, but if you have a car, it’s a stellar, all-vegan option to wake up and come “home” to after a day of exploring Hilo and other more populated areas of the island. Alternatively, this sustainably minded boutique hotel is an exceptional option for entrepreneurs and other working professionals to go heads-down and crank out some major productivity surrounded by beauty. Go for a hike in the morning, take a dip in the pool for lunch, have a productive afternoon, then sit down and relax to a nourishing vegan dinner.
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Mother Earth Vegan Hotel
10 Mother Earth Vegan Hotel
Tamarindo, Costa Rica
A stay at this sustainable, outwardly vegan resort is a must. The company offers five-star accommodations with a host of activities and tantalizing plant-based dining. Explore the jungle via ATV, take a surf lesson, or learn a new modality of yoga in the Healing Studio. After working up an appetite, satisfy your cravings with eggplant calamari, oyster mushroom Philly cheesesteaks, Baja Tacos, an unwind in your room with a brownie à la mode.
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Rosewood Miramar
11 Rosewood Miramar Beach
Montecito, CA
Laid-back, coastal cool meets refined resort at this California resort. The beachfront property offers everything you could want from a vacation perspective: posh accommodations, beach access, gorgeous pools, lawn games (on perfectly manicured grounds), a luxury spa, and vegan options on every menu. For a completely curated dining experience, make your reservations at Caruso’s. The Southern Italian-inspired restaurant provides a four-course, vegan prix-fixe menu, and yes, that includes a decadent dessert. While a great getaway for California residents, it’s also an option to consider for all looking at vegan-friendly wedding venues.
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The Ranch Malibu
12The Ranch
Malibu, CA & Sloatsburg, NY
Similar to the Golden Door, this Southern California resort is all about wellness transformation. You won’t have time to immerse yourself in a beach read while sunbathing; instead, you’ll be waking up early for four-hour hikes, stretching out those muscles in a daily restorative yoga session, then hitting the gym for an afternoon strength workout. All of this activity is supplemented with plant-based, nutrient-dense meals. Look forward to refreshing açai bowls, hearty vegetable lasagna, gluten-free pizza, and more. For those looking for an escape on the East coast, The Ranch also offers retreats in New York’s Hudson Valley.
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Mod Santorini
13 Mod Santorini
Santorini, Greece
On the dreamy Greek island of Santorini, you’ll find Mod, which claims to be the first vegan, sustainable accommodation in the area. Its clean, modern rooms have been designed with a relaxing, restorative experience in mind, and at the on-site restaurant, you’ll find a plethora of delicious, nourishing meals made with locally sourced, plant-based whole foods. The hotel also offers local tours around the island, yoga classes, and a carefully curated selection of natural beauty products.
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Four Seasons Hotel Tunis
14Four Seasons Hotel Tunis
Tunis, Tunisia
Beverly Hills and Punta Mita aren’t alone. Four Seasons also has a stunning beachfront, vegan-friendly hotel in Tunis, Tunisia. According to satisfied HappyCow reviewers, the Azur restaurant, in particular, is a vegan paradise, with a whole four-page, plant-based menu.
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Finca Victoria
15 Finca Victoria
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Tucked away in the mountains of the Caribbean island of Vieques—east of the Puerto Rican mainland—Finca Victoria is a bona fide hidden paradise. Accommodations at this adults-only, queer-friendly, vegetarian hotel include a range of stunning and playful two-story treehouse suites surrounded by a magical tropical oasis. Its eco-footprint inches near zero impact thanks to its use of solar power, recycled water, and plant-based foods.
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Koukoumi Hotel
16 Koukoumi Hotel
Mykonos, Greece
Cozy up to luxurious comfort on the hillside village of Ano Mera, where this vegan hotel awaits just minutes away from glistening beaches and the cobblestone streets of Mykonos. Equipped with 14 suites, Koukoumi Hotel creates an intimate five-star experience with sustainability, animal welfare, and human wellness at its core. In the kitchen, master chefs draw inspiration from Mediterranean ingredients and Japanese cuisine to create linguini pesto, tofu bao buns, and eggplant unagi.
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Fivelements
17 Fivelements
Bali, Indonesia
At the award-winning Fivelements Retreat, situated among the luscious banks of Bali’s Ayung River, hillside and riverfront suites immerse guests in the backdrop of the island’s vibrant, natural beauty—a testament to the resort’s eco-luxurious approach to hospitality. The Sakti Dining Room treats visitors to extravagant views of lush tropical ponds, blooming gardens, and the island’s longest river as they savor a rotating plant-based menu of health-conscious dishes like watermelon gazpacho with kale-avocado tartare and banana blossom spring rolls.
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Away Chiang Mai
18 Away Chiang Mai Thapae Resort
Chiang Mai, Thailand
When it comes to sanctuary, vacationers needn’t whisk away to a remote mountaintop or deserted island. Smack-dab in the middle of Chiang Mai’s urban region (where more than 1.2 million reside and nearly 11 million visit every year) is Away—a quiet, all-vegan escape from the bustle of Northern Thailand’s largest city. The property’s vegan restaurant, Moreganic, not only serves everything from Margherita pizza to pumpkin khao soi, but offers free cooking workshops, full poolside tea-and-treat service, and dessert smorgasbord.
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Villa Vegana
19Villa Vegana
Mallorca, Spain
Surrounded by Spain’s majestic Tramuntana Mountains, Villa Vegana provides panoramic views and rich history at this intimate, 15th-century manor-turned-boutique-vegan-hotel. Complimentary tofu scramble, sausage, and pancakes await guests each morning, followed by afternoon coffee breaks on the terrace. For dinner, a revolving menu of internationally influenced dishes is at the ready. And outside, rescued ducks and pigs roam the grounds.
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Vegan Agrivilla I Pini
20 Vegan Agrivilla I Pini
Tuscany, Italy
Nestled among the hills overlooking the Italian countryside within the small, walled medieval town of San Gimignano, Vegan Agrivilla I Pini invites guests to reconnect with nature and reintroduce themselves to the simplicity of life. Guests are encouraged to immerse themselves in nature through the property’s organic gardens complete with regenerative farming cultivated in unison with lunar cycles. The bounty from the gardens is used to create true seed-to-table dishes.
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Tanya Flink is a Digital Editor at VegNews as well as a writer and runner living in Orange County, CA.
