Have you ever visited the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa in Alabama? If not, a trip to Point Clear may be in order, according to Southern Living.

Readers of the magazine named the historic hotel in Alabama as one of “The South’s Best Hotels 2023,” giving it the No. 4 spot among a top 10. Southern Living touted the “dazzling amenities” at the Grand Hotel, which include a golf course, a spa, tennis courts, a pool and a fitness center.

“A jewel on the Gulf Coast, the Grand offers guests luxurious yet comfortable stays, whether you’re in a cozy Bayside Room, the Nall Suite (named for one of Alabama’s finest artists, Fred Nall Hollis), or the Presidential Suite overlooking the marina and Mobile Bay,” writes Valerie Fraser Luesse of Southern Living. “There are plenty of other reasons to visit, too: Play a round of golf on a Robert Trent Jones course, enjoy a day of pampering at the spa, or have a meal at one of the property’s many restaurants, including the elegant Southern Roots.”

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The hotel rankings are among several categories in “The South’s Best of 2023,” an annual readers’ poll from Southern Living. Readers also weighed in on the best towns and cities in Alabama, the best state parks in the South, the best barbecue joint in the state and the best locally owned restaurant, among other categories.

READ: Which Alabama towns and cities did Southern Living name ‘South’s Best?’

The Grand is in good company in the hotels list, bested only by the Nicewonder Farm and Vineyards in Bristol, Va. (No. 1); the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C. (No. 2); and The Peabody in Memphis (No. 3). Other hotels on the list include W Hotel in Nashville (No. 9), The Cloister at Sea Island in Georgia (No. 8) and the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans (No. 7).

The Grand Hotel, built in 1847, is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of Historic Hotels of America.

“On 550 acres on Mobile Bay in Point Clear, the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa has been known as The Queen of Southern Resorts for over 170 years,” the organization’s website says. “Built in 1847 by F.H. Chamberlain, the historic hotel completed a massive transformation in 2018. The resort served as a hospital in the Civil War and military training ground in World War II. Each afternoon the Grand Hotel salutes past and current military and honors the resort’s history with a procession, cannon firing, and social gathering. Known for iconic oak trees and sunsets, the Grand Hotel surrounds guests with Southern comfort and impeccable service. From golf and spa to swimming and boating, the Grand Hotel offers exceptional recreational activities for leisure and meeting guests.”

According to Historic Hotels of America, the Grand Hotel also has ranked among the top 25 historic hotels for its art collection, gardens, golf course, romantic atmosphere and gingerbread display.

READ MORE: The Grand Hotel’s gingerbread village: Catch it if you can

The Grand Hotel has received many kudos in the past and was recognized, for example, as “One of the Top 500 Hotels in the World” in 2011 by Travel Leisure magazine. The hotel also was included in Conde Nast Traveler’s listing of the “Top 100 Resort Spas” in 2013.

And let’s talk luxury: AL.com showcased the Presidential Suite at the Grand Hotel in a 2016 feature on Alabama’s most expensive hotel rooms. Aretha Franklin stayed there, reporter Michelle Matthews said, and it’s a safe bet that other high rollers have done the same.

“The elegantly furnished suite is on the fourth floor of the Spa Building, the newest building at the Grand, built in 2002,” Matthews wrote. “It overlooks the lake — where guests love to watch duck families and take photos among the Spanish moss-draped oaks and spraying fountains — as well as the resort’s marina.”