One of the joys of traveling throughout the Southeast is discovering new places to stay. Last year, we checked out two hot properties in the South Carolina Lowcountry and several cozy inns in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.

Revisit some of our new favorites, all featured in the Travel section last year:

Lodge at Buckberry Creek (ENLARGE)

Suites at the Lodge at Buckberry Creek, near Gatlinburg, Tenn., blend comfort with rustic elegance. Each suite boasts a fireplace and comfortable sitting area, and many have balconies with stunning views of Mount LeConte.

Maple Leaf Lodge (ENLARGE)

Twelve guest rooms comprise Maple Leaf Lodge's main building, but 17 rustic cabins are also available at this 36-acre retreat in Walland, Tenn.

The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island

A stay at this posh resort that opened in August 2004 is like spending a few days with fabulously wealthy relatives at their magnificent seaside estate on a beautiful island 30 minutes from Charleston. The imposing 255-room inn is set on 50 acres at the end of an alley of ancient live oaks that were dug up before construction and replanted.

The palm-fringed beachfront complex features an expansive deck area with a large family pool with fountains, a wading pool, a hot tub and an adults-only pool whose infinity edge overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Oversize deck lounges have thick canvas cushions.

The Spa is a sanctuary within the Sanctuary, an oasis of calm and serenity evocative of a Southern back porch and garden. The nature-based spa treatments draw on botanical extracts, seaweed, mineral-rich mud and natural enzymes.

Onsite restaurants include the open-for-dinner-only Ocean Room, an upscale dining room with an extensive wine list (men are required to don jackets), and the more laid-back Jasmine Porch, featuring regional cuisine.

Spacious rooms are furnished with custom-made hardwood four-poster rice beds and armoires. Soothing cream, peach and soft green floral and striped fabrics in the drapes, pillows and upholstery complement the creamy Italian linens on the beds. French doors open to small balconies. Bathrooms are outfitted with alabaster marble step-in showers, deep soaking tubs and dual marble-topped vanities and large wall mirror with a wood-and-gilt frame.

• Information: 1-877-683-1234, www.thesanctuary.com.

Inn at Palmetto Bluff

Looking for a place to unwind? Look no further than this retreat in Bluffton, S.C., about 30 minutes north of Savannah. A stay at this peaceful enclave of white frame Lowcountry-style cottages with metal roofs and red-brick chimneys is the epitome of relaxation and easy living.

The cottages, scattered along the banks of the May River beneath moss-laden live oaks and palmettos, feature pine floors, vaulted ceilings, fireplaces, cushioned window seats and screened porches with daybeds perfect for napping.

Huge bathrooms include a dressing area, dual marble vanities, steam showers and oversize tubs. Plush robes and slippers await in his-and-hers closets.

Guests check in at The River House, a two-story structure with an impressive wraparound porch. Here, too, is a small lounge and dining room where the ever-changing menu blends traditional Lowcountry fare with contemporary cooking styles.

The Spa at Palmetto Bluff's signature treatments employ all-natural indigenous ingredients such as wild rice and mulberry leaf body polish and piney sea salt exfoliation. For the ultimate sybaritic experience, have an afternoon soak in a claw-foot tub on a private screened veranda.

When you've lolled around long enough, work up a sweat playing 18 holes at the Jack Nicklaus-designed May River Golf Club. Paddle the river or inland waterways in a kayak or canoe. Go fishing for largemouth bass and bream. Ride a bicycle along winding paved roads or on rugged trails through the forests. Take a swim in the heated outdoor lap pool or work out at the fitness center.

• Information: 1-866-706-6565, www.palmettobluffresort.com.

Lodge at Buckberry Creek

The rustic elegance of classic Adirondack "great camp" meets Smokies wilderness lodge at this retreat set high above touristy Gatlinburg, with awesome views of Mount LeConte. The clear waters of Buckberry Creek tumble over rocks through the property, which lies on the boundary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The lodge, which opened January 2005, was built by brothers Buddy and James McLean on 26 of the original 90 acres owned by their family since 1945.

None of the 46 suites are decorated the same, but all feature native stone fireplaces, handcrafted timber furniture, antiques, kitchens, soaking tubs and private balconies with rocking chairs. The main lodge houses the reception desk, a great room with massive stone fireplace, conference room, gift shop and dining room.

Chef Winston Guerrero describes his menu as "refined mountain cuisine." His reinterpreted regional Southern comfort foods include Buffalo-style frog legs, roasted pumpkin bisque and wild mushroom- dusted Ashley Farm chicken with five-year aged cheddar grits.

What's to do? Fly-fishing in the creek, exploring nature trails, kicking back at the creek-side pavilion (which has a large fireplace and TV) and getting a fireside massage at the intimate spa.

• Information: 1-866-305-6343, www.buckberrylodge.com.

Inn at Iris Meadows

The stately gray inn with gleaming white columns and porch railings stands on five rolling acres of old trees and meadows overlooking the charming town of Waynesville, N.C. Spring brings dogwoods, azaleas, rhododendron and mountain laurel, wildflowers and — of course — irises galore.

Becky and George Fain's lush garden estate with white picket fences and old stone walls features elegant interiors with floral fabrics, gleaming chandeliers and fresh flowers. Broad verandas invite indolence. Irises show up in paintings, on candleholders and in other artwork throughout the house.

Each of the seven rooms has a different decor, with distinct color schemes and baths designed for relaxation. Garden View has a huge Jacuzzi as well as a steam shower and fireplace.

Breakfast is definitely worth getting up for. The menu varies, but we were served hot-from-the-oven banana nut bread, mixed fruit compote, quiche with bacon and spinach and apple-cranberry crisp with walnuts and a dollop of freshly whipped cream.

The meticulously restored mansion with hardwood floors throughout was built between 1905 and 1907. It opened as an inn in October 2004.

• Information: 1-888-466-4747, www.irismeadows.com.

Overlook Inn

Despite being on Ga. 52, which links Chatsworth and Ellijay, the lodge atop Fort Mountain in the Cohutta Wilderness seems surprisingly secluded. And you can't beat the panoramic views of the Chattahoochee National Forest and Blue Ridge Mountains. Wildflowers and native plant gardens provide bursts of color.

The inn's rustic weathered wood exterior belies the casual elegance inside. The Council Room, with its sturdy tree-trunk support beams, massive stacked-stone fireplace, hardwood floors, deer antler chandelier and floor-to-ceiling windows, brings the outside in. Settle into one of the oversized leather chairs with a pair of binoculars.

Each of the five rooms has its own character, but all are decorated in earthy tones. The Moon Eye — the name Cherokees gave a light-skinned race of people who could see in the dark — has a hot tub on the back porch and a free-standing fireplace. There are no phones or TVs.

Innkeeper Alma Wynn hosts a wine and cheese reception each afternoon. If you can't bear to leave the lodge for dinner, try the Fireside Picnic — a basket of goodies including brie, crackers, hummus, fresh fruit, croissants, herbed boneless chicken breast or smoked trout, a sweet du jour and bottled water. A typical breakfast might include fresh fruit, granola, banana walnut pancakes with brandy cider sauce and bacon.

The original part of the inn was a small rock museum to which the owner added living quarters. Owners Robert and Liz Coleman expanded the structure, adding guest rooms and the gathering room before opening the inn in the fall of 2002.

• Information: 1-866-517-8810, www.theoverlookinn.com.

Maple Leaf Lodge

A sibling to the much-lauded Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tenn., Maple Leaf Lodge in Townsend is a 36-acre retreat tucked into the woods not far off U.S. 321.

Open since August 2004, the Maple Leaf has 12 king-bedded rooms in the main lodge, which was built from Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine and cypress harvested from forest fires in Montana, Wyoming and British Columbia. Most of the 17 one- and two-bedroom rustic but handsomely furnished log cabins have hot tubs on the deck.

While the lodge rooms are decorated in hand-hewn wood furnishings and patchwork quilts, the cabins feature iron beds with Ralph Lauren plaid, chambray and denim linens and oversize brown leather chairs. The cabins have full kitchens and wood-burning fireplaces.

The resort has hiking trails, horseback riding and bike rentals and can arrange guided fly-fishing trips to the Little River. The 24-speed Cannondale road bikes are perfect for exploring Townsend along a 9-mile paved trail.

At dusk, guests gather at the fireplace on the lower deck outside the lodge for s'mores and conversation, or to use a hot tub on the deck. A continental breakfast of fresh fruits, cereals, muffins and pastries is served each morning.

• Information: 1-800-369-0111, www.mapleleaflodge.com.

The Cabins at Seven Foxes

The five cabins in the tranquil woods of Lake Toxaway, N.C., are comfy retreats for families or couples who want to escape from the fast lane.

Simple pleasures abound. A walking path winds through the woods, with footbridges that cross the creek. The Frog Pond, with its splashing waterfall, is a restful place to read. Kids will love petting the miniature horses, Dolly and Prissy; the donkey; and two goats in the barnyard meadow. The Hen House, a little open-front adult-size playhouse at the entrance, has a table for four with a checkerboard.

The largest cabin is the two-bedroom, two-bath Deer Lodge, which has a hot tub on the private back porch and a screened porch off the kitchen/dining room. The 1,200-square-foot unit has poplar walls and new pine floors. The master bedroom in the loft overlooks the vaulted-ceiling great room with a tall stone fireplace. Like all of the cabins, it has a fully equipped kitchen and a gas grill outside.

Smaller but just as charming are Raccoon Loft, Squirrel Nest, Bear Cave and Fox Hole — all decorated with an eclectic mix of antiques and hand-hewn wood furnishings, original art and crafts by regional artists, patchwork comforters on the beds, handmade rugs and lots of accents bearing the image of the animal for which the unit is named.

Owners Marilyn Krone and Sandra Baldwin of Atlanta managed to give the rustic cabins a cozy country ambience that owes more to North Carolina artist and furniture designer Bob Timberlake than Granny.

• Information: 828-877-6333, www.sevenfoxes.com.