When a hotel is awarded a AAA five-diamond rating, every detail is scrutinized, from the quality of the linens to the quality of the service. What AAA's luxury rating does not account for is the hotel's personality.

Consider Nashville's historic Hermitage Hotel and Cary, N.C.'s modernist Umstead hotel: Five diamonds are the only thing these hotels have in common. The 100-year-old Hermitage is a study in historical grandeur, while the Umstead celebrates serenity with meditation gardens, sleek architectural details and modern styling.

The Umstead Hotel & Spa (ENLARGE)

The Umstead Hotel & Spa in Cary, N.C., wraps around a three-acre lake with lovely gardens including one dedicated to meditation.

The Hermitage Hotel (ENLARGE)

The Oak Bar in The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville is a perfect place to enjoy after-dinner drinks or cocktails.

RELATED LINKS: • More places to go in Southeast

The Hermitage Hotel

Any visit to the Hermitage begins with a grand arrival. Pull your car up to this stately downtown building, and a brisk uniformed valet will direct you to the street-level iron doors.

Enter and ascend the staircase to the hotel lobby. Note the dramatic vaulted ceiling of stained glass that infuses the space with light. Continue your climb and you'll start to see the massive Italian and Tennessee pink marble columns gilded with touches of gold leaf paint. A few steps farther and you are ensconced in a hall of history.

Minnesota Fats no longer idles in the lobby awaiting a challenger with a pool cue, but if these walls could talk, oh, the tales you'd hear. Visited by U.S. presidents (including Roosevelt and Kennedy), movie stars (Bette Davis, Gene Autry) and the occasional gangster (Al Capone), the Hermitage has been an icon for almost a century of history.

For many years the hotel languished under numerous owners. After Bill Goodwin purchased it in 2002, the hotel was closed for renovations. About one year and some $20 million of restoration later, the polished original beauty of the Hermitage re-emerged. It received its first AAA five- diamond award in 2004, followed by a Mobil five-star rating in 2006.

On the National Register of Historic Places, it is also the only hotel in Tennessee to hold the distinction of having a Mobil five star and a AAA five diamond award. When it opened in 1910 (the result of a project commissioned by 250 Nashvillians), the hotel, named after Andrew Jackson's Hermitage estate, was considered one of the finest in the world. Lauded as the first $1 million hotel in Tennessee, the rooms boasted such luxuries as personal electric fans, private water closets and sinks. Guests were still required to trek to the basement for their showers.

My, how things change. Today guests enjoy marble vanities, separate soaking tub and shower, nine different bath and shower products and a 20-inch-flat panel TV ... just for the bathroom. The original 240 guest rooms were demolished in order to build 122 larger, more luxurious ones.

Hotel managing director Greg Sligh notes, "That's our distinct advantage over other historic hotels — we essentially started with new guest rooms but retained the historic setting."

The hotel's ambience will transport you back 100 years — museum-quality Oriental rugs, the charming doorman in his pinstripe suit and top hat, a fine glass of whiskey enjoyed in a deep leather seat in the clubby Oak Bar. For a more in-depth look at things, such as the rare Russian walnut in the ballroom or where Minnesota Fats played pool, just ask one of the staff to squire you around the building.

Guest rooms are styled with traditional furnishings, rich fabrics and dark woods. Views of the Capitol and downtown Nashville are lovely, but you'll most likely be more enamored of the Omaha Bed — lots of fluff and puff topped with silky 1,000- thread-count sheets should cure any insomnia. The bedding sets can be purchased. Entertainer Dolly Parton, according to Sligh, "bought six [bedding sets] for family and friends. She always does nice things for people."

Meals are as grand as the bedding at the Capitol Grille Dining Room, Nashville's only Mobil four star restaurant. The mood oozes private club, from the fancy white tablecloths and candlelight, to the sumptuous urns and rich fabrics.

All this grandness is saved from being pretentious by the restaurant's loyalty to classic Southern ingredients. Who can be snobby while nibbling on a crazy-good sandwich of grilled pimento on brioche with fried green tomato and green goddess dressing? Better yet, try the simple lentil soup with a Southern twist of braised pork belly. And don't be dazzled if Keith (Urban) and Nicole (Kidman) are seated nearby — this is your club, too.

The Umstead

Soothing in a minimalist fashion, the experience here is state of the art, right down to the remote-controlled "do not disturb" sign on each guest room door.

Upon arrival, you'll be welcomed by smiling staff and a magnificent Dale Chihuly glass sculpture. The five-star touches begin the moment you set foot on the property. A bellman whisks away your luggage to a hidden service elevator; it magically appears in your room after you check in. The only footprint they want you to see here is nature's, and the history at the Umstead is in the land.

Crafted from Texas rough limestone, the 150-room hotel's exterior is reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural style. When owner Ann Goodnight set out to design the experience, her theme was nature. Wedges of space, clean lines and the textured stone interplay with vegetation and greenery; the hotel seems to be an organic extension of the nature that surrounds it.

Colors are soft, lines are smooth, and if you leave here with a cluttered mind, you didn't stay long enough.

Expect to see elements of North Carolina pop up throughout your stay, whether on your plate (from a local farmer) or hanging on the wall (from a local artist). Almost all works are from North Carolina artists, and plans are being made to offer a self-guided art tour of the hotel's 95-piece collection.

The hotel wraps around a three-acre lake with lovely gardens, even one dedicated to meditation. Bond even more with nature and rent a bike for a leisurely ride through the adjacent 5,500-acre Umstead State Park. You can even bring Fido — expect to pay a deep-cleaning fee, but pets are welcome, as they are at the Hermitage.

Guest rooms are spacious. The smallest room is still a whopping 540 square feet. That's a lot of plush to enjoy. Of course, each room is up-to-the-minute technologically ... iPod docking stations, DVD player, 42-inch plasma TV, CD player, wireless, 10 music channels and even a sensor on your door that lets the private dining folks know when you've put your tray out for cleanup. The furnishings, with warm, creamy tones and contemporary lines, are all hand-crafted from anegre, a hardwood from South America.

Each guest room has five pieces of artwork. Some offer private balconies with lovely views of the lake. Regardless of which room you have, you'll awaken to the trill of birdsong; it's just part of the experience. The bathrooms are an experience as well. Spread out in your massive tub, or just enjoy a decadent shower.

The restaurant Herons offers unbeatable al fresco dining amid sculpted gardens. White tablecloths are notably absent at this Mobil four star dining room. It may seem odd, until you sit down and are dazzled by the vibrant zebra wood table.

"We are not just another hotel restaurant," notes marketing manager Jennifer Noble Kelly. "We give full support to local farms [and wineries] of North Carolina, making every effort to be fresh, local and seasonal."

Artisanal products appear throughout the meal, such as the chive- and farm-fresh egg salad with afternoon tea or the rosemary and Dijon gnocchi with locally foraged hedgehog mushrooms. The menu elevates simple ingredients to inspired greatness — consider the Bluepoint oysters with creamed stinging nettles and bacon lardons or the pan-roasted hog snapper with roasted butterscotch beans and a chorizo jus. If it all seems too much, let the chef take over and order his tasting menu with paired wines. All you'll need to do is enjoy the view and clean your plate.

Before you depart, visit the spa (a member of Leading Spas of the World). Unlike somber, darker versions, this spa is a sanctuary of natural light. Chase away your stress in the eucalyptus steam room and meditate on gathering the strength you'll need to re-enter the real world.

IF YOU GO

Getting there

The Hermitage Hotel

Driving: Nashville is about 250 miles from downtown Atlanta, about a four-hour drive.

Flying: Expect to pay about $400 round trip from Atlanta to Nashville.

About the hotel

Rates range from $339 to $439 for a standard room to $2,500 for the Presidential Suite. A spa on the property offers massages, scrubs and wraps, but not facials, manicures or pedicures. A one-hour Swedish massage is $110, or a honey-almond scrub is $125. Average entrees at the Capital Grille are $23-$42, though a burger can be had for $16 or a Wagyu tenderloin for $80. Oak Bar offerings, $6-$14. 231 Sixth Ave. N, Nashville. 615-244-3121, 1-888-888-9414; www.thehermitagehotel.com.

Getting there

The Umstead

Driving: Cary, N.C., is about 400 miles from downtown Atlanta, about a 6 1/2-hour drive.

Flying: Expect to pay $250-$300 round trip from Atlanta to Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

About the hotel

Rates range from $309 to $419 for a standard room to $2,500 for the Presidential Suite. Signature experience treatments at the 14,000-square-foot spa are $195-$250, or opt for a $105 facial, $40 manicure or $70 pedicure. At Herons restaurant, entrees are $28-$37. Bar offerings are $9-$24. 100 Woodland Pond, Cary, N.C. 919-887-2135, 1-888-678-1711; www.theumstead.com.

About diamond ratings

According to the American Automobile Association Web site, a "AAA five-diamond award winner represents just 0.27 percent of the 60,000 diamond-rated lodgings and restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean."

Here are some items AAA looks for during an evaluation:

• Concierge is on duty or a special services number is available for guests 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• All associates exhibit a professional vocabulary.

• Escort is able to provide information about facilities when asked.

• Staff takes initiative in providing information about facilities.

• Staff anticipates guest needs.

• Guest does not wait more than five minutes for vehicle in valet.