4 Best Hotels in Durham, Central North Carolina

Once a 1960s motor lodge, this fun and quirky boutique hotel has been transformed with a (tiny) rooftop pool and lots of retro touches. The rooms are bright, colorful, and very '60s mod—but with smart TVs and other modern necessities. The top two floors have exterior corridors and open directly on to the pool and bar area. On the bottom floor, the lobby area is a comfy place to hang out with a coffee or cocktail from the in-house café. The central location means you're steps from everywhere, including Cheeni's Indian restaurant and Pour Taproom just downstairs.

This innovative hotel, housed in a historic bank building, is the perfect fusion of art museum and boutique hotel. Its signature colorful penguins can be spotted throughout, and rotating art exhibits are on display in place of a traditional lobby. Guest rooms are similarly modern and very comfortable. The Counting House restaurant serves creative cocktails and Southern-inspired entrées, pastas, and small plates, and the small hotel spa offers massages. Even if you don't stay here, be sure to tour the edgy galleries and visit the underground bank vault and its eerie series of passageways.

This boutique hotel in the heart of downtown displays mid-century modern decor and emphasizes everything local, from its overall design to the in-room snacks. The rooms are bright, service is friendly, and the hotel restaurant features local producers. The rooftop bar offers sweeping views of the city and is a favorite nightspot. The lobby coffee shop is one of the city's best, and is known for its coffee soda.

On the campus of Duke University, this luxurious hotel evokes the feeling of an English country inn. Many of the guest rooms—all with classic furnishings and creamy wall coverings—overlook either a park or the golf course, designed by Robert Trent Jones and redesigned by his son, Rees Jones. The inn feels a bit like staying in an upscale golf clubhouse—there's a pro shop in the hotel lobby. On display in the public rooms are memorabilia belonging to the Duke family. In the lobby, you'll find the quietly sophisticated Fairview Dining Room.  If you're in town for a special event and the inn is full, the JB Duke Hotel is just across the street.