2011 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards – Each new calendar year brings a plethora of awards, and the travel industry is no exception as it begins to roll out its own awards.

Today, TripAdvisor has announced its Travelers’ Choice 2011 Awards.

From TripAdvisor:

“This year 676 establishments were recognized in the ninth year of the competition. Unlike any other hotel honors, TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice winners are based on millions of real and unbiased reviews and opinions from travelers around the world.

Properties received awards in the following categories: Best Bargains, Best Luxury, Best for Romance, Best B&Bs and Inns, Best Relaxation and Spa, Trendiest, Best All-Inclusive, and Best Hotels in the U.S. and the World.

The average nightly rate for the entire list of Travelers’ Choice award winners is $283 and nearly one-third of the hotels have an average nightly rate of $150 or less per night. Average nightly rate for Best Bargains is $93; B&Bs and Inns $104; Best for Romance $400; Trendiest $237; Best Relaxation and Spa $427 and top 25 U.S. hotels is $299.”

Although TripAdvisor isn’t likely the luxury traveler’s first choice when making travel plans, we have found it valuable when visiting unique, historic, or remarkable under-the-radar lodging options.

In fact, The Adobe Grand Villas (#21 hotel in the US) is just such an example.  We found our visit to this Sedona, Arizona Bed & Breakfast Inn to be a complete delight.  However, if we paid attention only to the five-star/five-diamond lists, we would have completely missed this gem of a property tucked away in the red rocks of Sedona.

Here are a few other properties we have visited that made the Travelers’ Choice 2011 list:

• The Grand Del Mar – #20 Best 25 Hotels in the United States
• Encantado Resort – #3 Top 10 Relaxation/Spa Hotels in the United States
• Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa – #8 Top 10 Relaxation/Spa Hotels in the United States

Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa is another wonderful example of an under-the-radar find.

Carol and I have been putting the final touches on our 2011 travel plans, and we found a few interesting places on this list that caught our attention.

If you invest 30 minutes of your time to this list, I bet you’ll find a dreamy place to visit as well.

Have fun!