City: Ogunquit, ME

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (207) 361-1000

Address: Shore Rd.

Description: Talk about your compounds—Maine resorts don’t get any more “resorty” than the Cliff House, which sprawls across a bold, 70-acre headland on the way in to Ogunquit. Things look a little different here today than they did when Elsie Jane Weare opened a hotel on the site in 1872 and charged guests $6 for a week of rest, relaxation, swimming, fine dining, and hikes around Bald Cliff. (Costs a bit more, too.) Today on the site of the original hotel is a full-service spa, where you can have interesting things done to you with flora and fruit, like rose body wraps and blueberry facials. You can work out in the fitness mezzanine over the 75-foot indoor pool, maybe play tennis in the pine grove, then head outside for a swim in the outdoor pool. All of the gazillion guest rooms feature bay windows and decks with absolutely stunning views of the open sea, as well as private baths, modem lines, air-conditioning, coffeemakers, and all the conveniences. Dining remains a hallmark, much as it was when Elsie Weare was doing the cooking. The menu is thoroughly New English, with lots of seafood, and everything presented with a special twist. As nice as the Cliff House is, though, you’ll pay for it—rates are high.