Samoset Resort

Set on a hillside above Penobscot Bay, Samoset Resort occupies 230 acres of oceanfront ground in Rockport, on Maine's midcoast just south of Camden. The property dates to 1889, and its 178 guestrooms and cottages have since been renovated, most with private balconies or terraces facing the water; cottages add full kitchens and screened porches. Golf Digest has called the resort's 18-hole championship course the Pebble Beach of the East, and it comes with a range, a short-game area and a pro shop. It's a working golf resort first. A zero-entry pool holds 200,000 gallons and slopes gently into the water like a beach. The Ultimate Backyard covers tennis, pickleball, shuffleboard and a nine-hole disc golf course, while the Opal Spa keeps four treatment rooms and outdoor relaxation space near the shore. Dining runs from Italian fare at La Bella Vita to poolside plates at Splash Bar and casual food at the Clubhouse Grill. Winters bring an ice bar built from 50,000 pounds of ice, a tradition since 2014, plus an outdoor skating rink. You can hear the bay from most of the balconies at dusk. Meeting space runs to 20,000 square feet, drawing conferences and weddings alongside the leisure trade.