| Samoset Resort on the Ocean in Rockport, Maine |
I've vacationed in Maine for over 30 summers. While I always stayed on Rangeley Lake on the western side of the state, I often wandered over to the coast on day trips - Freeport for LL Bean and outlet shopping and Five Isles for lobster. I traveled up the coast a little further north than usual this year and spent a night at the 230-acre Samoset Resort on the Ocean near Rockport, a charming coastal village located on the Penobscot Bay.
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Health Club
The Health Club at Samoset is not a spa per se. However, it has many features of a spa including a complete fitness area with a great selection of strength and weight training equipment, a group fitness room and a cardio theater.
The Health Club offers the following group fitness classes: Intro to Mat Pilates, Basic Mat Pilates, Intermediate Mat Pilates, Hatha Yoga, Hatha Yoga Correction, Intermediate Yoga, Step, Step Interval, Step and Strengthen, Step and Strengthen Challenge, Water Fitness, Water Challenge, Power Water Challenge and Easy Does It.
The Health Club also offers the Health Topics Series, a monthly informational talk given on the third Tuesday of every month. Important health topics such as Cardio Vascular Health, Healthy Cooking, Posture and Pain, Goal Setting, Massage Therapy and Stress Management are presented by experts and guest speakers.
The Health Club has one treatment room where it offers massage (1 and 1 1/2 hour) and facials. On the morning I left, I used the fitness center and followed it up with a shower and a very nice massage.
I found an unexpected spa experience on the breakwater on the day I arrived. The Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is adjacent to Samoset and a relatively short walk away. The Rockland Breakwater itself is 4,300 feet long and made from 732,277 tons of granite piled up from the floor of the bay. At the end of the breakwater is a lighthouse dating from 1902 and now on the National Register of Historic Places. As I walked along the breakwater, I found myself using walking meditation techniques I had learned at Lake Austin Spa Resort earlier this year. I concentrated on taking long, slow breaths. I slowed my pace down. I became aware of everything I could feel - the breeze on my arms, the sun on my skin, the uneven stones under my feet. I became aware of everything I could see - light reflecting on the water in the cracks between the massive stones, seaweed on the harbor-side stones, snail and clam shell remains from seagull meals, the lighthouse, sailboats, lobster boats, birds. I became aware of everything I could hear - the water slapping on the rocks, the hollow sound coming from the rocks below, partial conversations of people walking by, boat motors, the wind in my ears. It was a real treat.
Guest Accommodations
Samoset offers 178 deluxe guest rooms and suites. The all feature king or double queen beds, marble baths, data ports, hair dryers and luxury amenity products. Each guest room has either a private balcony or terrace overlooking the ocean or golf course. The views are fantastic. I stayed in room #238 and enjoyed a view of both the golf course and ocean. It was hard convincing myself to leave the balcony to explore the rest of the resort.
Dining
Fine dining is offered at Marcel's with American seafood cuisine and classic European recipes. I enjoyed a delicious dinner of fresh sautéed scallops, shrimp and lobster there. My server, Jen, picked up that I was following a low-carb diet and helped my make that selection. It was perfect. The next morning, I had a breakfast of a lobster omelet - really over the top!
In the Area
I had another pleasant surprise on this trip. I live near The Brandywine River Museum and "Wyeth Country" in the Brandywine River Valley. I have admired Andrew Wyeth's works since I can remember. In fact, Christina's World (1948) was my favorite painting for many, many years. It sparked my imagination. I made up dozens of stories of why Christina was sitting in the field looking at the weathered house. It turns out that the house - the Olsen House - and woman in the painting - Christina Olsen - lived very close to Rockport. Andrew Wyeth spent much of his time in Maine there. Christina's World was one of the only tempera paintings he actually completed in the Olson House, although the house and occupants inspired many more. The Olsen House is now a museum open to the public. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there. The Olsen House is also part of The Farnsworth Art Museum, along with The Wyeth Center, in Rockport - another stop I happily made. Finally, I stopped at a rather unique shop in Thomaston - The Maine State Prison Showroom. This store is filled with tons of things crafted from wood - furniture, toys, model ships - all made by prisoners of the State of Maine. The items were all very nice. I found the model ships, in particular, just beautiful.
Photos
copyright 2003, Julie
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