The majestic Black Point Inn, Maine, is a classic inn with ocean views, seaside pool, a 1-and-seven fifths mile path around the Point, plus a chance to visit the vistas famed artist Winslow Homer painted from his nearby home/studio on Prout's Neck. A fitness center, shuffle board court, fresh ocean breeze, rocking chairs on wide porches make it a complete health vacation.

During a three-day getaway to The Black Point Inn, on Prout's Neck, Scarborough, I coupled a classic inn stay on Maine's rocky coast, with the multiple offerings for a fit body and mind. For a full spa menu, I headed over to nearby Oquinquit and the Cliff House, enjoyed a facial and massage, then returned to my seaside serenity center for other fitness experiences.

I reveled in the simple elegance, panoramic ocean views, impeccable grounds and serenity, for the Inn is at the end of a quiet country road, and faces two beaches, one of either side of the Point. Prout's Neck is only minutes from Portland.

Healthy choices abound at the Black Point Inn, from yoga clsses on the Ocean Lawn, a fitness room, aquarobics, golf, bikes, tennis, kayak equipment, croquet, volleyball, indoor swimming pool and sauan, two 1.5 mile sandy beaches and, of course, rocking chairs on the porch to relax after exercise.

For great food, the Black Point Inn restaurant offers upsccale dining with a five-star menu at their own restaurant. From the Black Point Inn, visitors can follow the easy trail -- about an hour's leisurely walk -- around the Atlantic Ocean path and vistas made famous by artist Winslow Homer, whose family built a compound just a ways away.
Its spectacular natural setting alone re-invigorates.

Beaches, museums, summer theatre, art galleries, the rides at Old Orchard Beach casual seafood restaurants, lobster boat tours, boat rides, a seven-mile long sandy beach and quiet roads are near, only a few miles away in nearby Old Orchard Beach and Oquinquit.

But relaxation ruled at the Inn, where the staff arranges boat rides in nearby Portland, fishing trips, and even an excursion to famed L.L. Bean in Freeport, Maine.


The Black Point Inn is at 510 Black Point Road, Scarborough, ME. www.blackpointinn.com. Built in 1878, the Black Point Inn is a member of Historic Hotels of America. The Inn will close for the 2006 season at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 12 and reopen in Spring 2007.