Weekapaug Inn

"A recently renovated legendary seaside inn on the National Register of Historic Places, the 27-room, six-suite Weekapaug Inn is a three-hour drive from New York and less than two from Boston—ideal for a quick weekend jaunt. A flock of old-line dowagers who habitually flit down to Florida in the winter still home dependably back to the stately waterside residence with its intergenerational broods in the summer. (Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited in her day.) Nowadays, new-money yummy mummies with Ralph Lauren-attired banker hubbies and picture-perfect offspring attended by nannies join the throng, drawn by comfortable, quilt-laden suites and the promise of relaxation—at least for a few minutes. Excellent guided nature walks, golf, tennis, and fishing and boating expeditions in historic vessels can also be arranged. Meals served at the inn can suffer from slow or overanxious service and occasionally from dishes that skimp on size and taste. Give the Sunday night lobster boils a chance, though—they run off-season as well as on."