Hotel at a Glance: The Inn & Spa at East Wind

Set on 26 tree-line acres on Long Island’s North Shore, the Inn & Spa at East Wind has an elegant style to match its picturesque surroundings. It has a ballroom, a full service spa with hydrotherapy tubs, an award-winning restaurant and cafe featuring Starbucks Coffee.

• Zagat-rated onsite restaurant: Desmond’s serves up gourmet seafood risotto and marinated strip steak. You can also indulge in dessert at the laid-back Myra’s Ice Cream Cafe, which has outdoor seating and a self-serve toppings bar.
• Natural spa therapies: Organic facials and Reiki massages are just some of the indulgent treatments available at the on-site spa.
• Splash around in the indoor pool, open year-round.
• Nearby attractions: Tanger Outlet Center, where you can shop for designer apparel at discounted prices

Long Island’s North Shore: Lavish 20th-Century Estates and Art Museums Near New York City

The North Shore region of Long Island encompasses a string of coastal towns, from the Great Neck peninsula 7 miles west of Queens to Port Jefferson, a Revolutionary War village. Prominent families such as the Vanderbilts and the Whitneys began building private estates on the North Shore around the turn of the 20th century; given its high-class reputation, the area is still known as the Gold Coast today. A handful of these mansions are now open to the public, including Teddy Roosevelt’s summer home at Sagamore Hill, and Walt Whitman’s birthplace at Huntington Station.

This area also offers a number of first-class museums, including the Nassau County Museum of Art. Housed in a 19th-century Georgian mansion, the museum features a 600-piece collection with works from Roy Lichtenstein and Auguste Rodin.

There are a handful of outdoor attractions you can check out on the North Shore, too, such as the Old Westbury Gardens. Old Westbury is set on 210 sprawling acres of formal rose gardens and tranquil ponds, all surrounding a mansion built in 1906. You can stroll the grounds on your own or follow along on a 45-minute guided tour. Also worth a visit is Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay. The property is known for its walking trails and the Camellia Greenhouse, which houses the largest collection of the namesake flowers in the northeast.

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