Don’t let all of those folks sporting smiles and healthy glows fool you. Not everyone strolling, biking and hiking the 387 acres of Point Lookout Resort is a happy camper on vacation. Many of them are locals who join the on-property fitness club, come to bowl or walk the woods, or put their relatives up here so that they too can rejuvenate in the lush wooded heights of Ducktrap Mountain overlooking Penobscot Bay.

Consider the amenities of this only-in-Maine getaway: 106 casual-elegant cabins with one, two or three beds, kitchenettes or kitchens, knotty pine décor, screened porches, all sited for privacy.

A superb squeaky-clean fitness center with traditional and novel workout equipment – I recommend the Precor Stretch Machine with its multiple positions that together feel like a self-applied spa treatment and the spiderweb-like flexibility station.

A crack team of personal trainers ready to refine your exercise routine. Softball and soccer fields, racquetball, tennis courts. And a modern, super-cool eight-lane bowling alley, bargained priced. Everything looks brand-new, even though the resort was developed in the mid-nineties.

Prefer relaxing to fun-and-games? Point Lookout maintains a peaceful sandy easy-access beach just across Coastal Route 1 on the lake. Serene swimming, canoeing or picnicking at freshwater Knights Pond, reachable by one of several natural wooded trails that traverse the resort’s wildflower fields, mossy meadows, forests, fern-lined habitats sheltering small animals, opinionated birds, buzzing clouds of insects who occasionally alight in your hair but do no harm. Warning: do keep watch for painted trail blazes on tree trunks and rocks; at some points it’s easy to miss a trailhead, though getting lost is highly unlikely.

You can also go art-spotting; the grounds host some incredibly muscular metal sculptures depicting watchful moose, leaping deer and other beautiful fauna indigenous to Maine.

Business conference? Reunion? Wedding? There’s the Summit Conference Center, a window-walled mountaintop venue with a sensational views of the bay and distant hills. Seasonal attractions such as the summer Wednesday and Thursday Biergarten celebrations at the pavilion and verandah, with fare spanning traditional seafood to portobello patties, mini-squashes and veggie salads. Come winter, there’s snowshoeing in glittering silence.

Attracting families and couples, vacationers and business groups, and those afore-mentioned locals, Point Lookout straddles the mid-coast Maine towns of Lincolnville and Northport. The cabins provide Thoreau-worthy views but in plugged-in air-conditioned comfort. Yes, the cabins come with TV, cable stations, DVD player and free wifi, but the sights outside the cabin are far superior. Pack a picnic basket and head to Knights Pond or one of the hillside gazebos, each offering restorative vistas.

While bicycling up the curving, sometimes challenging main road, I passed competitive cyclists practicing “repeats” and fit folks walking dogs. Well-behaved companion animals are welcome in guest cabins, and the pet fee is wallet-friendly. Cabins can be had for $150 a night; ask about specials. Naturally, rates are higher during peak season from July through mid-October.

From a cabin’s screened porch, watching and listening to rainfall is a pleasure. Should you desire a break from Point Lookout’s serenity, festive gallery-, shop- and cafe-filled towns such as Belfast, Camden and Rockland are just a few minutes’ drive up or down the coast.

Summer treats include family farm stands and U-pick fields with sweet berries and other produce, says Stephanie Littlehale, one of the resort’s effervescent staff members. She mentions other area towns with such upbeat names as Friendly, Hope and Liberty. If that makes you feel like floating away, just south of the resort’s entrance is a ferry that crosses the Penobscot Bay to a cluster of lovely isles and Warren Island State Park

The most liberating moments of my stay followed a long, heart-healthy pedal up “The Hill.” I had missed the driveway to my cabin court, and wound up at the Summit. My reward for this extended workout? The distinctively Point Lookout pleasure of watching the vast, calm bay under a full moon.

Details:

Point Lookout Resort and Conference Center

67 Atlantic Highway, Lincolnville, ME 04849

(207) 789-2000

(800) 515-3611

http://www.visitpointlookout.com/

Point Lookout Bowling Center

http://www.visitpointlookout.com/recreation-wellness/bowling-center/

Shoe rental: $2 (free for cabin guests)

Bowling: $3 per person, per game or

Lane rental: $20 per lane, per hour

Opening Hours:

Thurs: 4PM–9PM

Fri: 4PM–10PM

Sat: 12PM–10PM

Sun: 12PM–6PM

Available for private rental Monday and all other days.

Point Lookout Fitness Center

Opening Hours, Day Passes, Membership:

http://www.visitpointlookout.com/recreation-wellness/fitness-center/