You can tour the Mystic Seaport and visit the reconstructed Amistad. Or try your luck at the Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos.

For an authentic Native American experience, you could visit the Pequot Museum in Mashantucket and eat venison or buffalo burgers. Go star-gazing on the Yale University campus in New Haven (Claire Danes and Jordana Brewster go there).

Have some of that famous Mystic pizza, or just stop in at Clinton Crossing for some great outlet shopping at places like Saks Off Fifth, BCBG, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store and Kenneth Cole.

Where to stay? The new $47 million Mystic Marriott Hotel is already bustling.

The grand-scale hotel features perfect details like ship paintings, a bathroom stockpile of Neutrogena products and even a Starbucks.

The specialty at the Octagon restaurant is steak, prepared on the namesake octagonal 16-foot grill.

And most indulgently, the hotel offers an on-site Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salon - maybe the best reason to visit Connecticut these days.

Julie Robinson, spa director, said that the spa attracts hotel guests as well as locals. Maybe that's because the spa isn't just a spa - it also boasts a café and retail store.

Guests can dine on healthy fare like the grilled vegetable plate and the lemon pepper chicken wrap. Samples of Cheers! To Health -- a banana, soy milk, vanilla frozen yogurt and honey concoction -- are given to thirsty visitors.

The shop offers hard-to-resist Villa Floriani skin care, the Green Tea line and Spa 7/52 products, exclusive to Elizabeth Arden salons, with products like Shea Butter Hand Cream in Vanilla Fig and Earth Bath Crystals in Eucalyptus Lemon.

But the spa treatments are inviting enough on their own. Some of the most popular treatments involve stone therapy, which has ancient Native American origins.

Chris, who has been massaging for seven years, says working with stones is "like learning a new language" and his clients have raved about the treatment.

During the Desert Stone Massage, heated lava stones are left on the heart chakra and root chakra while the masseuse firmly runs heated stones along the body.

When the client turns face down, stones as heavy as three pounds are placed on the back, with smaller stones in the palms and on the feet as the massage continues.

During the Desert Stone Pedicure, which includes exfoliation and foot mask, the stones are used to massage the feet and are placed between the toes. After painting one nail with OPI polish, resident expert Michelle always makes sure the client is happy with the color before continuing.

In fact, that kind of personal attention is a trademark of the spa treatments. The Customized Phyto Organic facial uses organic plants from Northern Italy and is the most personalized facial treatment offered. It includes steaming, a spray of sea salts, lavender aromatherapy and layers of cleanser, toner, exfoliator and a mask. Even hands get a little massage and moisture with heated gloves. The spa also offers specialized treatments that can be added on to most facials, like the pigmentation treatment that uses botanical extracts.

Aimee, the aesthetician, only recommends products she has tried on herself. For example, she says the Villa Floriani chamomile moisturizer for sensitive skin is "very moisturizing but very light. It penetrates very well, won't feel greasy and it's organic, which I love." After the treatment, she writes out an Rx Face Care guide with products that will work for an individual's skin. It's New England hospitality at its finest.

Mystic Marriott Hotel and Spa
625 North Road (Route 117), Groton, CT 06340
860.446.2600

Red Door at Mystic Marriott
860.446.2500
www.reddoorsalons.com