Resort Opens on Eastern Shore of Maryland

Maryland’s scenic Eastern Shore, known for fishing, farming and waterfowl hunting, got its first big destination resort hotel last week--with a grandiose name to match. The $155-million Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina, is along the Choptank River in Cambridge, about 35 miles southeast of Annapolis, Md. It offers travelers an alternative to the rural B&Bs; and highway chain hotels that form the bulk of the region’s lodging.

The resort has 400 guest rooms; an 18,000-square-foot European-style spa with 14 treatment rooms; four swimming pools, including one with water slides; a fitness center and studio offering yoga and aerobics classes; and a 150-slip marina offering sailing lessons, canoe and kayak rentals and fishing expeditions. The hotel complex is 16 miles upriver from the Chesapeake Bay.

Still to open are an 18-hole golf course (by the end of this month), one of the four restaurants (the Blue Point Provision Co., in April) and facilities for overnight boat stays at the marina (in April), a spokeswoman said last week.

Construction delays postponed the resort’s opening several times. Many in the area are hoping the development will help revive the local economy, which has suffered from high unemployment and a decline in its manufacturing base.

The introductory room rate, through Nov. 30, is $149. (800) 233-1234, www.chesapeakebay.hyatt.com.