Fodor's Expert Review Inn at English Harbour

This genteel resort, long a favorite with Brits and the boating set, is ideal for those seeking beachfront accommodations near English Harbour's attractions, yet it suffers from a split personality. The original hilltop buildings hold the beamed, flagstone bar and dining room with scintillating harbor panoramas. Four cramped if stylishly monochrome beachfront rooms are serviceable (beware windless days and biting insects), but have easy access to the funky-elegant beach bar and the complimentary water sports. Three newer whitewashed, gray-shingle buildings bizarrely sit in a breezeless area behind the horizon pool far from the beach. Enormous rooms are plushly appointed with mahogany four-poster beds, hand-painted armoires, candelabra sconces, flat-screen TVs, iPod docking stations, and porphyry bathrooms; however, they're dimly lighted and often stifling. Top-floor units at least offer cathedral ceilings and better views. Even the food and service range from spot-on to spotty.