Top 10 Casino Hotels

The Seneca Nation runs the resort on its own territory in the downtown of the American city of Niagara Falls, which means Goat Island, the river walkways and the observation points are all reachable on foot.

A sensible rhythm: falls at sunrise, the spa and the indoor pool through the afternoon, a show on one evening. Crossing into Canada needs a passport and patience at the bridge.

Monticello belongs to the Sullivan County Catskills, once the summer escape of countless New York City families and now a quieter patchwork of lakes, farm stands and wooded lanes that blaze with colour each autumn.

Base yourself in the tower, book the spa, then drive out to the Delaware River valley or one of the lakeside hamlets. Ask whether the pool you are offered is in the building or at a partner property.

This Hyatt Regency stands beside Resorts World New York City, operated by Genting, in the South Ozone Park part of Queens, and few full-service hotels sit closer to Kennedy.

With the subway and the Long Island Rail Road nearby, a long layover can stretch to a gallery afternoon in Manhattan. Do not assume a shuttle meets every flight; ask the desk about your hour.

Salamanca sits within the Allegany Territory of the Seneca Nation, in the hilly southwestern corner of the state that tourism boards like to call the Enchanted Mountains.

The obvious outing is Allegany State Park, with its lakes, trails and old stone buildings. Snow comes early and stays late here, so look at road reports before a winter drive.

Waterloo occupies the slim neck of land dividing Seneca Lake from Cayuga Lake, so vineyards, gorges with waterfalls and lakeshore villages begin almost at the edge of town.

Spend daylight on the wine roads or the gorge trails and return for Spa del Lago, where treatments are booked by phone in advance. If tastings are planned, settle who drives before you set off.

Mohawk Harbor is a reclaimed industrial stretch of the Mohawk River in Schenectady. The Landing faces the water, and the historic Stockade quarter, with its old clapboard houses, is a brief ride away.

Albany and Saratoga Springs are both reachable by car, so a few nights here can cover the region. Ask which of the resort's facilities overnight guests may use.

The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe owns the resort, which stands within Akwesasne on the southern bank of the St. Lawrence, facing the Ontario city of Cornwall.

Distances are long and the land is open, so plan fuel and timing: the Adirondack foothills rise to the south and the Thousand Islands lie upriver. Carry a passport if Canada is on the route.

Islandia lies in Suffolk County, roughly halfway along Long Island, which leaves the Atlantic beaches to the south and the farm stands and vineyards of the North Fork both within a day's round trip.

Construction for the expansion may close parts of the property, so ask Jake's 58 which parts are running during your stay. Check-in usually begins in the late afternoon; confirm before planning an early arrival.

Oxford lies in the lakes country of western Maine, inland from Portland, where forested hills roll on towards the New Hampshire line.

Use it as a comfortable stage on a longer New England drive. We found no reliable word on a pool or spa, so ask the hotel what it offers before relying on either.