FAIRHOPE, Ala. — This little town is the ideal destination for those who like their waterfronts and beaches to bump up to mowed lawns, flowers, and oak, magnolia and pine trees.

If there is a Norman Rockwell town in the South, this is it.

www.marriott.com (ENLARGE)

The Grand Hotel at Point Clear helps stress slide off vacationers.

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On Fairhope's main drag — Section Street — the aroma of brewing coffee lingers in the Page and Palette Bookstore (251-928-5295). Celebrating its 40th anniversary, it's the heart of this literary and artistic community with 12,000 residents.

Among writers with homes here are Winston Groom, author of "Forrest Gump"; Fannie Flagg, who wrote "Fried Green Tomatoes"; W.E.B. Griffin, who's written more than 35 epic novels ("The Brotherhood of War" and "The Presidential Agent" series); and Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg, whose newest memoir is "The Prince of Frogtown."

My husband and I hit the bookstore during a May visit after blissful massages at Fairhope Massage and Skin Care at 323 De La Mare Ave. (251-990-5015). Then we meandered in and out of downtown shops, looking at purses and antiques and this and that.

We hit the jackpot at A Fairhope Find, at 52 S. Section (251-929-2928). It's basically an organized flea market run by the spiffily dressed — Oxford blue shirt, white slacks, tie — Kevin McCandless. "Look at this!" I shouted to Keith. Three dollars for a 1946 Post magazine with an article about how people might soon receive their newspapers via a new radio device called a facsimile. A child's wicker chair was $25; a rocker was $65; 17 gold-rimmed dessert plates were $22. We piled our car high.

Spending money made us hungry. There are a slew of appealing cafes downtown, but Panini Pete's (251-929-0122) is this year's hit. It's in The French Quarter, a few shops around a courtyard.

A popular breakast and lunch spot, it was featured last month on The Food Channel.

Owner Pete Blohme, 44, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York's Hudson River Valley, works the kitchen and the crowd, which is major since the restaurant's star run in May on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."

"Everybody's been ordering the turkey with roasted pepper and mozzarella since it was featured on the TV show," said a waitress. The Panini Burger on pressed ciabatta bread, with crisp and peppery fries, was my astute choice. Beignets are on the morning menu, but Panini Pete's closes at 2:30 p.m., even when would-be customers beg to be served later.

On the drive from downtown to Mobile Bay, we passed cottages with porches and tree-shaded yards — some of them bed-and-breakfasts and vacation rentals. By the bay, there's a fountain, rose garden and a long wharf with a restaurant. Oaks and pine trees created shadows in a blocks-long grassy park overlooking the bay.

But the main reason we come here is The Grand Hotel, or whatever they call it this year. A card on a desk says The Grand Hotel/Point Clear Resort & Spa/Marriott. The Web site refers to it as Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa (251-928-9201 or 800-544-9933). It's in Point Clear, next to Fairhope.

In 1999, the resort was bought by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, a multibillion-dollar conglomerate that owns eight Alabama hotels and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, which are among sources of income for retirement benefits for 250,000 teachers, police officers and judges. RSA spiffed up The Grand Hotel and made changes, needing to attract younger families without alienating those who have been coming here for generations.

A welcome newcomer is Executive Chef Mike Wallace, who arrived post-Hurricane Katrina. Men no longer need to wear jackets at dinner, but Wallace has made the upscale Grand Dining Room a true fine-dining experience. He chats with guests as they eat dishes such as Kobe beef and fresh fish boned at the table.

Among other additions in recent years are a conference center (the old one was impaled by the wharf during Katrina), spa, man-made beach, indoor pool, free-form outdoor pool with slide, water sports, programs for children ("slime" was the activity one morning) and spruced-up golf courses. From our balcony, we watched families riding bikes, speed boats rushing by, small sailboats skimming through the water that laps on shore as soothingly as any ocean or gulf.

Yet the resort retains its familiarity. Low-slung oaks and blooming flowers grace the grounds all year. The staff still makes you feel they're glad you're there. The paneled lobby with its fireplaces hardly has changed over the years.

The Grand Hotel and Fairhope are a good match. Each offers an escape back to a simpler time, when life was gracious. Or at least seemed to be. Stress just slides right off.