As the rest of the world searches madly for the ultimate hedonistic introduction to the year 2000, why not take a more serene approach and book a room at the Vikingsborg Guest house, a convent for Catholic nuns, on a peaceful cove off Long Island Sound? "It's a contemplative time, and to take a moment to be quiet and look at it away from the regular world is a special thing to do," says Marcia Kelly, co-author of the invaluable Sanctuaries: A Guide to Lodgings in Monasteries, Abbeys and Retreats, who recommends a stay at Vikingsborg as an ideal start to the millennium. The convent offers ten rooms decorated with museum-quality furniture. Guests can take walks on the grounds or linger over meals served in the grand dining room. The nuns sing liturgy four times a day. For New Year's Eve, one of the sisters explains, festivities will include an intimate gathering with champagne and prayers; "then we’ll all go to bed."

DETAILS Vikingsborg Guest House (203-655-1068; accommodations are $80 per person, which includes all meals).

Related:

• Archive: “52 Weekends”
• Articles by Sarah Bernard
• From the Dec 27, 1999 issue of New York