Laps of Oceanside Luxury

Laps of Oceanside Luxury

The Cape Cod landscape has changed a lot since you were a kid. The ice cream emporiums and art galleries no longer shut down right after Labor Day when most of the tourists depart, because more and more summer people have moved or bought a second home there.

“There is year-round life up here,” says Simon Rodrigues, Director of Sales & Marketing at the Chatham Bars Inn. “The weekend begins Thursday. More restaurants are offering farm-to-table menus. People come from all over for literary weekends and at the holidays, especially for the Christmas stroll.”

Those in search of comfortable luxury navigate their way to the Chatham Bars Inn. The private cabanas, the quarter-mile beach, the heated pool, and the views across Aunt Lydia’s Cove are a few of the reasons.

Every effort has been made to retain the historic grandeur of The Inn, which opened in 1914, while bringing it up to date in style and spirit. “It’s an iconic resort, built in a much more formal time,” offers Rodrigues, who worked previously at the Mandarin Oriental in Boston. “We’ve relaxed the dress code, even at our signature restaurant Stars, and expanded activities. Guests still want a luxury feel but they also want to feel like they’re on vacation.”

While you can easily lie on a chaise all day reading and sipping coolers, most guests are out and about — taking the shuttle boat to Cape Cod National Seashore North Beach Island, going on a customized, six-person whale–watching trip, visiting the Lighthouse, walking to town or the pier, renting a kayak or Hobie Cat, doing yoga on the beach.

There are complimentary children’s programs every morning from 9 to 12 to give parents time to themselves, and fee-based ones from 5:30 to 9 so parents can have a real date night. Scavenger hunts, interactive games, and nature walks are just part of the fun for “Beach Buddies”, ages 4-6, and “Clam Diggers”, ages 7 to 12.

“This is shaping up to be an interesting season at the inn because of the quarantine,” notes Rodrigues. “We have reservations from couples who are looking forward to coming <without> the kids because they’ve been with them 24/7, and we have grandparents who’ve been unable to visit their children and grandchildren these past months and want to rent cottages and bring the whole clan.”

What better place to reconnect than the Chatham Bars Inn, which, by the way, isn’t named for its drinking establishments but for the sand bars where seals love to sun themselves.