I have a distinct weakness for destinations that speak summer so majestically they give you actual pause. The ones that take every element of sensory seduction the season so effortlessly provides and host a haven for them. They live easily on the west coast, cultivated year-round. But on the east, they take on a charm so spiritually infusing, a revel of arrival from the winter that was, it’s an enchantment both unique and awakening.
Bookended by a pair of beaches, on the elbow of Cape Cod, such exists, atop an east-facing rise. Wequassett Resort and Golf Club is where the splendour of nature’s most boastful season is celebrated in a way that is a tribute to nature, New England, and the superlative unity when exemplary taste meets tradition.
The whisper of Wequassett is a secret not long for the keeping, revisited after my initial stay back in the summer of 2014.
Wild roses, salted air and swaying seagrass line an Atlantic shoreline hideaway so serene you can almost hear the creak of weatherworn vestiges in the breeze. White wooden window boxes billowing cottage roses, camellias, and lambs ear welcome you to your room, where garden clippings of the same don the inside, somewhere between the bay windows and the fireplace. Trademark Nantucket dove grey shutters reflect the sand, cottages flaunting, flanking Robin’s Egg blue hydrangeas decorate the land it seems they were born to adorn. They outline the pool, surrounded by sage cushioned white wicker chaise lounges. Take the stairs down to the beach. They’re there too. Each beneath an umbrella.
The abundant staff is adorned in a visually amusing prep rally of periwinkle blues, apple greens, and flamingo pinks. When they offer to clean your sunglasses as you lounge by the pool, provide shuttle service to and from wherever it is you choose to explore, drop off a bag of crayons, bracelets, and notepads to color on (they noticed you arrived with kids) at your room, know, this is every bit the Wequassett way.
Throughout the day, Captain Jim can take you out on his boat to a private beach about fifteen minutes out. Do not pass this up. The sand is powder, there’s a bay on one side, The Atlantic on the other. A fantasy island showered in seashells and sand dollars. And never will you feel more Kennedy.
I can’t quite recall a resort so tuned into the simultaneous needs of adults and children, slippers are left bedside in your size and theirs. You have your lavish buffet. They have theirs on a pirate ship (replete with pirate escorts). The splash pad and pirate playground is theirs to delight, or spend a day at kid camp, hosting lemonade stands and scavenger hunting. And on Wednesday nights, dive-in theatre is an irresistible lure, snuggling fireside with a gummy bear buffet, popcorn, snow cones, and a movie set above the sea.
Ding ding. The Good Humor truck makes his rounds many times throughout the day. Free ice cream bars for everyone. For the kids. Or anyone who ever was a kid. Strawberry shortcake on a stick? Two please.
While the grounds are flawlessly manicured, feeling lightly alive with blooms, kissed by sun and sea, there is everything to parade and a not a note of nouveaux. The property will likely rank as one of the most spectacular you’ve ever stayed at, accomplished, astonishingly, without a hint of pomp. It’s just not how they do things.
There is no view within the resort that fails to breath take. This is the land that brought Thoreau to his knees. Here they have managed to meticulously cross-pollinate the purity of this pebbled coastline with the quiet pride of which it is so known. Hugged by blue from every turn, anticipate this. The nurture of nature is inescapable.
With an embarrassment of awards and accolades, Wequassett Resort and Golf Club relishes its distinguished hold as the finest resort on Cape Cod and the area’s only member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts. But the hold it will have on you is something far greater. A stay at this resort will quench your New England thirst with an enchanted potion of impeccable, individualized hospitality, and a cradling calm curated so easily, so exquisitely, within the coastal culture. Vacation is an occasion. Wequassett, subtly, stunningly, has risen to it.
The Details
Wequassett Resort and Golf Club, 2173 Route 28, Harwich, MA 02645, USA.
Tel: +1(508) 319-9177
Website: https://wequassett.com/
Email: info@wequassett.com
The resort is located on the Atlantic coast in Cape Cod. If driving take Route 3 South, following signs for Cape Cod. When you reach the Cape Cod Canal, go over the Sagamore Bridge onto Route 6 East. Stay on Route 6 East to exit 11. At the end of the ramp turn left and go 25 yards to Pleasant Bay Road (the first left) and drive until you reach the second stop sign, you’ll then see the entrance to Wequassett right in front of you. If flying, Logan International Airport is 90 miles and about a 1½ hour drive away.
Type of Hotel: 5-Star Luxury Waterfront Golf Resort in Cape Cod
Number of Rooms: 120 guest rooms and suites, all in Cape Code style cottages.
Price Band: High
Insider Tip: There is a complimentary option to take a private boat out to one of the outer beaches. It will likely be the highlight of your trip. Do not pass up. Also take a day trip to either Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard, it’s relatively easy and would be such a shame to miss when you’re this close. Their Director of Guest Relations Jamie McPhee is outstanding; seek her out for specific recommendations and she will help hand craft your trip to the nines. She found us a little picnic spot overlooking the water by a seaside grill that opened days before – perfection. Concierge Dave Swords is also a master of his craft; consult him for any unique needs or questions. Their attention to detail alone will be a continuous reminder that you have arrived somewhere very special indeed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10/10
Author Bio:
Jolie Loeb is a Luxury Lifestyle columnist based in Los Angeles.
Photographs courtesy of Preferred Hotels & Resorts
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