The Wequassett, Cape Cod

Cape Cod’s First Five-Star Resort

My web diet offers a daily dose of luxury hotel websites and social media and there is a fairly predictable look and language as to how high-end properties attempt to lure well-heeled guests. The Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Cape Cod has a slogan, “You’ve arrived.”

I admit I harrumphed just a bit when I read that. Friends who know the Cape had said, “You simply have to go” and I was told they know how to cater well to families. I expected a lot. 

The bell staff, dressed for the summer months in their crisp navy stripes and blue Bermuda shorts set the tone of the resort — playful and preppy — as they greeted us with a polished but relaxed welcome. The bellmen are delighted to use their golf carts to photobomb your pictures or escort you to the pool if your toddler skins his knee.

After our drive from Boston, my children were eager to hop out of the car, and ran ahead of me into an 18th-century building, the historic property used for registration, to perch themselves next to the lemonade and cookie table with very innocent-looking faces.

The Wequasset Location

Situated at the elbow of Cape Cod, before the road turns north toward the  tip of Provincetown, The Wequassett faces the Atlantic Ocean, amidst woodlands and salt marshes, just past Chatham. It is in close proximity to the ferries and twenty-five minutes to the small airport in Hyannis.

The Wequassett, named by the Wampanoag, enjoys a fantastic location inside a protected cove called Pleasant Bay. This beach is perfect for water sports, sandcastle building, and hermit crab catching.

Lounge By The Pool

The main pool area is beautiful and distinctive to the resort’s location, situated on a mini peninsula with bay views in three directions from its cabanas and loungers.

As I listened to good early 80’s music over the loudspeakers and eavesdropped on the tween girls flirting with one of the boy lifeguards, I felt twelve again—suddenly smelling the ghost aroma of Bain de Soleil’s orange sun-tanning jam, SPF 4.

Adding to the nostalgia, the staff is dressed from head to toe in retro, striped Ralph Lauren uniforms. Only the extra wide white belts of the male servers and the absence of front pleats reminded me that it is 2023. Oh, and little people that kept yelling at me, “Mommy, watch!”

Staff members are plentiful, and poolside service is attentive, circling with small glasses of lemonade. Lifeguards watch children and provide goggles, kickboards, and diving toys.

Our pool time was so relaxing and easy; my kids wouldn’t get out of the water until dinner time. One night we ate poolside, and another we walked about fifty feet to the Outer Bar and Grille, adjacent to LiBAYtion, the bar next to it.

The Outer Bar & Grill and LiBAYtion

This waterfront restaurant and bar’s cocktail hours were swinging for the middle of the week. The views of Pleasant Bay alone justified the crowd of resort guests, tourists, and locals from the area. The staff are great at accommodating in-house guests first before outside crowds.

Our menus arrived at the Outer Bar, and the special touches which the Wequassett offers families started to appear. A two-page menu for children, in the shape of a sailboat, is one of the best and most-thorough, I have ever seen. This is where so many hotels fall short and the Wequassett really impressed.

My children were able to eat all of their favorite healthy foods while I had a wonderful grilled halibut. We finished an excellent dinner which offered dreamy elements of a festive night out in the Caribbean, and a live rendition of Chuck Mangione’s “Feels So Good” to boot, yet we were only ninety minutes from home.

A Beachfront Cape Cod Resort for Kids

The sand beach at Pleasant Bay, adjacent to the pool, offers a box of sand toys, paddleboards, sail boats, and lounge chairs.

Those interested can take a resort launch several times a day to the Cape Cod National Shoreline. Order a picnic basket from the in-room dining menu for a day at the beach, rustic style, for a stark contrast to the resort’s pool experience. There are no umbrellas, but I saw savvy families who had packed sun tents. The resort has fold-up beach chairs and towels in the boat.

The Best Family Rooms at the Wequassett

The accommodations at the Wequassett vary in views and size. The signature suites along the water are the ones to get, though the garden-view options are still quite beautiful because of the outstanding landscaping. Seeing this resort when the hydrangeas are in bloom in July can be added to your bucket list.

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Our suite had two queen beds and a sleeper sofa, beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sailboats in the bay, ample space, storage, and a soaking Jacuzzi tub. I appreciated that it was even prepped for a child-free soak with an across-the-tub rack filled with loofahs, soaps, and a book on the Cape Cod shoreline.

The challenge for parents, however, is finding the privacy to enjoy this tub, as the bathroom is only separated from the main room by folding wooden shutters. Children above forty inches will enjoy climbing through this window approximately eight times before they tire of its novelty. Plan your bath accordingly.

The various cottages are scattered across the property, many with patio areas or balconies, and the ground-level guest rooms also offer fireplaces.

Unique Family Touches at the Wequassett

Children receive a welcome amenity of homemade ice cream from in-room dining, and mini mason jars of sundae toppings accompany colorful notes.

Every afternoon, a pool attendant changes from his Ralph Lauren uniform into that of a Good Humor Ice Cream man and drives a vintage truck to the pirate ship playground, opposite the treasure chest ball pit, for an afternoon treat.

At two and four o’clock, the ice cream man visits the pool. A staff member circles to alert the guests of the best place to queue for ice cream sandwiches and popsicles.

This is such a beloved tradition, that a resort guest’s child put on his own costume, marched around the pool ringing the bell, and helped serve the crowds.

Pool service runs all the way to 10:00 P.M., making a casual family night easy at the resort. The pool also hosts movie nights for families.

The retail space at the resort includes a gourmet candy store and a beach kiosk that offers children’s beach wear.

The Wequassett Kids’ Club

The family programming at the Wequassett is headquartered at a beautiful children’s center along the most breathtaking pathway of English-style gardens and hydrangeas on the Cape.

With an expansive inside room featuring soaring ceilings, an outside amphitheater, and pirate ship playground, the kids’ room is very top-of-the-line.

The kids’ camp has programs from two-year-olds to tweens. The hour-and-a-half morning session for two and three-year-olds is a perfect respite for parents that won’t induce any guilt.

The half-day sessions for those aged four and older are exceptional in their theming: cookie making in the hotel kitchen, treasure hunting in the resort boat, gardening, eco tours of the bay, and beach Olympics.

Nighttime programs center around movies and dance parties. A child would enjoy a multi-day stay with all of the options.

Adult Time at the Wequassett

While children are being entertained, parents will appreciate the silence at the hidden adults-only lap pool. Guests also have access to the neighboring 18-hole, private Cape Cod National Golf Club course, as well. The resort’s fitness center is open seven days a week from 6:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M.

There is no spa on site, so a day spa in nearby Chatham will send a massage therapist. The bell staff can also whisk you to your appointment in one of the resort’s two BMW SUVs.

Fine Dining: Twenty-Eight Atlantic at the Wequassett

On our second night, my husband joined us, and we booked an early table at the resort’s signature restaurant, Twenty-Eight Atlantic. Despite the modern décor and the sun-lit room, the restaurant’s formal service would be suitable in an exclusive, dark-paneled club in Boston.

We were suddenly a little nervous when we noticed ours were the only children in the dining room. Everyone else was smarter than we were by sending their kids to a glow-in-the-dark dance party.

I had packed my mom bag of table toys and managed to keep things civil through an amuse bouche and two memorable courses, particularly the scallop crudo served over a macadamia nut gazpacho. But things started turning sour at dessert.

I looked up at the headwaiter apologetically and said, “I fear our window has closed, and it’s best if we ask for the check.” He looked sympathetic, “Why don’t we deliver your dessert to your room?” And they did, within five minutes.

If unhurried by little ones, visit The Verandas at Twenty-Eight Atlantic, located just behind the restaurant overlooking Round Cove. Several fire pits are placed around the patio for guests to enjoy. Don’t forget the tennis courts and

If I haven’t already painted an impressive enough canvas of how well the Wequassett caters to families, let me finish by describing the Twenty-Eight Atlantic’s breakfast service.

A bountiful buffet in the main dining room is lovely, but the children’s buffet inside a pirate ship, served by a pirate in costume is just what they do. What other resorts plan at holidays for children are the everyday offerings from the Wequassett. This is the kind of outstanding effort to serve families that distinguishes the Wequassett from many other resorts.

This is, indeed, a Preferred Family hotel in the Legend category, the most exclusive of the Preferred Hotels. At turndown service, when I saw that housekeeping had placed my makeup on a towel between the sinks, our housekeeper had placed a Wequassett sunglass cleaning cloth next to my spotless sunglasses. Impressive touch.

The biggest drawback of staying at the Wequassett is dealing with the return to normal life for your children. My kids wouldn’t leave without a fight to stay another night. We lingered a bit longer by the pool and made our way back to Boston. They were quickly sound asleep via ice cream comas, swimming with new friends, and looking for horseshoe crabs.

I may be able to offer a daily ice cream to my kids in the summer, but I draw the line at dressing up as a pirate and serving them waffles.

HOW TO RECEIVE VIP AMENITIES AT THE WEQUASSETT RESORT

Luxe Recess has access to exclusive discounted rates, complimentary room upgrades, a $100 resort credit, free breakfasts, and personalized welcome amenities. Sure, you could book your trip on your own, but you’d miss out on hundreds of dollars in exclusive amenities, as well as personalized VIP treatment by the staff at the Wequassett.

As a luxury travel advisor, I help ensure your vacation goes off without a hitch. From the selection of the best cottages or rooms to the VIP welcome amenities, your trip to the Cape will have those little extra moments of joy.

Book your stay at our Virtuoso site for those VIP amenities at no extra cost, or get in touch to set up a consultation to figure out the best vacation for you.

Although we were guests of the Wequassett Resort, these opinions are my own.