The Captain’s House Inn

The Captain’s House Inn has won numerous awards including the coveted AAA four-diamond award and has been selected as one of the top 10 most romantic inns in the US by American Historic Inns. It is also a member of Select Registry and the Distinctive Inns of New England.
Talk to anyone in the Capital Region and they’ll tell you that Cape Cod is the preferred summer beach spot in the northeast. Although I’ve been to the Cape a few times and invariably have found it charming, I wanted to experience it during the off-season before the vacationers converge upon the 65-mile long peninsula.
On an early May morning, my husband and I left home and drove about four hours toward the Cape. There is only one major complaint people have about this beach area, and that is the traffic – getting in, getting off and getting around once you’re there. Especially on a Friday night when hundreds of people all have the same idea, or a Sunday afternoon, when everyone is headed back home. There are two bridges that take you in: the Sagamore and the Bourne Bridge and both put you on Route 6, which is the main thoroughfare on the peninsula. Thankfully, during off season, traffic is not a problem.
Our destination was Chatham, a quaint seaside town located in the elbow of the Cape, halfway between Falmouth and Provincetown, offering 70 miles of beach. In 1606, Samuel de Champlain was the first European known to have explored the area. By the late 1800s, it was a popular seaside summer resort area, attracting wealthy clientele and boosting the economy. Since WWII, Chatham has experienced rapid growth and has become a popular place for retirement. Today, this community is home to about 6,700 people year-round, swelling to 25,000 during the summer months. It offers outdoor and cultural activities and is rich in history.
What better place to stay when you’re near the sea than a former Captain’s House? Our trip to the aptly named Captain’s House Inn on Old Harbor Road in Chatham was nothing short of superb. The estate sits on two acres and was built in 1839 by Captain Hiram Harding for his wife of one year, Lydia. The Captain and his wife went on to have nine children and none of them have been forgotten over the centuries, as many of the rooms are named in their honor, with the notable exception of the rooms commemorating some of the ships captained by Hiram and his son.
The estate has changed hands a few times over the years. It began its’ run as a B&B in the 1950s. In 2006, current owners Jill and James Meyer bought the business, after having worked for two-and-a-half years at a neighboring inn.
The house itself is secluded from the road by tall hedges that wrap around the corner lot, so it’s a nice surprise when you turn onto the brick-paved driveway and see the impressive Greek Revival home sitting to your left. You’ll notice a few buildings on the property aside from the Main House, where rooms are also available, including the Carriage House, the Captain’s Cottage and the Stables.
They are but ornaments to the main attraction, however. When you walk through the front door of the main home, you enter in a large foyer with a center hall staircase. I flipped through the guest book on the front table and noticed visitors from all over the world, including travelers from the Capital Region who had enjoyed the Inn a week before our arrival.
We were greeted by one of the Inn’s student staff from England (they come on a yearly internship to learn all of the facets of running an Inn) and were given a brief, but enlightening tour before showing us to our room. We were impressed. The first floor of the home consists of a handsomely decorated library, which has a computer with Internet access, newspapers and an enormous selection of DVDs that you can take to your room to watch. Just off the library, is the dining room, which features three walls of floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing for abundant sunshine and lovely views of the gardens. Best of all is the “open kitchen policy”, meaning you can walk through it 24-hours a day. Between the hours of 3pm and 5pm, you even can enjoy complimentary cream tea and scones after a day of sightseeing. If you passed up dessert at dinner, hit the kitchen between 6:30pm and 10:30pm: the chef leaves fresh baked treats and tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Trays are available if you opt to take the snacks up to your room or you can enjoy them in the kitchen or library. Complimentary Port and Sherry are also available in the library all day long.
As we entered the Clarissa Suite on the second floor, I felt like I was walking into the pages of an interior decorating magazine. Decorated in cheerful hues of white, blue and yellow, the suite consists of two rooms: a cozy sitting room with a gas fireplace, and, beyond a French door, a bedroom with three walls of windows overlooking the property. A chandelier hangs over a gorgeous hand-carved King-sized four-poster bed. Both rooms have TVs and DVD players. Double French doors in the sitting area welcome you into the large bathroom, which consists of a whirlpool tub for two and a European shower room, which features a double shower and heated towel racks.
After unwinding a bit from our long drive, my husband and I decided to do some sightseeing. The chilly and drizzly weather didn’t dampen our spirits. We drove to the Fish Pier on Shore Road, just a few minutes down the road. The best viewing times are between noon-3pm, when the fishing fleet returns. On the same road, we also checked out the beach and the Chatham Lighthouse, which was built in 1877 and still guides vessels across the water. Tours are available on the first and third Wednesday every week from May through October from 1pm to 3:30pm. By late afternoon, we parked our car on Main Street in downtown Chatham. One good thing is that Chatham is a very walkable town – you can park your car and spend hours exploring on foot. Shops, galleries and eateries line the street, but many of them were closed either because of the time of day or because of the season; we weren’t sure. So, we decided to do what any other couple would do – we headed to the Chatham Squire, a local pub that seemed to be the place that the locals call home. While the street outside was quiet, inside the pub it was lively. The walls are covered with license plates from everywhere imaginable, with the most ridiculous phrases you’ve ever read. Peanuts are on the tables, but don’t worry about making a mess – it’s perfectly expected to throw your shells on the floor. After an hour or so, we headed back to the Inn to relax and change before heading back to town for dinner.
The next day we truly took advantage of the off-season and drove to Provincetown, or “P-town” at the tip of the Cape. During the height of the summer season, it can take up to two hours to get here, but the roads were clear and it was smooth-sailing for us. This was my first time here, and it is like no other part of the Cape. Its’ quaintness reminded me of a colorful combination between Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard and Newport, RI. Considering the time of year, the town was pretty active, and even the bartender at The Crown & Anchor Inn where we ate lunch had observed that the past few weekends had been busier than normal.
Following a day of strolling the shops on Commercial Street and exploring the side streets, we headed back to the Inn to rest for a few hours before heading out for dinner.
Upon the referral of Jill, we dined at Buca’s Tuscan Roadhouse, a fantastic Italian restaurant 10 minutes away in Harwich. When you visit the Inn, I highly recommend you check out this restaurant. I noticed goat cheese on a few menus during my trip, which is my favorite cheese. Here, they offer a grilled bruschetta with a layer of goat cheese topped with diced tomatoes, garlic, basil and a drizzle of olive oil. I would’ve been happy with that as my meal, it was so good!
I saved the best for last at the Captain’s House Inn: the breakfast. If you have a big appetite in the morning, you’ll be in heaven. You can choose the continental breakfast, which includes daily-baked fresh muffins or coffee cake and other buffet items such as cereals, yogurts, freshly-baked croissants and bagels, smoked salmon, sliced ham and cheese and homemade low-fat granola. Each morning there are also two hot entrees, a sweet and a savory with fresh fruit. Regardless of what you choose, you will have a full stomach for whatever your day holds.
I’ve been to Chatham in the high and off seasons and am happy to report that both seasons offer something completely different but enjoyable. During the summer months, it’s a hot spot swarming with people and excitement. In the off season, it offers a subdued quality that is perfect for relaxation and connecting with your loved one. The choice is yours! But whichever you choose, make sure you stay at the Captain’s House Inn; in fact, you just might stay indoors all day!
For more information on the Captain’s House Inn visit www.captainshouseinn.com.