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Massachusetts can be a magical place to live and vacation. From the Berkshires to Provincetown, our beautiful Commonwealth has so much to offer and a season for every taste. Cape Cod is one of those places that makes it so special. Gray shingled houses, hydrangeas, endless coastline and sparkling blue sea. My love affair with the Cape began long ago when I vacationed there as a child, and I still seek out every possible opportunity to visit. This past weekend we headed across the Sagamore Bridge and along the Cape to Chatham, where we celebrated our favorite newlyweds at Chatham Bars Inn.

Chatham Bars Inn

Named as one of the leading hotels in the world, Chatham Bars Inn is an expansive property comprised of cottages and a main building, along with a golf course, beach, several restaurants, and spa. Its views are unparalleled; it is the epitome of Cape Cod luxury. The rooms are simply decorated with a beach house theme, clean, comfortable, and offering luxurious little touches like Nespresso machines and gas fireplaces.  Restaurants in the main building, including Stars and The Veranda offer stunning views of the sea, a perfect place for a glass of wine.

Chatham Bars Inn

Chatham Bars Inn

Our friends happened to be having their mini moon in one of the cottages as Chatham Bars Inn, and we enjoyed toasting with bubbles and their delicious handcrafted cocktails while taking in views of the harbor and splashing seals. We spent a lot of time on their balcony, for very good reason.

Chatham Cape Cod

We also had the fantastic treat of checking out the wine cellar at Chatham Bars Inn’s main building. Their cellar is beautiful, and I could have browsed all day. Guests can plan ahead for wine tastings in this lovely space; I already may have hinted at 35th birthday plans.

Chatham Bars Inn Wine Cellar

Sacred Cod

The variety of restaurants at Chatham Bars Inn makes for some nice choices throughout the day. Once we had enough of the cool breezes outside, we huddled on cozy couches for drinks and a snack, this gorgeous, smoky, sweet slab of candied bacon.

 

Chatham Cape CodIn addition to its spectacular seaside location, Chatham Bars Inn is also within walking distance to the town of Chatham, and we did a little bit of exploring. Autumn in New England is certainly a special time that people travel the world over to experience. Chatham was dressed in its seasonal finest, and we were feeling pretty lucky to be there.

A long day outside led us to a late dinner out at the Impudent Oyster, a restaurant I would highly recommend. We had the most delightful server and lots of great food like mussels, sizzling garlic shrimp, dumplings, salads, soup and pasta dishes. The menu is extensive, and from what we ordered, delicious. It was perfect to be able to walk to our home for the night along a marshy, moonlit road, listening to frogs and crickets sing their night songs.

Impudent Oyster

Once we retreated to our room, we loved just cozying up in its simple comforts. The beach house decor is inspiring; we are in the process of planning some redecorating, and I would love a serene, beach cottage like home. Instead of watching TV, we listened to classical music and watched the fireplace, feeling a million miles away from the city.

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A gorgeous morning, croissants and coffee at Chatham Cookware, and a seal-filled walk on the beach rounded out our perfect little Chatham getaway. It was hard to hop back into the car to sit in bridge traffic, but we both felt rejuvenated and blessed for the wonderful time we had with great friends in a most perfect place.

Tags: beaches, Cape Cod, Chatham, Food, getaways, hotels, luxury, Massachusetts, Travel, vacation, weekend trips, wine

Ballyconneely

It’s a place in Ireland we visit on every single trip, the place we got engaged seven years ago, and one of my favorite spots in all of Connemara. Ballyconneely, just outside of Clifden, is one of the most beautiful and pristine beaches I have ever visited. The water, in places, is Caribbean-blue (but nowhere near as warm!), the sand, bleached-white in places and a golden yellow in others.

Ballyconneely Ireland

From every spot on Ballyconneely’s beaches, you can see green fields, the rocky 12 Pins or Bens, the mountains of Connemara, and endless sky.

Mannin Bay

When the sky is gray, as it often is in the West of Ireland, Mannin Bay and the surrounding landscape can match it; depending on your own mood, it can be soothing and serene or somber and a little bit too heavy. Being a lover of gray skies and rainy days, I am usually a big fan.

Ballyconneely

Ballyconneely goes back further than the seven years ago when we got engaged, even further back than the almost 10 years ago when my husband and I first visited there together. When my husband was a child, he and his family owned a caravan on the beach and spent weekends playing in the surf, wandering the surrounding hills to round up sheep, and falling asleep to the sounds of the waves lapping the shore. Does that not sound like a magical way to spend childhood summers?

Connemara

boat in Connemara

If you plan a trip to Ireland, I definitely recommend including Ballyconneely on your itinerary; it’s an easy day trip from Galway City and can be combined with a visit to Clifden, Kylemore Abbey, and Ballynahinch Castle. Many people are wooed away from the West by the metropolitan and better known sites of Dublin, but this is where the real Ireland shines through.

Tags: beaches, Connemara, Galway, Ireland, Travel, vacation

Some say summer is over, but I’m happy for the three weeks we have left to enjoy this most magical season. For me, it’s the best time to live in New England, possibly the only time I like living here, so stretching it as long as possible is key.

With my husband off for a week between jobs last week, we decided to make the most of our time and spent the most perfect day on Cape Cod. There’s a reason people come from around the world to Massachusetts to visit our beautiful shores, and I feel ridiculously lucky to live so close.

On this day, the sky couldn’t have been any bluer and the water couldn’t have sparkled any more. With warm days left in the season and fewer tourists, Cape Cod will just get better over the coming weeks. Hopefully we will be able to sneak in one last visit before the chill sets in for what will seem like forever. ..

Chatham, MA

{Chatham Lighthouse Beach}

Our first stop of the day was for a walk on Chatham Lighthouse Beach. We’re glad we visited when we did because many of the beaches have been closed since due to shark activity. Du dun da dun. . . any Jaws fans out there?

Chatham, MA

{Chatham Lighthouse Beach}

Chatham Fish Market

{Chatham Pier Fish Market}

Next up, we visited the Chatham Fish Pier for a lobster roll and some chowder, eaten while looking out on to the harbor and watching the fishing boats come in.

lobster roll

{Lobster roll, cole slaw, and fries}

seals in Chatham

{Seals in Chatham}

The docks in front of the Chatham Fish Pier were a great place for watching seals who put on quite a show for us. Unfortunately, the explosion in the population of these adorable creatures is the reason for the shark activity. . . I wanted to bring them all home so they would be safe!

Chatham Fish Pier

{Sea gull on Chatham Fish Pier}

Chatham Bars Inn

{The view from the Chatham Bars Inn, Chatham, MA}

After lunch, we decided to grab a glass of wine at the famed, majestic Chatham Bars Inn. From a cozy couch with the above view, I enjoyed a beautiful glass of rosé, an ode to the refreshing pink wines of summer.

Wine at The Chatham Bars Inn

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{Unitarian Meeting House, Chatham, MA}

A visit to Chatham is certainly not complete without a wander of downtown Chatham. It’s a quaint New England town with some great shops, like a used book store and some to-die-for clothing stores. They’re also fairly pricey but fun to browse around.

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{Brax Landing}

On our way out Chatham, we passed by Brax Landing, a restaurant adjacent to a yacht club, and one that boasted a cocktail patio. It was literally the most perfect summer day ever, so we decided to stop for some Sam Summers, oysters, and shrimp.

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{Oysters at Brax Landing, Harwich Port, MA}

Craigville Beach

{Craigville Beach}

Our final stop of the day was a nostalgic one for me. When I was younger, my family often vacationed in Centerville, MA, and we spent a lot of that time at Craigville Beach. It’s not a big waves beach, but the water is so clear you can always see the bottom, and the sand is soft and without sharp shells. It was chilly but we both took the plunge and had swimming races for awhile before becoming too cold.

Four Seas Ice Cream

{Four Seas Ice Cream, Centerville, MA}

Our final stop of the day is a must-visit on the Cape, Four Seas Ice Cream in Centerville. We used to stay in the little motel across the street and walk over for ice cream at the end of every night, often bumping into members of the Kennedy family visiting from their Hyannisport compound. On this trip, standing outside eating ice cream as the sun set made me a little emotional; those trips are happy memories I have of my father and of our family in general before we were all grown up. Family vacation is definitely something to savor, no matter what age you are, and the Cape makes for some magical memories.

If you’ve been to Cape Cod, what’s one of your favorite things there?

Tags: beaches, beaches in MA, Cape Cod, Chatham, day trips in New England, Food, Massachusetts, Travel, wine

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