
Sometimes You Lose
Because many of you have been asking what went wrong on the “not fun” Cape Cod weekend, I will share our experience to the best of my ability…please know that I am going out on a limb here, risking that some may label me as entitled, or worse, as a ‘Karen’. :-0 Well, here goes…
Because the weather for the weekend looked hot and sunny, we spontaneously booked two nights at The Chatham Bars Inn, a luxury resort on Cape Cod…we knew the pandemic would affect bars and restaurants to some degree, but we mainly wanted to enjoy the beach for a few days…
We drove down Saturday morning and arrived just after noon – it was hot and sunny! ๐ Our room wasn’t ready, but we were prepared to change into our swimsuits and head for the beach, which we did…upon arriving at the towel hut, we asked for two chairs – “Sorry, all chairs are in use, there is a waitlist, it is unlikely any will be available today. You can sit on a towel.” :-0 (I gasp, but I behave myself) We asked then for chairs at the pool…”Sorry, there are no chairs available there either.” (still behaving) We are hot, thirsty, and hungry, so we decide to walk up to the outdoor restaurant…”There is a 45 minute wait for a table.” (Ugh, ok, might as well put in our name) I ask if we can order a drink while we wait…”Sorry, we can only serve you once you are seated.” (That’s when I lost it)
We walked back to the beach, sat our asses on towels, and ordered two double tequilas (they can serve you if you are sitting on a towel)…

Once we sat on the beach, got our drinks and ordered lunch, we were fine. (Funny what a double tequila will do.) I also realized that in the grand scheme of things, this was not that big a deal. However! This is a pricey place – and the limit of chairs was NOT to promote social distancing because they just kept handing out towels to people that arrived to sit anywhere! C’mon – my expectations were unreasonable at a LUXURY RESORT to want a CHAIR?

Ok, moving on, we did not sit in anger, we played paddle ball, threw a football, and continued to enjoy various beverages…

Fast forward to the evening…let’s get a drink before heading out to dinner – well, the outdoor bar area at our hotel was full (with a waitlist), so we went to the indoor tavern and found a socially distant table…we waited, and waited, and waited – in a dismal room with people sitting in the far corners. After sitting there for not sure how long with no sign of any service, we left. It felt like being in a Stephen King movie, there were human bodies, but no signs of life.
Getting into a restaurant was definitely MUCH more challenging than we anticipated, many are takeout only, others are at very minimal capacity…nonetheless, night one we were able to get a table at The Wild Goose Tavern on Main Street and it was very good…night two we lucked out and had dinner at the Outdoor Grille at The Wequassett Inn…
Fast forward to the morning! We had a yummy breakfast and got to the towel hut early to reserve beach chairs…

Yay, we have chairs! But we have no sun…that’s ok, it will come out…it’s HOT and SUNNY everywhere else! My weather app shows sun!! ๐

WE NEVER SAW THE SUN AGAIN. Heck, that was nobody’s fault, just bad luck. It was cloudy and in the low 70’s all day, and into the next day, when we just decided to go home.
The Bottom Line:
- While this weekend was a big disappointment, it was clearly not all bad. Peter and I always get along well, we enjoyed some great food, and I bought a new swimsuit. ๐
- The waitresses on the beach (and in restaurants) could not have been nicer.
- We will keep travel to a minimum until the pandemic is behind us.
- Above all else, we are grateful to be healthy.
Stay well. Dress well. Enjoy the NOW.
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2 Comments
Sadly, being spontaneous is a challenge these days. We head down to the Cape in August and will make our reservations now, and only outdoors. Sucks.
Thanks for sharing….havenโt we all had one of those experiences? Ugh!
Keep smiling!