Chatham · Cape Cod
Chatham Bars Inn: Why Cape Cod’s Grand 1914 Seaside Resort Is Still the Best on the Cape
For more than a century, the white-shingled inn on Shore Road has defined what a New England summer is supposed to look like: rocking chairs on the porch, a private beach on the Atlantic and lobster from the boats you can see from your room.
There are newer hotels on Cape Cod, and there are flashier ones. But there is only one that has spent more than a hundred years perfecting the idea of a seaside summer. Chatham Bars Inn opened in June 1914 on a bluff above the water at Chatham, the old fishing town at the elbow of the Cape, and it has been the standard for coastal elegance in New England ever since. The white shingles, the long porch, the lawn rolling down to the beach: this is the picture most people carry in their heads when they imagine Cape Cod at its most gracious.
What makes it the best luxury resort on the Cape is not any single amenity. It is the rare combination of all of them, wrapped in genuine history: a private beach on the Atlantic, five restaurants fed by the resort’s own farm and local fishing boats, a full-service spa, and the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star polish that comes from doing classic hospitality exactly right, year after year.
The picture most people imagine when they think of Cape Cod at its most gracious.
A hunting lodge for Boston’s elite
The inn was the vision of Charles Ashley Hardy, a prominent Boston stockbroker, who built it on land once known as the Squire Sears Farm. It began as an elegant seaside hunting lodge, where well-heeled New Englanders came for fox and duck hunting, saltwater baths and steam heat, comforts that set it apart from anything else on the Cape at the time. Even then, a farm on the property supplied the kitchen, which means Chatham Bars Inn was serving farm-to-table cuisine long before anyone had a name for it.
Over the decades the lodge grew into a grand resort, and a top-to-bottom renovation in the 2000s refreshed every room in the Main Inn, its restaurants and public spaces, and rebuilt the cottages from scratch, all while keeping the turn-of-the-century character that makes it feel timeless. Today it is a proud member of Historic Hotels of America.
A location you can’t replicate
Chatham sits at the elbow of Cape Cod, where the land bends north and the Atlantic and Pleasant Bay meet. The inn spreads across 25 waterfront acres along Aunt Lydia’s Cove, with sweeping views of white sand and blue water from the porches and lawns, and its own private beach just below. It is close enough to walk or bike to Chatham’s Main Street, with its shops, galleries and ice cream counters, yet it feels entirely apart from the bustle.
The town around it is pure Cape Cod. Fishing boats unload at the Chatham Fish Pier, the Chatham Lighthouse watches over the harbor, and seal-watching cruises head out toward Monomoy, where gray seals haul out on the sandbars by the hundreds. Beyond that lie the beaches of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
Classic New England, done beautifully
The resort’s 217 individually decorated rooms and suites are spread between the historic Main Inn and a collection of cottages across the grounds, many of them steps from the sand with views straight out to sea. The look is quintessential coastal New England, crisp, airy and understated, the kind of elegance that never shouts and never dates. Days are measured in simple pleasures: a swim, a game of tennis, a boat out on the bay, a book in a rocking chair on the porch as the light goes gold.
The Spa at Chatham Bars Inn adds a layer of calm, with treatment rooms, outdoor cabanas in a garden setting, saunas and steam showers, and there are pools for families and for adults who prefer the quiet.
Farm to table, pier to plate
Few resorts anywhere take food as seriously, or as locally. Chatham Bars Inn runs five restaurants, from STARS, the elegant signature dining room, to the convivial Sacred Cod Tavern, the Veranda, the Bay View Terrace and the Beach House Grill, right on the sand. The resort’s own eight-acre farm supplies much of the seasonal produce and hosts dinners in the fields, while seafood comes straight from local fishermen. A lobster roll by the water, or a private clambake on the beach, is the Cape distilled.
That is ultimately why Chatham Bars Inn stays at the top. It is not trying to be anything other than what it has always been: the most complete, most gracious version of a Cape Cod summer, polished to a Five-Star shine.
Chatham Bars Inn — At a Glance
- Where
- 297 Shore Road, Chatham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
- Opened
- June 1914, founded by Charles Ashley Hardy
- Setting
- 25 waterfront acres with a private Atlantic beach
- Rooms
- 217 rooms and suites in the Main Inn and cottages
- Dining
- Five restaurants, including STARS and the Beach House Grill
- Also
- Eight-acre farm, spa, pools, tennis, boating, clambakes
- Recognition
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star; Historic Hotels of America
Plan Your Stay
Book a room in the Main Inn or a cottage by the beach, and leave time for a clambake, a seal cruise and an evening on the porch.
Reserve at Chatham Bars InnFrequently Asked Questions
Where is Chatham Bars Inn?
Chatham Bars Inn is at 297 Shore Road in Chatham, Massachusetts, at the elbow of Cape Cod. The resort sits on 25 waterfront acres overlooking Aunt Lydia’s Cove, Pleasant Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, a short walk or bike ride from Chatham’s Main Street.
When was Chatham Bars Inn built?
Chatham Bars Inn opened in June 1914. It was founded by Boston stockbroker Charles Ashley Hardy as an elegant seaside hunting lodge for New England’s elite, and it has welcomed guests for more than a century.
Is Chatham Bars Inn a five-star resort?
Yes. Chatham Bars Inn holds the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star award and is a member of Historic Hotels of America and Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Legend Collection.
How many rooms does Chatham Bars Inn have?
The resort has 217 individually decorated rooms and suites, spread between the historic Main Inn and a collection of cottages across the property, many with views of the beach and the Atlantic.
What restaurants are at Chatham Bars Inn?
There are five restaurants: STARS, the elegant signature dining room; the Sacred Cod Tavern; the Veranda; the Bay View Terrace; and the Beach House Grill on the sand. Much of the seasonal produce comes from the resort’s own eight-acre farm, and seafood comes from local fishermen.
Does Chatham Bars Inn have a private beach?
Yes. Chatham Bars Inn has its own private beach on the Atlantic, with the Beach House Grill, beach service and private clambakes, plus pools, a spa, tennis and boating.
What is there to do near Chatham Bars Inn?
Chatham’s Main Street, with its shops, galleries and ice cream stops, is close by, along with the Chatham Lighthouse, the Chatham Fish Pier, seal-watching cruises toward Monomoy and the beaches of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
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