A Father’s Day Weekend Getaway to Show Your Love

We’re always looking for great ways to show our appreciation on Father’s Day. This year, I think we surpassed ourselves.  We found a getaway spot that offers tons of outdoor activities or if you so choose, doing nothing but relaxing on the water in Adirondack chairs.  At the Weekapaug Inn in Rhode Island, you’ll find yourself in a rustic, comfortable setting complete with all the luxurious amenities you could want.  And the best part, it works for either a family or couples’ getaway!

What does dad/hubby like to do?  Kayaking on the lake?  Or maybe playing Shuffleboard is more his style?  Or perhaps sitting by the pool soaking up the rays and reading a good book?  Maybe exploring and playing tourist?  Whatever you choose, the Weekapaug Inn will make everyone very happy indeed.  Oh, and let’s add a pristine ocean beach and spa at its sister hotel, the Ocean House. Life is very good indeed.

Both properties are reminiscent of days gone by and sit on water, but have very different atmospheres.  The Ocean House gives you a more posh feeling like you’re aboard a luxury liner, whereas Weekapaug Inn is like being on a summer vacation on the lake, but only so much nicer!  When you stay at either resort, you can use the facilities at both.  So, you can sit on the private beach at Ocean House or take out a paddle board at Weekapaug.  They also offer a complimentary shuttle that takes about 15 minutes if you don’t want to drive.

The Inn is really ideal for both families or just the two of you and provides a calendar of daily and monthly events, so you can plan well in advance if you see something you would really like to do.  Clambakes, Food and Wine Pairing Classes, Model Sailboat Regatta, Movie Nights, and Dinner and Disney Tunes are just some of the recent offerings.  The only real disadvantage is if your dad/husband wants to play golf or tennis.  Neither is offered on the properties, but you do have access to local clubs.

If you’re bringing the kids, they offer a SandCastles children’s program at Ocean House for kids ages 5-10, led by professional counselors from the YMCA.  Each day is unique and combines artistic and intellectual enrichment with physical and outdoor activities.  They even have a weekend evening program of dinner and a movie.

If you live anywhere in New England, you can just get in the car and only have a few hours drive to a little piece of heaven, as it’s located right in between New York and Boston.  It would probably not be very convenient for someone coming from another part of the country, but would be a perfect stop off point for people traveling up the coast.

A huge advantage is that within a very short drive, there is tons to do in the area, including Mystic Seaport, Mystic Aquarium, Essex Steam Train and Riverboat Rides, Block Island, state parks, wineries, Newport and its Cliff Walk and Mansion Tours, and the Submarine Force Museum, home to the Nautilus, which you can tour.  A weekend literally will not be enough time to get everything in.

The Inn is small which is what we loved and made it easy to navigate. There are only 31 guest rooms and suites.  It’s elegant, yet relaxed and serene and the dress is pretty much resort casual.  The lawn expanse is gorgeous and made for games.  We love that they charge a daily resort fee of $32, which includes gratuities for all non-food and beverage staff, WiFi access, daily resort activities, and valet parking to name a few services.  It just makes less to fuss with.

ROOMS

We stayed in a one-bedroom suite which had a patio overlooking the lake, where we sat reading and working.  Being a luxury resort, it was a very comfortable room with all the necessary amenities and plenty of room. There was no TV in the bedroom, which at first was a bit disappointing, but it forced me to read before going to sleep or just going to sleep!

We couldn’t ask for more in terms of the bathroom, but what a family would really appreciate is the three shelves in the shower that gave you tons of room to put everything out.

AMENITIES

Here are many of the great amenities offered at Weekapaug Inn…

• Fire pit for s’mores every night.
• Bicycles available for your use.
• A daily news brochure called Currents that gives you all the information for the day’s activities.
• A complimentary pantry area with an espresso machine, water, sodas, and a few snacks.
• Complimentary iPads for guest use.
• Gorgeous heated saline outdoor pool and bathhouse.  An indoor lap pool is available at Ocean House, but Weekapaug’s is much nicer.
• Access to a private beach with the Bathhouse, where you can get a locker, umbrella, chaise lounge, light meal, a frozen Del’s lemonade, and spend the day at the beach.
• Fitness center with yoga and fitness classes.
• Boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, SUP yoga (done on a paddleboard), and sailing.
• Lawn games set out, including bean bag toss, bocce ball, and shuffleboard, which my husband beat me at 2 out of 3 games, but I did beat him at checkers!  Croquet is available at Ocean House.
• An onsite naturalist offering a multitude of activities.
• Boat rides aboard the teak and regal Quonnie Queen or the InnSight motorboat that will take you on guided tours around the Quonochontaug Pond.
• Guided beach walks, kayak tours, crabbing, fish netting, and crafts.

DINING

You don’t have to go far for great food as both restaurants offer top notch dining.  Having access to both properties opens you up to many more dining options. Weekapaug has one main restaurant cutely called The Restaurant, and a more casual, SeaRoom during the summer, where you can get lunch fare, including a Lobster Roll!  The Ocean House has its fine-dining, Seasons, along with The Bistro and several outdoor choices.  Plus, both offer Clambakes and Lobster Boils/BBQs during the summer months.

What I love is that they are truly farm-to-table and get all of their ingredients from local producers.  This also means the cuisine is seasonal.  They are also very flexible in their preparation and had my husband’s food allergies on file and knew that I am vegetarian.  This was a really nice touch.  In addition to the resorts, the surrounding towns of Waverly and Westerly have multiple restaurants, including fish shacks that feature the local catch, all with a very beachy, relaxed atmosphere.

It’s not inexpensive – but isn’t dad worth it? Rooms start at $485/night and go up to $2,258 for a suite. Dining at the main restaurants also does not come cheap.  That said, we would go back to either the Weekapaug Inn or Ocean House without hesitation. They have everything we want in a resort and are just a few hours away by car, so we get a fantastic getaway without the transportation hassle.

But, I think our preference is now going to be for the Weekapaug. This is mostly based on its smaller size, outdoor lap pool, and the pond/ocean option.  But, hey, we can’t go wrong either way!  If you can’t make it for Father’s Day, the Inn is truly year-round and you can enjoy festivities on many major holidays.  It’s a comfortable, yet upscale resort that offers a very casual, relaxed ambiance, with a quiet beauty.  Just made for dad..

Here’s some more Father’s Day goodness for you to enjoy!

• 7 Fatherís Day Gift Ideas That Will Make Dad Happy by philZENdia
• Father’s Day Fanfare by Happy Healthy Hip Parenting