Weekapaug Inn

As a family of six, kids ages 3-12, the name of our travel game is convenience. When we get to where we're going, we prefer to stay on-resort. Kids are starting to age out of vacations where the only draw is the beach (e.g., renting a house in the Hamptons). In the NYC area, the Venn diagram of lux resort, family friendly, sub 4 hour drive feels pretty empty. Enter Weekapaug Inn, a historic resort/hotel built pre-1900, oozes old school charm and is, IMO, perfectly updated. It's situated at one end of a 2.5mi long pond (lake?), and is a short walk 5 minute walk to a long sandy beach. 2.5 hours from NY metro area and about the same from Boston. It’s a relatively small resort with 30 or so keys. There's a nice variety of rooms, standard inn-type rooms, some connecting, a few one-bedroom suites, and 4-2BR 1800sf named suites w/full kitchen, washer/dryer, and den. Room We booked one of the 2BR signature suites. Impeccably clean, well updated and outfitted/furnished. Some board games available in the room. No TV in the main living space, but one in each of the bedrooms, which we liked. Ran into 2 somewhat major issues with the suite – water temperature in the showers was tepid, borderline cold the first night. Spoke with reception who relayed the issue to engineering, who then took it a bit too far and made it uncomfortably hot. The temperature balance handle didn’t work – I suspect the cartridges need to be replaced. Second, HVAC wasn’t adjustable via the thermostat. There was a bit of a rattle in one of the registers, and efforts to turn it off via the thermostat by turning the temp up when on cool, or setting the fan to “off,” didn’t work. We ended up being shown which breakers in the unit we needed to flip to turn off the unit. It was clear that management took our complaints here very seriously – it was never just “let go.” We felt adequately compensated for the issues on checkout. Service/Amenities Truly excellent. Really solid everywhere at the resort. Never overbearing, everyone was very pleasant to interact with. Brief nods or “Hi, how’s your day” from all staff as you come across them at the resort. We all felt so welcome. The beach is a probably about a quarter mile walk from the entrance to the resort – an easy walk unless you have a 3-yr old who insists on carrying their own beach toys. Resort offered to take us to and from in a large golf cart; we never had to wait more than 5 minutes. Importantly, and this was a criticism I had of Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos – the answer from staff for a question was never a blunt “no.” Reception was really good with following up with us, recalled specific things we had requested making sure that the actionable items had been completed. Some examples – we requested “in room” dining from the on-site restaurant, and this was accommodated. It doesn’t seem like a big ask, but at a few places we’ve been to (especially those with on-site fine dining/limited seating), there’s a firewall between the restaurant kitchen and the in-room dining kitchen - which I understand, and am glad the extra effort was made for us. A few notes here – the fitness center and pool are on the ground floor of a building adjacent to the main Inn that houses a few of the suites. As a result, the fitness center is not 24HR and closes at 7pm for the guests upstairs – which I understand, but I feel like 7pm is a bit early. Pool has kids hours from 10-5, adults lap swim from 7-10am; 5-8pm. It’s a 25 yard pool, but not that wide. Good enough for an hour or two of splashing around. Activities One of the biggest strengths – the grounds and the pond. Grounds are wonderfully kept. Lots of lawn games for the kids, and just open space for them to run around. Shuffleboard, cornhole, bucket golf, etc. The Inn builds a fire for nightly s’mores around the firepit, and it’s nice to sit back with a glass of wine while the kids work out the last of their energy running around playing. On the pond – it’s such an asset to the Inn. It’s large enough that you can’t see the other end a few miles away, and calm enough for kids to paddle around or wade in, no waves or current to fight. The Inn loans out standard resort watercraft – kayaks, small sailboats, etc. They have some local HS/college kids running nature-type programs as counselors – going digging for crabs with nets was a lot more fun than I would have anticipated. My kids had a fantastic time - one word of warning, be careful where you step - there can be sharp shells! I'd suggest some kind of water moc. At the beach – Weekapaug Inn is situated in the middle of a residential area. I suspect that if it didn’t exist today, residents in the area would never allow it to be built. It’s a symbiotic relationship now; guests at the Inn are granted access to the residential association’s beach, and basic service of setting up chairs/pitching umbrellas is taken care of. The Inn has a small seasonal beach restaurant on site that makes excellent pizza, there are really nice facilities (changing rooms with shower, restrooms) as well. Food The Inn is part of the Relais & Chateau association, so I had really high expectations going into it based on my experience after having stayed and eaten at Castle Hill Inn about an hour away in Newport. It fell a bit short, if I’m being honest – but that’s not to say there weren’t some good menu items here and there. Breakfasts were overall very good, but I don’t think that’s as hard to execute. Maybe I didn’t try the right dishes? I'm not a chef by any means so can't quite put my finger on what's missing, but halibut was a bit dry. Ocean House There’s an association with Ocean House (OH) in nearby Watch Hill, but it’s looser than I would have hoped. A facility or amenity that is present at both facilities are restricted to guests at that specific property. While we paid for a cabana at the OH for a day, we were told that the beach would otherwise be a paid amenity by guests of the Inn with a day pass. We did not have access to the pool at OH (it’s indoors anyway, and part of the spa). We also did not have access to the gym at Ocean House which is 24HR, unlike that at the Inn. We much, much preferred the low key, laid back ambiance at Weekapaug. Food could use some improvement, but overall, Weekapaug Inn checked so many of our boxes; we will certainly be going back next summer.

Headed back to our favorite area of Rhode Island. We were very pleased to see the updates made to the Fenway suites, fresh paint, furnishings and color scheme and bar area. We were pleasantly greeted by the staff and General Manager, David Abrashoff upon arrival. The wait staff and employees going out of their way to please guests on the 3 hottest days of the month. Additionally, thanks to Jacqueline for her assistance on reservations and travel tips. Thanks for listening to keep this place special and can’t wait to come back.

The good- the property is absolutely gorgeous. Everyone who works at the front desk is polite and helpful. The space inside is tasteful and welcoming. We went to the spa and had lunch at the Ocean House, and both were wonderful, worth the cost. The Inn arranged for a car to take us there, as well as back, and everything was seamless despite it being a holiday weekend. We ate at the bar for dinner, and the food was good, I was especially impressed by the fritters, which didn't feel greasy, came out hot, and had big chunks of lobster and corn. The slightly confusing- I'm not sure this is an issue, but we stayed in a suite, and were just down the hall from reception, near the elevator, and directly across the hall from a staff area. As a result, it was fairly noisy throughout the night. It wasn't terrible and felt, in some ways, appropriately "inn-like" but for $1200+ a night, it seemed a little odd? I think had we been further down the hall, it would have been less of an issue. The bad- I had heard from friends that the food was exceptional. I can only speak for the Easter brunch. The food was okay- it felt like fancy wedding food. Maybe because it was a holiday brunch. The service was not good. Without getting into details, our waiter was rude, there were issues throughout, there was a long hair in our food embedded under some avocado. When we paid, the restaurant manager (who I had heard loudly snap at the very hard-working bartender the previous evening) gave us a 20% discount. For the long hair alone, this should have happened, but what about all of the other issues? We ended up speaking to someone at the inn who rectified the situation appropriately and immediately. My husband wants to give the inn another chance- I would- but I'd probably stick to dining at the bar, Ocean House, and avoid the restaurant.

What a special little spot! Serene, luxurious, yet so laid back. Simply had the most relaxing and fun time here, rooms are comfortable and well planned, staff super warm and friendly, food excellent, and so many fun activities outdoors to enjoy and explore the area. There’s a “feeling” here you can’t quite capture in photos, but it’s something you need to experience. Can’t wait to be back!

My cousin and I had a wonderful time at the Inn a few weeks ago. The accommodations were very comfortable and included everything we needed for a three-night stay. The meals were delicious, especially the brioche French toast at breakfast. Among the many activities available at the Inn, the sunset cruise was the highlight of our visit. I hope to visit again in the near future.