Can’t wait for summer to enjoy a luxe family vacation? Surprisingly, some of New England’s toniest properties get a jump on summer by offering shoulder season hospitality that blends family-friendly activities with upscale touches such as fine dining, spa treatments and suite accommodations.
© Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club
Gurney’s Newport Resort & Marina, for example, the only four-season resort in toney Newport, R.I., offers an indoor heated pool, a saltwater outdoor pool by the sea with a sundeck for when the weather warms up, nearly a dozen fire pits overlooking Newport Bridge and a seasonal kids club for young guests aged 12 and younger.
The 257-room resort also offers the Seawater Spa, Scarpetta restaurant and free transportation for those who want to explore Newport’s famous mansions or the cliff walk.
Bay Pines Beach Sunset. Photo: Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club
Nantucket Hotel & Resort, an all-season destination resort on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, is situated within walking distance of the beach, shops and local restaurants. The 42- room property boasts a complimentary, seasonal kids club, which also operates in the evening for parents who want to enjoy an evening out; rides aboard an antique fire truck and a vintage bus; cycling via rental bikes the property will arrange to have delivered to you at the hotel, and amenities include five swimming pools, including two indoor pools for off-season; a heated outdoor hot tub; fire pits, a glass-enclosed restaurant; and a library stocked with board games. Accommodations range from one- to four-bedroom suites and cottages.
© Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club
Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club, set on 429 acres in Cape Cod, Mass., offers seasonal family packages and activities for guests of all ages. Movies by Moonlight, for example, complete with popcorn and a bar for the adults, take place on the Mansion Front Lawn seasonally, along with Friday Fun Night at the golf putting green; family kite making activities; family bingo; craft days; “splashtastic” pool games, and s’mores family beach fires.
Photo: Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club
The good news for families who can’t wait for summer is Ocean Edge also offers a family basketball court open year-round, along with tennis, cycling and, for mom and dad, massages, facials and wraps at The Beach House Spa. Other activities include a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding and even guided oyster bed tours
The 336-room resort offers accommodations in the Mansion, a 19th-century, three-floor Victorian-style building with an ornate, carved oak staircase, or in multiroom villas in the Presidential Bay Collection or at The Villages.
© Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club
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