When the weather’s warm, the New England coast is a magical part of the country, and has earned the iconic symbols of summertime. Lighthouses, lobsters, and whales aren’t just for preppy clothes.
New England boasts several beaches and beachfront resorts that provide relaxing family vacations that usually require a passport.
Harbourview Nantucket
On Nantucket, families should consider The Harbourview Nantucket, right in town, with its own private beach and kayaks. The cottages come with full kitchens and are stylishly designed to offer the feel of a five-star retreat of one’s own. The action of the town center is steps away, including Children’s Beach and the Whaling Museum.
The Winnetu
The Winnetu sits just outside of Edgartown on South Beach on Martha’s Vineyard. The Winnetu boasts an exceptional number of unique family amenities few resorts offers. Sure, there is the complimentary kids club for kids and teens, but the daily family activities in the resort courtyard include rides in a vintage firetruck.
If it already wasn’t a paradise for parents traveling with preschoolers, the delicious restaurant offers a play area and counselor so parents can linger over fresh seafood and cocktails a little more easily.
The vibe is beach boutique chic, and the most standard rooms contain a king bed and living room with sofa bed and kitchenette.
Chatham Bars Inn
If Cape Cod is the shape of a bent arm, the two most luxe resorts area right at the elbow. The true tip of the elbow is Chatham, home to a well photographed lighthouse, and the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. Large numbers of seals call this area home, and, as a result, a large number of great white sharks. Chatham opened a museum to honor this misunderstood New England beach icon immortalized in vacation fears since Jaws.
The Chatham Bars Inn offers small cottages on its beach front property that works well for families. In addition to a heated pool and beach activities, the Inn offers an ambitious boating program to explore this area of the Cape and its wildlife.
The real gem is the Cape’s most luxurious spa and its private pool area for adults. Children can participate in daily activities in the summer while parents enjoy a swim and massage. Rooms are traditional and the resort has a formal atmosphere filled with antiques model boats.
The Wequassett
Next door to Chatham in Harwich is the Cape’s only five-star resort, The Wequassett. Located in a protected bay ideal for sea shell and crab hunting or water sports, The Wequasset also offers regular boat shuttles to unspoiled, undeveloped beaches that are part of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
Beyond the beach, the Wequasset boasts the most glamorous resort pool in New England, with Ralph Lauren clad servers to take food and drink orders. A vintage ice cream truck pulls up to the pool every day and a uniformed ice cream man distributes popsicles and ice cream bars to all guests.
The Children’s program is top notch here and offers both day and night sessions for parents to enjoy a daytime break at the adult pool or dinner out. There is a preschool program that is about an hour long each morning for two and three year olds as well.
Inn by the Sea
South of the iconic rocky costs of Maine are sandy beaches between Portland and the Southern state line. The Inn by the Sea makes good on its name for the ideal place for families to reconnect and slow down. The U-shaped property faces the ocean in the short distance and the great lawn offers a heated swimming pool, daily yoga (even for families), and ample space to play with your dog. This is one hotel where dogs are treated like VIP guests.
Taking a scenic boardwalk path to the beach, guests first pass over fields of wildflowers, then enter a tree framed forest before reaching the expansive beach of Cape Elizabeth. You will feel your blood pressure lower each time you make this trek.
The inn runs daily family activities during the peak summer season, and we enjoyed picking our own strawberries at the farm next door, and roasting s’mores to a live guitar performance by the bonfire.
All of these New England beach resorts are perfect for families to experience some of the most beautiful beaches in New England before resting their heads in some of the best hotel rooms.
Robin Hutson is a luxury family travel writer based in Boston who features the best hotels for families on Luxe Recess.