The Old Harbor Inn — Hotel in Chatham

This was my first visit to Cape Cod. Coming from Manhattan, I was looking to spend the 4th of July in a small beachy Americana town. Despite what everyone (wrongfully) said about crowds, Chatham couldn't have been lovelier.

We stayed at the Chatham Old Harbor Inn, which was the PERFECT place to spend the extra long weekend. Our room was decorated beautifully, it was extremely clean and really comfortable. It also had a personal fully stocked fridge of complementary sodas, juices, water bottles and a big bottle of wine (of our choice prior to arriving). On top of our fridge was a basket overflowing with Cape Cod chips, pretzels, cookies, chocolates, crackers, granola, oreos… in addition to the Chatham Candy Manor chocolates each night on our pillows and a welcome box of CCM chocolates + a really pretty hand written card for my boyfriends birthday.

The Judy, Ray and Tanya (and their super friendly and helpful staff) were the most gracious! They made sure we had everything we needed. Beach chairs, beach towels (in a super cute beach bag), beach umbrellas, coolers and most importantly maps to the town’s restaurants and all best spots. They recommended all the right places for us — which bike shop to rent bikes from, which seal tour to go on (which was a way better one than trip advisor recommended... it was more private and we saw seals AND whales!), which beaches to go to and they made all of our reservations for us.

The house is PERFECTLY located right off of Main Street. It’s quiet and literally right around the corner from everything… It made life really easy. We could walk to Chatham Lighthouse Beach (so we didn't have to pay for parking or move our car every 30 mins), it was around the corner from the Orphium Theater, (a fantastic local theater that serves cookies and cocktails and plays Jaws every summer), a stone throw to all the restaurants, shops and ice cream parlors on Main Street and a really nice (and short) walk to Chatham Bars Inn. Also, it was right around the corner from the local Fourth of July Parade that lines Main Street!

The breakfast each morning was given to us on a menu the night before with a lot of options (even gluten free options!). Each one was more delicious than the next. The fruit was so fresh, the yogurt was the best yogurt I've ever had and the baked goods were endless! Judy and the staff were constantly baking the most INCREDIBLE pastries - the house smelled so delicious. I loved coming back to the house and smelling the fresh baked cakes, muffins, cookies, breads and scones! The wine and cheese happy hour was also a great addition.

Chatham Old Harbor Inn felt like I was visiting a family members house for the holiday. I instantly felt welcomed, they knew my name, made an effort to personalize my stay for me and my boyfriend and I hope to go back...

Before anything else, I have to say, I felt as safe here as I do in my own home (and we’ve gone through significant measures to stay safe over these past few months).

There were mask & glove kits in baskets throughout the entrance of the house, hand sanitizer on every main table and Judy & Ray, the inn keepers, placed a list on our bed of everything in the room that was thoroughly sanitized (which was pretty much everything). Our room key was also given to us in a sanitized bag.

Judy’s baking is phenomenal, the house always smells unbelievable and throughout our stay, our absolute favorite pandemic-safe adjustment was, instead of leaving the cakes and breads out like days of old, Judy individually wraps pre-sliced pieces of the cakes and pastries in saran wrap and offers them to guests to take safely.

The chairs, umbrellas and coolers they have for guests to take to the beach are individually sanitized and after use, we just put them aside to be re-sanitized. The beach towels were given to us in mesh bags which made carrying them to and from our walks to Lighthouse Beach very easy.

We were asked if we wanted to have our room made up in the morning and a turn down service at night (we opted for the turn down service at night because we loved the Chatham Candy Manor chocolates and the extensive breakfast menu left on our pillows each night.)

Speaking of snacks, they always made sure our personal fridge of complementary sodas, water bottles and juices were fully stocked, as well as the basket of pre-wrapped treats (Cape Cod chips, pretzels, cookies, crackers, granola…) on top of the fridge was also always filled. Each time we went out, Judy always made sure we had water and enough snacks to last us days! For wine and cheese happy hour on Friday night, we were given a list of wines to choose from and our very own personal plate filled with cheese and fruit and snacks.

The house is on Main Street, so all the shops and restaurants are just a few steps away and walking is SUPER easy. We would order food from restaurants for lunch or dinner, walk to pick it up and bring it back to eat it on the deck of the Inn. They did a great job of spacing out all the tables and chairs and adding more places to sit, eat and relax so we were usually the only ones eating in the vicinity. 

Ray, Judy and the entire staff always had a mask on and wore gloves when dealing with anything for their guests. Everyone in the Inn, on the streets in public areas, non-public areas were also mask compliant and so respectful. It actually felt like a proper vacation because all our worries and anxieties about covid were put at ease and taken into consideration.

I kept sending photos of how safe and lovely everything was to my family at home, so I will share those with you as well.

I couldn’t possibly recommend...

The Old Harbor Inn was a dream come true for my first trip to Chatham.

Judy and Ray are amazing and simply exceeded our hospitality expectations (which are many since both of us are VERY picky).

My husband had lived summers on the Cape as a kid.

He has hospitality experience - and fully understands the challenges of excellence in execution.

Judy and Ray deliver. From the high quality of the beds, bed linens, and towels to the cleanliness and upkeep of the facility, they have mastered the “brilliant basics” which so many organizations fail.

I believe an important factor for this excellence is two-fold:

▪️I found out that Judy and Ray have assembled a group of employees who have been with them many years - almost like a family. One of the major problems in the hospitality business summer of 2021 on the Cape is that restaurants and inns are extremely challenged in hiring employees. Many in town are very understaffed. We experienced it directly in several high end restaurants. The lack of competent service severely detracted those experiences.

The team at Old Harbor inn functions like a well oiled machine. They know what they are doing. 25 years successful experience doesn’t hurt either.

▪️The other fundamental reason for their success is their attitude. They render service with ❤️ LOVE! The Inn personnel were all extremely kind and friendly, always ready to help.

The average return rate for a B & B on the Cape is around 22%. I found out that Judy & Ray’s return rate is 44%! (SEE ABOVE).

The location is nonpareil! WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT IN CHATHAM!

It is simply a sixty second (yes that’s correct just a minute) languid stroll out of the front door to Chatham’s Main Street and all the fabulous shops, boutiques, and restaurants.

This allows you to have complete and unfettered freedom as parking is nearly impossible to obtain on Main Street during the Summer Season.

The Inn is brimming with Charm in its naturally idyllic Normal Rockwellian atmosphere, architecture, and feel - beautiful, peaceful, and hospital clean.

It’s a quintessential storybook English inspired Inn.

We woke up to a very delicious and full breakfast ready to start each day. The quality and variety shall satisfy the most discerning “Foodie.”

The grounds are immaculate and some of the gorgeous 20 year old Hydrangeas in the front have over 100 surreal colored electric purple-blue blooms.

After a while - between the picturesque Old Harbor Inn plus the wonderful quaint scenery of Main Street Chatham - you feel as if you have escaped to a fabulous movie set of which you are rapidly becoming a part.

This is all a very compelling and winning combination.

We would give it 6 STARS if we could!

We will definitely come back to the...