Featuring Chatham Bars Inn Resort and Spa — Chatham, Massachusetts

This morning, as I was sitting on the veranda, typing up my latest newsletter draft, I had a realization.

I’m so damn proud of myself.

Four years ago, I sat on the other side of the big, beautiful bay window, at the concierge desk, doing my best to provide the hotel’s guests with Five-Star service.

Now, what feels like several lifetimes later, I’m the guest.

I get to spend four days here on what I’ve deemed a work-and-play staycation, and I couldn’t be happier—so I thought I’d document and share my perfect day with you, as a reminder that life has a funny way of working out sometimes.

4:46 – wake up, forget where I am for a second, remember that I’m about to spend the next few days at Cape Cod’s Most Beautiful Address, fall peacefully back to sleep. 

5:10am – wake up again, realize I can make the sunrise, leave the heavenly king-sized comforter behind for what I know will be a breathtaking view from the veranda 

5:19am – take my seat at one of the many empty oceanfront tables and say a quick prayer of gratitude for all the things that led me to this moment (being a natural early riser, having a flexible career, working as this luxury hotel’s concierge 4 years ago, now being able to afford a luxury hotel as a guest…)

5:48am – schedule an email to all of the website designers who signed up for early access to my website copywriting guide, reminding them that the sale price ($100 off!) is expiring when my new site launches in August 

6:02 – spend the next 10 minutes basking in the now-risen sunshine, again filled with gratitude, appreciating my good fortune 

6:12 – work on the next issue of my weekly newsletter, Tuesday Table of Contents, all about how to write a minimal services page (using this blog post as inspo!)

7:03am – leave my veranda table for the first time all morning to head into Stars—the Inn’s fine dining restaurant—for the coveted breakfast buffet

7:07am – stuff as many pastries as possible onto my plate next to a tiny glass jar of strawberrt overnight oats and a thick piece of what I’m sure will be the best French toast of my life 

7:17am – determine that, yes, this *is* the best French toast ever, thank you very much (compliments to the chef)

7:49am – finish breakfast and head to the spa for an ocean wave massage, feeling like a mix between glamorous mermaid princess and a classic coastal grandmother (the spa is the most peaceful part of the hotel by far—it has its own hot tub, pool, relaxation room, and zen garden) 

9:08am – relish in the surprise of the toasty-warm bathrobe waiting for me after that perfect massage 

9:41am – get the idea to write the blog post you’re currently reading, start typing notes on my phone by the spa’s pool before diving back into my Elin Hilderbrand novel (my third in the last 2 weeks) 

9:42am – wonder if the beach read novel I’m drafting—with this hotel as the setting, of course—will be too similar to Elin’s The Hotel Nantucket, then decide, no, mine is much more…dramatic, let’s say

9:44am – order a glass of Prosecco and vow to put my phone down so I can actually experience the peace so desperately craved when I booked this vacation 

10:23am – look up from my book (I’m reading The Perfect Couple, after just finishing Golden Girl, but 28 Summers reigns as my favorite) to admire the hydrangeas, and make a mental note to compliment the gardener tomorrow; I know how hard she works to keep this property’s thousands of flowers thriving 

10:59am – overhear another hotel guest say “it’s like a lagoon!” as she swims by, and decide I must go in immediately 

11:29am – undergo some serious internal turmoil about whether or not I should order a crab cake sandwich at the spa, or head down to the Beach House Grill for the famous lobster nachos 

11:34am – decide on a lobster Cobb at the spa pool instead as a compromise, because I can’t bring myself to get up yet 

1:40pm – reluctantly bring my spa day to a close, while contemplating scheduling another massage for tomorrow, and ultimately determining that’s probably ridiculous 

2:03pm – walk down to Main Street, where all the shops are—I’d even go as far as saying it’s the best boutique shopping on Cape Cod in general—to search for home decor and a new dress, buy a quarter-pound of marshmallow fudge from the Candy Manor, and pick up Squire sweatshirts per my friends’ request 

3:45pm – decide today is definitely a two-dinners kind of day as I waltz into Bluefins for a table of one and a Hawaiian roll 

4:30pm – walk back to the Inn, change back into a bathing suit, and bring my laptop to the pool to work on website copy edits, blogging for BTL, and making my intern’s task list for next week

5:45pm – put my name in at the veranda host stand, because I know it’ll be at least a two-hour wait on a night as gorgeous as this, before heading back to my suite to change 

6:25pm – set up shop by the fire in the South Lounge for more administrative work, which inevitably turns into writing lists on lists on lists of BTL-related brainstorms 

7:14pm – my table is ready, and I have a special request: a raspberry mojito (made with the fruit purée, please) and a roll with sweet cream butter and sea salt 

7:35pm – order my food—burrata with fresh vegetables from the 8-acre Chatham Bars Inn Farm and the local yellowfin tuna for me, please—and reminisce on how wonderful this same scene was 24 hours earlier, when a gorgeous older woman complimented me on being “confident and independent enough to eat dinner alone and enjoy doing it” (I felt like a total badass when she said that; it made my day) 

8:50pm – charge the dinner to my room (the best part of staying in at a resort) and venture back into the South Lounge to write; I always feel the most inspired in the early hours of the morning and the hours around bedtime

10:02pm – sign off for the night, head back to my cozy bed, pray that a ‘00s rom com will be on TV, and order milk and cookies from the in-room dining menu 

And then, not much later, drift off to sleep full, grateful, and excited to wake up and do it again tomorrow—though Monday is bound to be more emails than massage, more onboarding than poolside oasis, and more screen time than seaside dining… but, if I’m being honest, I’m just as content working this job I love as I am sitting by the pool. 

…and if you want to learn how to become a freelance copywriter—and enjoy every minute of it!—so you can have days like these, too, you may be interested in joining my 6-month group mentorship program for aspiring copywriters – it begins September 2022 until February 2023, and you can get all of the details sent directly to your email if you add your name to this list right here. 

For more details about the program, read my post about the ins & outs of my consulting process for copywriters! 

And for more details about the lovely hotel featured in this post, visit them online here or send me a DM on Instagram—I can’t resist an opportunity to chat about Chatham or give my best Cape Cod recommendations to anyone who will listen. 😉 

Thanks for reading! 

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If we haven’t had the chance to *virtually* meet yet, hi! I’m Sara Noel—website copywriter and marketing mentor for creatives, copywriters, and all-around cool people. If you like my content and you want even more BTL in your life, here are a few ways you can connect with me:

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