Well it had to be said that, weather-wise, things had been going quite swimmingly on Cape Cod. We were well into January and winter temperatures had hardly dropped below freezing. There’d been no frost to speak of nor indeed any snow to scrape off the car. Perhaps global warming could result in the season for our Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast, The Platinum Pebble, stretching all year!
Then last Saturday I woke up, a reassuring way to start the day I find, and was greeted by a blinding mass of thick, white flakes parachuting out of the sky to settle on the ground. As we had guests staying at the Inn, it meant that somebody was going to have to brave the cold and shovel the paths and driveway and to be honest I wasn’t optimistic that the Missus, bless her cotton socks, was going to pull on her designer wellies and get shoveling.
So off I went and, with my innkeeper’s smile firmly in place, started clearing the paths, which, as it continued to snow for the next 12 hours, is in fact what I did for the rest of the day.  I did find it a tiny bit irksome that every time I’d cleared the snow from the mouth of our driveway not 10 minutes later a local snow-plow would shoot past and unceremoniously dump snow back in the driveway. Let me tell you, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that snow-plow drivers aren’t out to mess with you mind!
By the end of the day we’d been “blessed” with not quite a foot of snow.  It can’t be denied, even by an old cynic such as I, that there is something about snow that stirs fond childhood memories and brings a smile to one’s face. So we did indulge our childhood spirits and walked down to the beach at the end of the road to watch the waves rolling into the snow covered beach and throw snowballs into the surf.
We also threw caution to the wind and convinced the neighbors that, as we’d be denied a white Christmas, and even though we were half-way through January, that the Christmas lights should go back on in celebration of this festive white blanket. So in West Harwich the “Occupy Belmont Road” splinter party created their own rebellion and, ignoring the traditional calendar of “no Christmas decorations after Epiphany”, brought some magic and twinkling lights to the snowy landscape on Cape Cod.

If you fancy coming to Cape Cod in search of the snow that will undoubtedly return before Winter’s up, please give us a call at The Platinum Pebble, a truly rare find on Cape Cod!

Safe travels,

Simon

Running a Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast has a rather embarrassingly long list of perks, many of which formed part of our “well I‘m glad you asked me that” speech when inevitably asked “what the hell are you thinking/drinking?” by skeptical friends back home when we broke the news of our venture; the long sandy beaches, the mountainous surf rolling in from the Atlantic, the ethereal light in Autumn &Winter, celebrity spotting in Summer, short drives to Boston and New York City, more golf courses than you can shake a putter at, not waking in the middle of the night in a cold sweat over the demise of the Euro, etc. But one additional surprise has been the bounty of exceptional restaurants at which to fritter away our hard-earned cash. Clearly a top tourist destination such as Cape Cod would indeed warrant a suitable number of dining possibilities but the high standard of these establishments here on the far easterly edge of the USA is exceptional.

Flawed as any “Top Ten Restaurant” list must be by virtue of the different types of cuisine they offer and the different markets/wallets at which they aim I am throwing caution to the wind (which I failed to mention is, in Summer,  a wonderful warm south-westerly trade wind breeze – not unlike the Caribbean).

So here we go:

Chillingsworth, Brewster
To my mind the top restaurant on Cape Cod serving the highest level of gourmet cuisine that would be at home competing with the top restaurants in Boston and New York City. Pat & Nitzi Rabin consistently produce supreme French cuisine and all accompanied by an excellent wine list.

The Ocean House, Dennisport
The Ocean House is one of the few restaurants on Cape Cod that actually has a water view and the restaurant is perched right on the beach of Nantucket Sound. This is also the only restaurant on Cape Cod that has a city vibe that creates a great dining atmosphere. Janet has steered this establishment to the top of the pile on Cape Cod and the Asian influenced menu has no weak spots. The Bento box selections are always superb. To have this fine dining star at the end of the street from The Platinum Pebble is a great bonus, if a little dangerous for the waist-line!

28 Atlantic
A great restaurant with the most stunning water view. This elegant  fine dining restaurant looks out across Pleasant Bay and is located in the only 4-star resort on Cape Cod, The Wequassett, right here in Harwich. The service and food are always impeccable. Price-wise this is at the high end but you get what you pay for and the food, presentation and setting are first-class.

Bucas, Harwich
Undoubtedly the place to go if you are hankering after Italian fare. The Tuscan inspired menu transports you back to an authentic Italian Trattoria. To simply feast on the fresh anti-pasti alone is worth paying a visit to Bucas. Entrée portions can be large but can you have too much of a good thing?

The Oyster Company, Dennisport
This great more casual restaurant, less than 0.5 mile from our inn, serves up excellent seafood especially the fresh oysters farmed daily on Quivet Neck in Dennis, Cape Cod. Jim Dings, the chef, has returned to the Cape after executive chef positions in New York and Philadelphia and created an excellent and consistently strong menu.

ABBA, Orleans
Although space is limited in this small restaurants it’s worth getting a table as the food on offer is a unique blend of Mediterranean, New England & Thai. This is where to come to find food combinations that may offer something new to your palate.  The steamed mussels in coconut are sublime.

L’Alouette, Harwich
This wonderful French bistro run by Alan & Gretchen continues to build its reputation. The menu is French inspired but works with only local ingredients. Service is top-notch and very knowledgeable if you’re having trouble navigating the great selection of French wines.

Cape Sea Grille, Harwich
Another restaurant that will deliver the highest quality of seafood dishes. The atmosphere is relaxed and quieter than some Cape Cod restaurants. Located in a sea captain’s home and a short stroll from both Harwichport center and from the beach this is a very popular fine dining spot in the Summer.

Delmar, Chatham
This bistro/restaurant has one of the best atmospheres of Cape Cod restaurants. The restaurant is always lively and has an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs working their magic. The thin crust pizzas here are the best on Cape Cod. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations so  you can have a long wait in the Summer.

Mac’s Shack, Wellfleet
The best seafood bar/shack/restaurant on Cape Cod. It’s reputation is well-deserved and no trip to Cape Cod can be considered complete without stopping in at Mac’s for seafood.

Safe Travels,

Simon

Cape Cod is one of the most beautiful locations and environments in the US and it’s always been vitally important that continual efforts are taken to ensure its sensitive eco-system is protected. The true beauty of Cape Cod is connected to the waters that fill its ponds, rivers and marshes and break onto its miles of sandy beaches and to the flora and fauna that call the Cape home. Cape Cod is home to kettle ponds, vernal ponds, estuaries, rivers, sphagnum bogs, marshes, dunes, grasslands, pine forests, oak forests and much more. By reducing the impact of urban development, and reducing waste, water consumption and pollution we can help to foster and protect the unique Cape Cod environment that is such a draw for our seasonal visitor (whether they be humans, birds or whales!)

A growing initiative that is helping any Cape Cod inn and other small businesses to become more eco-friendly and “green”, whilst simultaneously reducing their energy costs, is the Cape & Islands Green project.  The project is being supported by the Cape Cod Community Development Partnership, the Cape Cod Chamber and Cape Light Compact. The project dovetails well with the Cape Cod Chamber and Cape Cod tourism industry’s goal to market Cape Cod as a vacation “eco-destination”. Several Cape Cod B&Bs have now been awarded the Cape & Islands Green certification for being “green” businesses and the push is on to get more Cape Cod inns and Cape Cod Bed and Breakfasts to come onboard.  The Platinum Pebble is proud to be involved with the program and to be one of the first inns to achieve certification following behind the path blazed by Ed at the Orleans Inn and that now sees The Carriage House Inn and the Old Manse Inn among others on board and certified.

The initiative is being championed with great success and vigor by Amanda Converse, also owner of Shift Boutique in Hyannis, and her passion and energy is helping to harness the growing momentum of the scheme. For any new businesses wishing to learn about the initiative please contact Amanda or the Cape Cod Community Development Partnership or feel free to call us at The Platinum Pebble and we will happily give you feedback on the program and get you in contact with the right people.

If you’re interested in learning more about Cape Cod’s ecology you can find information on the websites for Cape Cod National Seashore and the Woods Hole Research Center.

We hope to see you here on Cape Cod in 2012 and please always give a thought to The Platinum Pebble if you’re looking for somewhere to stay!

Safe travels,

Simon

Staying at a Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast over the Christmas holidays always has a special magic. The villages and inns sparkle with fairy lights, warming fires crackle in the inns’ hearths, mulled wine is copiously flowing and unique Christmas gift ideas are to be found at every turn. This December the wondrous sounds and feel of Christmas on Cape Cod will be further amplified by the launching of the annual Brandenburg Concerts on the Lower Cape in Chatham. The Brandenburg Concerts have long been a staple of Christmas in New York with a performance every year at The Lincoln Centre by the Chamber Music Society, and that Christmas tradition is being picked up by Cape Cod.
Our good friend and fellow Cape Cod Inn owner, Jim Mellett,  has been the driving force behind getting funding, venue and musicians in place to make his vision of bringing the beautiful Brandenburg Concertos to Cape Cod a reality. Congratulations from The Platinum Pebble for a successful conclusion to all your hard work!

The event will take place on 10th December at the first United Methodist Church in Chatham and we hope that this is the first of many years of “Brandenburg By The Sea”. The Brandenburg concertos are widely recognized as some of Johann Sebastian Bach’s greatest work  although ironically it is probable that he himself never heard them performed live. The concertos were submitted as a type of job application (more impressive than any resume I ever cobbled together!) to the Margrave of Brandenburg that proved unsuccessful and they lay stored away unheard for a century.

If you can manage to make it to Chatham for the event and need a local Cape Cod Inn at which to stay please give us a call at The Platinum Pebble Boutique Inn.

Safe travels,

Simon

The day started, as all days should, with big Bertha (lovely lass) firmly in my grip and an empty fairway spreading out before me.  I was playing a round (purely a fling, nothing serious) with my good Scottish friend Angus McCoteup.  Angus had already driven off but he’d kindly left the fairway empty for me.
“Smack” – big Bertha swept an arc through the morning air and propelled my white ball out into the misty veil that hung over Cape Cod Country Club in Falmouth. There followed four hours of pure joy as we wound  our way around the eighteen holes of one of Cape Cod’s prettiest golf courses. Cape Cod is blessed with over 30 golf courses! But the Cape Cod Country Club is one of my favorites alongside Cranberry Valley GC in Harwich and Dennis Pines GC in Dennis (I’m very fickle!).

Once the golf was finished Angus and I were heading down to Wood’s Hole to meet up with the girls, Annabelle and Angus’s wife, Carrie. From there we were stepping aboard the Steamship Authority ferry and heading out for a night on Martha’s Vineyard. This was a rare chance to escape from our Cape Cod Inn, The Platinum Pebble, and treat ourselves to a mini-break with friends. The ferry pulled out of Woods Hole harbor passing a Frank Lloyd Wright-esque building that sits on the headland and then steamed out into Nantucket Sound with the local gulls trying their best to keep up. If only they’d bought a ticket they wouldn’t be in such a flap!
Once we were safely on dry land in Vineyard Haven we headed out to the old whaling port of Edgartown where we would spend our night at a wonderful local Cape Cod B&B, The Hobknob.

Edgartown has a wonderful harbor front with the Edgartown Lighthouse proudly standing on guard at its entry. As we walked along the harbor front we bumped into a couple of guests who’d stayed at The Platinum Pebble the previous night. We assured them that we weren’t stalking them but in fact as part of our unwavering commitment to stellar service we always checked up to make sure our guests were being looked after wherever they went!
You can while away hours meandering through the charming streets of Edgartown checking out the many quaint shops or looking enviously at the gorgeous houses and their gardens. It’s hard to believe that this was the film location for the fictional town of Amity in the film “Jaws”. There seem to be few horrors that can befall you here – unless you count some of the prices in the quaint shops!
One shop not to be missed is Murdick’s Fudge Shop, a very sweet way to end a day of strolling.
For dinner we checked out Atria and enjoyed some good food and several pints of the local beer from the Offshore Ale Co. brewery.

If you are visiting Cape Cod I thoroughly recommend a trip to Martha’s Vineyard and to Edgartown.  We took a taxi from Vineyard Haven to Edgartown but there are many modes  of transport for seeing the island. In the summer hiring a bike or a moped can be great fun or you can take one of the buses that regularly travel between  the towns.

Hopefully we’ll see you soon at The Platinum Pebble Boutique Inn!

Safe travels,

Relaxing at our Cape Cod Inn this weekend I was discussing with guests how the Falmouth Cranberry festival on Cape Cod must rank as one of the few events to have to announce “Event cancelled due to Lack of Flooding!”
Hoping to draw in crowds to view the annual cranberry harvest this weekend they’d overlooked the fact that farmers in Falmouth use dry-picking rather than wet-picking for harvesting their crop. Wet-picking is when farmers flood the fields to harvest their berries and thereby create the beautiful crimson lakes that are famous to all from the Ocean Spray commercials.

But all is not lost for those on Cape Cod wanting their cranberry bog fix because the best place to see the visual delight that is created by these vivid crimson fields is at the home of cranberry farming, Harwich! The cranberry industry started here and Harwich farmers still utilize both wet and dry harvesting methods. Wet harvested cranberries are the ones most likely to make into the juices that have been made so well known by Ocean Spray.

Last weekend one of our guests took the photographs that accompany this blog (thank you Marianne & Jeff!) and they provide stunning examples of why the best Cape Cod vacation spot to see cranberries is Harwich. If you do head this way and you need somewhere to stay please give our Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast, The Platinum Pebble a call!

Safe travels,

Simon

Harwich is located slap-bang in the middle of Cape Cod, pretty much equidistant between P-Town and Falmouth. Its mid-Cape position neighbors onto Chatham, Orleans, Dennis & Brewster and as its many beaches look out across the Nantucket Sound, it’s only a hop and a skip (and a paddle) from Harwich to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.
But should you need further convincing here are another 10 reasons why Harwich is viewed as the ideal place to base your Cape Cod Vacation!

1. Cape Cod Rail Trail
   

   Cape Cod Rail Trail, Harwich

   Six miles of the picturesque Cape Cod bike trail wind their way through the cranberry bogs, woodlands and kettle ponds of Harwich. This is Cape Cod’s most well-known and longest (22 miles) bike trail and the trail can be accessed from our Cape Cod Inn by taking a scenic short-cut through Bell’s Neck Conservation Area.

2. Home of Cranberry Farming
   

   Ocean Spray, Harwich

   Harwich is proud to be the birthplace of the Cranberry Industry. The industry dates back to the early 1800′s and Harwich still has several working cranberry farms. September/October is a particularly wonderful time to visit the area as you get to see the cranberry harvest and the bright red colors of the flooded bogs. Maybe you’ll see the guys from Ocean Spray splashing around out there!

3. Harwich Junior Theatre
   Celebrating its 60 birthday this year the Harwich Junior Theatre is one of the few Cape Cod theatres that stays open year round and is truly a Cape theater. This Fall and Winter catch Burt Bacharach & Hal David’s “Promises, Promises” and Jennifer Kirkeby’s  ”Madeline’s Christmas”.
4. Four Harbors
   Harwich is spoilt and has a total of four operating harbors as well as an outer anchorage making it a top location for sailing and charter fishing. Harbors include Saquatucket, Allen, Round Cove and Wychmere.
5. Nantucket Ferry
   

   Arriving in Nantucket

   The fastest and shortest ferry journey from Cape Cod to Nantucket island is from Harwich. The seasonal ferry is run by Freedom Cruise Lines out of Saquatucket harbor and runs from May to October.

6. Cranberry Valley Golf Club
   Voted by many as the best and most challenging golf course on Cape Cod this course is open year round and open to the public.
7. Brooks Academy Museum & Brooks Free Library
   The Brooks Academy Museum is located in the historic 1844 building. It showcases Harwich history, Cranberry culture and the local painter Charles D. Cahoon. The library around the corner is one of the oldest on Cape Cod and holds a wealth of history on local sea captains, early settlers and Cape Cod.
8. Antique Shopping
   Visit Back in Tyme, Harwich Antique Center, Potted Geranium or Windsong Antiques to see what treasures you can find.
9. Cape Cod’s Top Restaurants
   Harwich is a gourmet’s heaven with a long list of top notch restaurants. The Ocean House is one of Cape Cod’s premier dining spots and has a spectacular location on Nantucket Sound. Bucas is consistently voted Cape Cod’s best Italian restaurant and, continuing the European theme, L’Alouette provides excellent French cuisine. Cape Sea Grille in Harwichport is a wonderful spot for seafood or you can try The Port round the corner for a more casual atmosphere. Fresh, local oysters and outstanding seafood can be found at The Oyster Company (less than 0.5 mile from our Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast). The Ocean House and Oyster Company are strictly speaking just in Dennisport but as both are right on the Harwich town-line I’m sure they won’t object to being included here! You can sample the great food at the annual “Toast Of Harwich” every May hosted either at Wychmere Beach Resort or Wequasset Resort, Cape Cod’s two premier resorts both located in Harwich.
10. Conservation Areas (Bird Watching, Kayaking, Fresh Water Ponds)
    

    Bell's Neck, Harwich

    Harwich is a walker’s and bird watcher’s delight with many trails, conservation areas, ponds and marshland to explore such as Bell’s Neck, Thomson Field, Hawksnest, Monomoy River and more.
    The areas fresh water ponds are also great for summer swimming and the Herring River is one of the Cape’s top kayaking spots, where you can wind your way through ponds and marshes keeping an eye out for Ospreys and other Cape Cod wildlife.

So if I’ve managed to convince you and you’re booking a trip please think of us and check-out The Platinum Pebble Boutique Inn for availability.

Safe travels,

Simon

As September’s end approaches and we bid adieu to Cape Cod’s peak season, it seems not out of place to reflect briefly on the inaugural year for The Platinum Pebble Boutique Inn. The summer has flashed by with Usain Bolt-like speed in a blur of wonderful guests who have come from all points of the globe to try out our Cape Cod Inn. A few statistics for the right-brain challenged amongst us – we enjoyed 80% occupancy from mid-June to mid-September (so if planning your vacation for next year – please book early to avoid disappointment!); the furthest travelling guest came from Melbourne, Australia and had the pleasure of bumping into tempestuous Hurricane Irene, and the closest guest came from right here in West Harwich. Something about us appealed to international travellers with guests coming from Italy, Ireland, Switzerland, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Korea, Canada, England, Scotland, China, Poland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Ruritania (OK I made that country up), Israel and Greece as well as from all over the US. We’re still frankly amazed that people from so many disparate places managed to ever find us and then spent their vacation time with us.  A very trusting bunch!
We’ve had a whale of a time and I think all our guests have as well. I‘ve certainly set a personal record for hugs given and received in one year! Quite a nerve racking experience for an Englishman!
It’s been a real pleasure to meet and provide accommodation on Cape Cod for so many lovely people.

But it seems only last week that I was frantically sending out a Code Red alert to Annabelle when one of our first guests turned up at our Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast without warning. As it turned out they were a charming couple from New Jersey, who politely pretended not to notice the overflowing dumpster that still stood ominously in the centre of the inn parking lot (the extensive renovation work we undertook had just been completed). I checked them into their room successfully and sent them off for dinner. When Annabelle arrived and did turn-down for them she came promptly back downstairs to inform me that on pulling back the duvet she was confronted by a certain absence of bed sheets! Details, details….
No great horror stories to share but I have been taken aback a couple of times (some say I should be permanently taken aback and preferably to England); once on entering our laundry at 7am to find a guest ironing his pajamas, fortunately he wasn’t wearing them at the time; or by the guest who was surprised that our “no kids” policy applied to his newly born baby (interesting – I wonder at what age he thought junior would mutate from alien baby to human child?).

Scouse Duck Enjoying A Beautiful September Day in The Pool

Gob smacked is how I feel about the support and kindness of other Cape Cod Inns who have gone above and beyond to make Annabelle and I feel welcome in the inn community and to ensure that we were successful in getting bookings. I’d like to especially say thanks to Val & Jim at The Carriage House (Chatham), to Kris & John at The Liberty Hill (Yarmouthport), to Flora & Dick at The Commodore (Harwich), to Brian & Nick at The Chatham Gables (Chatham), to Pamela at Little Inn on Pleasant Bay (Orleans) and Rich & Karen at Old Manse (Brewster). Great support, motivation, words of wisdom and referrals. Thank-you all! If ever there was a category for Best Inn on Cape Cod it would undoubtedly be one of these inns that should walk away with the title. Although truth be told a Best Cape Cod Inn doesn’t really make sense as all inns strive for a certain uniqueness and niche.  Inns approach décor and service differently, enjoy diverse types of locations, provide varying styles of breakfast, have different amenities and cater to completely disparate demographics. We have taken a very novel route compared to other inns and strive to maintain that The Platinum Pebble is the Best Cape Cod Boutique Inn. Not the greatest of stretches to be fair as our guests tell us that we are the only real boutique inn on Cape Cod. That’s our niche and we strive to give our guests an experience that combines contemporary interior design that is unique for Cape Cod with a level of service and attention to detail that is unsurpassed.  Onward and upward and here’s looking forward to decent business through the off-season and another sunny summer in 2012.

Safe travels,

Simon

The Summer season at the Cape Playhouse ended with the take-no-prisoners farce “Unnecessary Farce” by Paul Glade Smith. We took a night off from our Cape Cod Inn, The Platinum Pebble, in Harwich to take the short drive over to the theatre to enjoy a wonderful and very energetic performance on a beautiful Cape Cod summer evening.

True to the tradition of farce we were treated to the sight of a parade of trouser-less men and skirt-less women, and the rapid opening and closing of every door on the set as characters sped in and out of rooms and closets at break-neck speed. The synchronicity, energy and agility required to pull off a farce of this pace is not to be under-estimated and all the actors & actresses pulled it off with laudable aplomb. A meaningful or sensible script however is less important with this type of theatre/comedy but delivery of the lines is absolutely crucial. The gem of a part is the doughnut-loving police cadet who was absolutely flawless in her performance at the Cape Playhouse and dissolved the theatre to laughter on repeated occasions.

The crux of the story is a police sting at a motel on the local mayor whereby they have him under surveillance from the adjoining motel room. The story unfolds in to one concerning the local Scottish mafia and the bagpipe playing, kilt adorned “Highland Hitman”. The accuracy of this kilted assassin’s accent isn’t key (key is that he’s difficult to understand) but I have to say that he sounded more like a gay Norwegian impersonating a drunken German than any Scotsman I’ve ever met!

All great fun and a great send-off for this year’s Summer theatre. Next year is the 86th year of the Cape Playhouse and we’ll be there for sure.
We hope you can be there too and if so that you can check out our Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast at The Platinum Pebble.

Safe travels,
Simon

OK I'm Sure We didn't Have To Swim To The Bridge When We Arrived?

The rain stayed away and the blue skies remained in Harwich & Chatham. The wind however did show up and gusted at 65 mph so the surf got interesting and trees came down. Being Brits we decided it was time to put the kettle on and have a cup of tea!

Chatham Battens Down The Hatches

A House With Sea View

Nantucket Sound Moves Into Harwich

Lighthouse Beach

Handicap Accessible Parking? - I guess if you're parking your boat!

One Big Wave Now Could Solve A Whole Lotta Problems!

A Tree Falls Victim of Irene on Main St Harwichport