Here’s to the friends who make life fun—even when the car breaks down, the dinner-party chicken is still frozen in the oven, or the babysitter is a no-show. They’re the magicians who turn tears into laughter and make workday woes vanish.
You don’t need to wait for a milestone birthday or special occasion to celebrate the magic of friendship. Let Cape Cod inspire your next girls’ getaway! Houdini would agree: Friends are the greatest escape.
Spa Retreats
You can’t put off that to-do list forever, but there’s something about sipping a post-sugar-scrub martini with friends while wrapped in a Turkish robe that makes reality a little easier to face. Retreat to Brewster by the Sea for the water-heated stone massage with green-tea steamed towels and a lime oil rub, or indulge in the ocean-salt scrub at The Spa at Chatham Bars Inn and find your Zen in the Japanese garden.
At Shui Spa at Provincetown’s Crowne Pointe Inn & Spa, you can add a healthy lunch to enjoy before or after your Kiehl’s facial, body wrap or restorative massage. Beach Plum Spa (with locations at the Dan’l Webster Inn in Sandwich and Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis) offers an indulgent Girl’s Time Together facial-scrub-massage-pedicure package, plus a kid’s menu with chocolate and strawberry manis and pedis for your littlest besties.
If getting away from it all means not having to plan any of the activities, the annual spring Girls’ Cape Escape Weekend at the Red Jacket Beach Resort in South Yarmouth means you can bliss out in the resort's on-site spa in between dance parties, mobile boutique shopping, live entertainment, lessons in mixology and yoga sessions on the beach (pictured above). It's become so popular, in fact, that this year's event (May 1-2, 2020) is already sold out, but you can still get added to the waiting list.
And sometimes, nothing is more blissful than staying in: Rent a cottage and let Cape Cod Nail Co. handle the manicures and pedicures in your home away from home (they provide everything from the polish to the soaking tubs!)
Stay & Play
Here’s the thing about golf: When your game is on point, enjoy it while it lasts. The scenic courses of the Cape provide a stunning setting for savoring every moment, starting with the sweeping ocean views at Nicklaus-designed Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Brewster and the cranberry-bog-lined fairways at bayside Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Harwich. At both, you’ll stay-and-play in resorts as spectacular as the scenery.
For both beginners and seasoned players, the Cornish-designed Blue Rock Golf Course in South Yarmouth is a picturesque gem, and their 9-holes tee time special means you can quit while you’re ahead. After eighteen holes at Twin Brooks at the Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, take advantage of the on-site spa.
Another thing about golf: If it’s not your day, the next round begins with a toast at the clubhouse bar.
Shopping Excursions
Time with friends can make you feel like a new person, so spend a day browsing for the home décor, wardrobe, or accessories to match.
A stroll along the main streets and village centers of the Cape’s 15 towns will turn up any number of gift shops, boutiques and eateries, but don’t miss out on some detours along the way. In Orleans, Snow's Home & Garden will brighten your day, as will their lovely selection of nautical-inspired home accents, women's fashion and outdoor decor. The playful vibe at Ducks in the Window in downtown Chatham is hard to resist; the unique gift shop features candy and toys, but is best known for its collection of custom rubber ducks, which can be personalized as gifts.
Earn good closet karma at the consignment boutique shop Consigning Women (East Harwich and Brewster) by consigning your barely worn Kate Spade flats before snapping up a near-new Tory Burch blouse. Pair that new outfit with some fashion footwear and accessories from Puritan Cape Cod (Mashpee, Chatham, Hyannis and Falmouth), along with handmade, seaside-inspired jewelry from Robert E. Guertin Jewelers in Sandwich or Jewelcraft in Hyannis.
For women on a mission, divide and conquer among the mini-village of local boutiques and upscale chains at Mashpee Commons, among them The Black Dog, Sea Bags, MOCEAN and The Spice & Tea Exchange. After you shop to your heart’s content, you’re steps away from some of the Cape’s trendiest restaurants, including the French bistro Bleu and Estia Greek Taverna.
Adventures
There’s nothing like friends to break you out of a rut. Start at RideAway Adventures, where floating paddleboard workouts or a full moon paddle with glow sticks are an ode to that best friend, who, as far as you’re concerned, walks on water.
Work like a team to find clues, crack codes, and solve puzzles - all with the objective of breaking out of one of three escape rooms at Ten Pin Eatery in Hyannis. Afterwards, celebrate by heading to the Cape Cod Art Bar in Mashpee Commons and gifting each other with creative masterpieces to take home.
When there’s friends, there’s a lovefest, and the annual Love Yoga Festival each fall is a blissful time-out. This year's fest (September 18-20, 2020) will be held at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in North Falmouth overlooking Old Silver Beach, and weekend stay packages (with group discount rates) are available to book.
At cocktail hour, play it safe and take one of two craft beer excursions - Cape Cod Brew Bus or TapTastings - to check out such local breweries as Barnstable Brewing and Cape Cod Beer. On a tour and tasting at Truro Vineyards, sip the cranberry red blend, gaze out over the fields and be reminded why the beauty of Cape Cod is second to none.
You and your friends may have been through high school proms, weddings, and the births of children (and grandchildren) together, but you haven’t seen anything until you’ve taken one of Art’s Dune Tours out over the Province Lands to Race Point Beach to watch the East Coast sunset. Snap a group photo by the shore as the glowing sky casts its light and see for yourself: Friends are golden.
