Like many of you, we had canceled all our vacation plans since March.
Still, the promise of sand between our toes was calling—as was a day or two of not washing dishes. Someone we know recommended the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort, Spa and Marina. Only about two hours away in Cambridge, Maryland, and with sensible safety guidelines in place, it sounded like the perfect escape. So we packed up our family of four and off we went.
The hotel requires all guests ages 9 and up to wear masks in common areas—indoors and outdoors—when 6-foot distancing isn’t possible. Plus, we read that the pool and lounge chairs would be cleaned and appropriately spaced, and that all staff entering the resort undergo temperature checks.
We booked a room for Aug. 30-Sept. 1, thinking a Sunday through Tuesday would be less crowded. We were partially right: Sunday was still bustling, but Monday and Tuesday, not so much. We stayed outdoors most of the time and wore masks any time we weren’t in the water.
Our room on the top (sixth) floor had sweeping views of the resort’s Manor Lawn and the Choptank River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.
Guest rooms are cleaned with CDC-approved disinfectants and staff do not enter rooms other than to clean between bookings. To get new towels and a refill of the complimentary body wash, we called housekeeping and someone delivered the items to our door in a plastic bag. They knocked and left, making the exchange contactless.
Here’s a look at how we spent our 48 hours away.
Day 1
We started with lunch. I scanned the QR code located on a poolside table, which took me to a menu for Docks Poolside Food and Bar. I placed an order online and got a text when the meal was ready for pickup at a window by the indoor Wintergarden Pool.
Next, the kids made a beeline for the waterslide, which twists and turns before dumping you into the Activities Pool—the third of the hotel’s three swimming options. It has rafts, fountains and a basketball hoop. It also had too many people, so after a couple rides, we left to check out the beach.
The beach area is small and the waters of the Choptank River are chock full of jellyfish, but the kids waded, looking for rocks, before flinging themselves onto the sand.
We rounded out the daylight hours in the Infinity Pool, which is divided by a rope into adults-only and family-friendly sides.
Before bed, we bought a pre-packaged s’mores kit and headed to the fireplace on the main patio. It’s a big step onto the hearth to reach the fire, but there’s little we won’t do for dessert.