The Hyatt Regency Chesapeake

Tanya and I are excited when we leave for Cambridge Maryland to stay at the magnificent Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina. It’s a two-hour 51-minute drive according to my GPS, but knowing us, it will take longer. We like to stop and eat and enjoy the scenery. The drive takes us four and half hours.

Just before driving through Cambridge, we cross the beautiful Choptank River, the very river where our hotel room is waiting. We are excited. Tanya has been driving for the last hour and a half and I am falling asleep, when we realize that we are almost there. The Choptank River is a major tributary of the Chesapeake and is the largest river on the Delmarva Peninsula. To us it seemed it was part of the Bay, and geographically speaking I think we are right.

The hotel looked to us like a crystal palace as we drove onto the grounds. Surrounded by water and majestically sparkling, it stood there inviting us into a magical experience. So we park and meet the doorman who is friendly and directs me to the check-in area. With key I return to the car and get Tanya and the luggage.

Tanya says, “Whoa!” The lobby’s beauty amazes her, especially the big bronze statue of an eagle that is by the entranceway. In the lobby is also a big fireplace. On the way to our room we see a cozy room with ocean blue furniture and a fireplace. This room is an ideal place to relax and maybe read a book. There are cozy spots like this strategically found throughout the hotel where people can gather to talk, read or just chill.

We find the elevator and take it to our floor. Stepping out is like stepping into another world. By the elevator is a large bay window that overlooks the grounds. From it we see the river, several pools, a tennis court and part of the River Marsh Golf Course. On the floor is a rug with a beautiful sun design that has rays going down the several hallways to the rooms.

Walking into our room Tanya can’t help saying, “Whoa!” Then with an excited tone in her voice, she says, “Hon, look at that chandelier!” It is made from antlers and gives the room, which is contemporary, a rustic feel. Looking to the left at the bathroom, she exclaimes, “Gorgeous!” It had glass sliding doors.

I looked to the right and saw a table with a coffee maker, bottled water that was left for us along with two crystal glasses. There is also a dish with fruit, several wonderfully delicious cheeses, crackers and a bottle of wine. This time I say, “Wow!” Above the table and refrigerator is a round mirror.

Inside the room is a sofa with lamps on each side that can be adjusted from soft relaxing light to a stronger reading light. Beside the sofa are glass doors to the balcony and a view of the grounds and the Choptank River.

Also in the room is a table and chairs for eating or reading the morning paper. The room seemed to almost be in an L-shape. The TV stood next the table and was visible from either the bed on one side of the L and the living room area on the other. The ceiling in the living room area is high and it drops a little in the bedroom area, making the bedroom cozy. I am now getting excited and I say, “Sweetie (yes I call her that), look at the bedroom!” The large king sized bed is not only beautiful with its large pieces of tan fabric broken by some black, but it looks so comfortable. This is especially important to us, since our own new mattress is already sinking and we are ready to enforce the warranty. Ah, a good night’s sleep is ahead.

We leave the room and go to our reserved table at the Water’s Edge Grill. Our reservation is for 7 p.m. and after taking a short nap on the gloriously firm king-sized bed, we go to the restaurant. As we enter the restaurant we meet the hostess, Anabelle—a delightful young woman from the Philippines.

The Water’s Edge Grill is situated so that it overlooks the crescent pool and offers splendid views of the Choptank. We are seated next to the two-story fireplace that has already warmed our chairs and is now warming us. Our friendly waitress, Melissa Phillips takes time to explain the menu to us and let us know about the specials that are being cooked tonight. It doesn’t take me any time at all to order a rack of lamb and Tanya, believing seafood is required eating in Maryland, orders Scallops.

For dessert we decide to have Smith Island Cake, a local treat that is a cake with many very thin layers. It is delicious and leaving the restaurant we need to take a walk. So we explore the inside of the resort and find all kinds of nooks to sit in, a store that is closed, a game room and a room with a couple of billiard tables. I decide to play a few games of pool and my wife, getting even with me from our last summer’s trip to the Poconos, beats me bad. Then I show her how to play table shuffleboard and she whips me again. Not my night for these kind of sports. I am able to beat her at a game of air hockey, but honestly, it is only by chance that anyone ever scores playing that game.

We peak at the indoor pool which is luxurious. It has a beach-like feel to it and surrounding it are palm trees and other plantings. The full effect of being enclosed in glass is lost on us because we are there after dark, but we can see a family having a good time playing and swimming.

After a little fun, we find the fitness room and it is great. Tanya gets on the elliptical machine and I get on the treadmill. Getting braver I pick up a pair of kettle weights and hear a sound like a creaky door coming out of my rib cage. Tanya laughs as I drop the weight, almost hitting my toe. After our rigorous ten-minute workout, we are pretty tired and decide to go back to the room to watch TV and enjoy our large comfortable bed. Besides there is wine, cheese, fruit, and crackers waiting for us.

Waking up is a difficult thing for us when we are on vacation so we scheduled our massage at the Sago Spa & Salon for during the afternoon. I take a morning stroll to the little store and pick up some coffee. I want to go outside and walk around but the rain is prohibitive, so I settle in for a morning in our room.

We each have appointments to the Sago Spa & Salon for massages. Tanya goes in at 1:45 and I go at 2:30. The Sago Spa & Salon has a men’s locker room and a woman’s locker room. I go in and change, put my clothes in the locker and wear the robe and slippers that are given to me. There are luxurious rain forest showers, a sauna and a steam room too. My massage therapist, Sue, comes to the room where I am waiting and knocks on the door. I go the massage room, telling her of problems I have with my upper back and neck. She concentrates her exquisitely trained hands on the areas I tell her about but also massages further down my back and my arms. I feel the tension leave as she works in this very comfortable environment. Tanya and I see each other after the massages and we are both very relaxed and enthused by the way our muscles feel and the effect it has on our minds.

After sitting around in the room for a while, we decide to go out and explore. The sun is breaking through and the rain has stopped, so we go to Cambridge to see the Choptank River Lighthouse. This lighthouse is actually a replica of an earlier lighthouse that guided vessels up and down the river a hundred years ago. We take a bunch of selfies with the lighthouse in the background and then back to the resort.

We rest that night and leave a little before checkout time. We are ready to drive up the Delmarva Peninsula back to Levittown. As we leave the area, Tanya and I talk about our experiences there. The Chesapeake Bay area slowly recedes as we make our way back to Levittown. We are happy we were able to stay there but sad we couldn’t stay longer.

Bob Waite is the editor of Bucks County Magazine.