By the ocean you can also surf, fish, and dig for clams. Sea kayaks, surf boards, and other water gear are available from the hotel.
Private cruises can be arranged through the guest relations manager. Ganset, Ocean House's 49-passenger boat, ferries guests for a fee between Watch Hill, RI and nearby Stonington, CT day and evening. Cocktail cruises are popular in the warm weather. There's also a six-person wooden boat, Dandy, that couples can rent June through October for a half or full day; a captain is provided.
Indoor swimmers can use the 82-foot-long heated lap pool. It's adjacent to the spa and fitness room. Just about every morning there's some kind of complimentary exercise class offered; yoga sessions are held twice weekly.
The spa's appealing couples room contains two massage tables, a large shower, and a round hydrotherapy tub. It's all done in soothing shades of light blue and white. The four-hour Time Together Retreat consists of a foot bath ritual, facial, body glow, massage, hydrotherapy soak, and spa snack. Or simply choose a 60 or 90-mibute side-by-side massage. Aromatherapy oils inspired by the sea are used. The salon staff perform mani-pedis, waxing, haircuts, blowouts, hair coloring, and a frizz-removing keratin treatment said to last up to 12 weeks and a good antidote to humid weather.
Croquet is taken seriously here; there's an immaculately groomed emerald court for play, and the hotel offers instruction from its pro (yes, there are croquet pros!). There's also a putting green that overlooks Little Narragansett Bay; clubs are available. Serious golfers can take advantage of the Ocean House membership at the private Lake of the Isles course nearby.
Of course, you won't be obligated to do anything but relax here. Simply curl up on one of the couches on the Seaside Terrace with books or house iPads on loan, look out at the Atlantic, and toast your good fortune to be here.
