The Wentworth by the Sea, located on Great Island of New Castle, New Hampshire’s small, but stunning stretch of seacoast, is the rare resort that combines old-world elegance with a relaxed atmosphere. This made it a great choice for our family’s winter getaway. It allowed us the opportunity to feel pampered by its genteel ambiance and great cuisine, while never making the kids feel out of place.

A Venerable History

The hotel is steeped in history, and you sense its legacy from the get go. It played an important role in the Treaty of Portsmouth, which formally ended the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Both the Russian and Japanese diplomatic delegations were guests of the hotel during their formal negotiations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Though engineered by President Teddy Roosevelt, Roosevelt himself never came to Portsmouth during the negotiations. He did win the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in organizing the peace-making efforts. The Japanese and Russians spent 30 days at the Wentworth, working out the details, getting to know their New Hampshire hosts, and one imagines, enjoying the fresh sea air in their spare time.

Arriving is a Visual Treat

Arriving at the Wentworth by car is dramatic, as it is located on an island that you reach by driving over a drawbridge. There it sits, majestically perched on a hill, with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a true New England classic, complete with a wrap around porch, with comfy chairs and sofas enticing you to have a seat. You can also arrive by boat if you happen to have one, as the hotel has its own Marina.

Elegant but Comfortable

We got out of the car and entered the elegant lobby, where soothing jazz was piped in and a blazing fire was being tended to, I had a moment of anxiety. Would my two teenagers be out of place here, far removed from their “feet on the coffee table” comfort zone? I need not have worried, because the resort has the rare knack of combining luxury with a laissez-faire attitude, where guests feel so at home that in the morning I saw several venturing down to the lobby in their pajamas, to partake in the hotel’s gracious, complimentary morning coffee service. It feels like you are staying at your wealthy aunt’s seaside summer home, only bigger, as the Wentworth has 161 rooms.

Plus, it has all the modern touches that a recent meticulous restoration provided, like flat screen televisions and high speed internet in all rooms, amenities that my facebook -frenzied, must-watch-tv-during-school-holiday kids consider necessary. You can bet aunt Sally doesn’t have these high-tech touches, nor does her beach house have incredibly comfortable queen-sized beds and modern, elegantly marbled bathrooms.

Wentworth Caters to Kids

The hotel goes out of its way to make its youngest guests feel welcomed. Cribs are available, and when my son complained about having to share a bed, the housekeeper brought up an air mattress in a matter of minutes, even though it was nearly midnight. She even brought my kids their own plush, luxurious bathrobes, which normally only come two per room. My sixteen year-old, clearly past the age limit for the children’s menu was graciously accommodated when he craved a hamburger, which was only available on the kid’s menu in the main dining room.

Activities in All Seasons

In fine weather, the Wentworth’s main draws are the nearby refreshing waters of the Atlantic, the gorgeous oceanfront pool and the well-tended tennis courts. We visited in winter, when family oriented activities were less obvious. But they are not scarce. The hotel has no formal “kids-club” type of program, so if what you are looking for is a bit of family togetherness, you have found your match. My kids took full advantage of the indoor pool. We all luxuriated in the Jacuzzi. The spa offers a banquet of services, including massage, facials, body wraps and a steam room.

If you do feel the urge to leave the resort,  the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover is close by, and is a real winner.  Also, charming Portsmouth is minutes away, and here the Strawbery Banke Museum offers a nice dose of history.  Visit 43 historic buildings while costumed curators recount the historic stories that took place along the way.  There's also a garden, indoor gallery and discovery center to learn more about the past.

Wentworth Attracts Extended Families

We admired the festive decor in the lobby, seasonal in style with a homey Christmas tree and fresh floral arrangements. My daughter loved the giant edible gingerbread house, and the fact that kids were allowed to break off pieces of the cookies and candy to sample. We all felt at home in this public space, where families chatted and played cards. A large wooden grandfather clock, framed pictures of sea spray pounding the rocky shore and a whimsical bell that you ring to let the front desk know that you have arrived all add to the Wentworth’s Currier and Ives appeal. These classic, old-world touches made it clear why Wentworth is so popular as a multi-generational family vacation. We met many grandparents proudly showing junior the way things used to be.

Great Dining Options

We all enjoyed the smooth vocals of the singer-pianist who entertained at the bar, aptly named Scarlet Keys. The bar serves casual fare and is welcoming to all ages, but we decided to try the more formal main dining room. We met several families who had driven up from Boston, an hour away, to dine at the Wentworth. Some spoke of the lavish Sunday brunch buffet as being well worth the trip, but we had arrived too late to do more than hungrily stare at its delectable remains.

The main dining room enjoys picturesque water views. Its frescoed, dome-shaped ceiling with frolicking angels added a Botticelli flair. It is formal dining, but the staff quickly puts everyone at ease with a genuine welcome. The kid’s menu offered the usual hot dogs and chicken fingers, but my health conscious daughter liked the fact that there was also a low-fat choice of grilled chicken with fruits and veggies as a garnish in place of fries.

We began the meal with a wonderful assortment of breads, served with sweet organic butter and a separate dish with sea salt for sprinkling. My husband and I moved on to trying two different composed salads, mine of beet, pear and blue cheese, his of rocket lettuce, goat cheese and candied hazelnuts. I would have had a hard time deciding which one was more delicious or more artfully presented. Steve, our helpful waiter recommended the pork chops, but the salty air led us towards the fish items. I had a shrimp and salmon combination, served on a bed of sautéed baby spinach, while my husband feasted on giant sea scallops.

We ordered two desserts, the molten chocolate cake, which looked like a sculpture that one could find at a modern art museum, and the complex pistachio and applesauce cake. I tried the fruit and nut combo cake first, and missed my momentary opportunity to try the chocolate cake, as my family devoured it in seconds. The food was excellent, the service charming, the views stunning. Even my hard to please teens were feeling pretty special.

A meal of this caliber was a tough act to follow, but the morning breakfast buffet featured the best house-made granola that I have ever tasted. It was so good that I enquired about purchasing a bag to bring home, but I was politely told that it was an on-premise only treat.

Worth It, Even for a Short Stay

The Wentworth would make a perfect destination for New England families interested in trying a pre-night before a longer holiday. A night of this sort gives families with very young children the opportunity to have a test-run close to home and see what may or may not be some of the pitfalls of a longer and more distant journey.

We spent only 24 hours at the Wentworth by the Sea, but we felt relaxed and re-charged after our mini-holiday.We unanimously voiced the desire to return and check out the Wentworth by the Sea in warmer weather. With two rebellious adolescents in our family, agreeing with their parents on anything is a rare event. To illicit such unusual behavior, I can surely ascertain that the Wentworth went way beyond the call of duty, helping to make my children uncharacteristically grateful and promoting a brief and all too rare spell of family harmony.