Visited on June 21
My definition of the perfect summer day is relaxing near a body of water with a tropical drink and book in hand. I was well overdue for a relaxing day, and The Surf House Pool Bar Cape Cod looked, from the Instagram advertisement I saw, the perfect place to relax on the first official day of summer!
The Surf House Pool Bar is actually located inside Wicked Waves Cape Cod water park at 518 Main St in West Yarmouth. However, you don’t need a ticket to the water park to enjoy it! Matter of fact, you don’t need a ticket at all! Other than the drinks and parking, the experience is entirely free!
We arrived to Wicked Waves at 1:30 p.m. There is a large parking lot that the water park, pool bar and the adjacent hotel share. Parking is $10 per car, which honestly isn’t too bad of a price in my opinion.
There was no line to get into the park, so we walked right up to the security bag check and were let in shortly after. FYI, outside food and beverage are not allowed!
Once admitted into the park, instead of walking straight ahead to the water park where they check tickets, you take a left and walk to the bar area. The bar is half in the pool and half outside on dry land. Stools surround the bar and the area also has plenty of chairs around tables with umbrellas. There’s also a food truck located there, the park’s Flow Rider (a body surfing simulator), and lockers. The bathrooms are also centrally located as you pass them when you take the left to head to the bar area.
There were plenty of tables open, so we picked one and got ready to head into the water. You need your ID to enter the pool (you must be 21 to enter) and your credit card to pay for drinks, so I highly recommend bringing a water proof lanyard pouch made for phones. I use the Rynapac brand from Amazon.
I just became an Amazon Affiliate and earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, so if you are looking for a waterproof phone pouch and want to give that one a try, feel free to use my link to support the blog! This particular model has a separate pouch for your cards! https://amzn.to/4vuxt8f
There’s a bouncer at the bottom of the pool’s entrance behind a gate who checks your ID. Once you’re good to go he opens the gate, you climb a few stairs up and enter into the pool. There is also a pool lift on the outside of the stairs for disabled individuals to access the pool as well!
The pool is heated, but it’s not uncomfortably warm. The weather was 82 and sunny on the day of our visit and the water was blissful. When the wind blew it was even a bit too chilly above the surface, so we dunked ourselves further under the water.
The bar and surrounding pool wasn’t busy, which surprised me! This is the only heated pool bar in Massachusetts, according to their website, so I expected it to be bustling.
The patrons were primarily pairs of people scattered about the pool and one large group sitting at the bar. Even in the water, the bar has stools surrounding it to sit on. The pool also has a bench seat that runs the perimeter with tables every few feet, so if you prefer to sit further from the bar you can.
There are TVs up behind the bar as well. We watched Formula One racing for a bit on one of the TVs facing us. There is also music playing at a reasonable volume, perfect for background listening. However, we noticed the songs were kind of sad and killed the vibe a bit! Another group near us made the same comment about the music. Most people expect upbeat music at a bar, but for every upbeat song that played, two or three sad/slow songs would play after it.
For drinks, as per usual, we both went the mocktail route. I got a virgin piña colada and my husband got a Shirley Temple. My drink was perfect. It’s a frozen slushie drink, so it was nice and refreshing on a warm day and it gave major tropical vibes. Perfect for lounging at a pool bar on a lazy Sunday afternoon! My husband’s Shirley Temple was made perfectly too. For both drinks I paid $17.16 including tax and tip. My drink made up for $9.50 of that. That pricing feels pretty on par with most bars.
We spent just over an hour at the bar and I honestly enjoyed every moment of it. The crowd remained low until just before we left at 3 p.m. At that point, more groups started entering the pool. It never felt overwhelming though because the pool is pretty large.
I love the unique summer coded experience this bar offers!
Sensory and Accessibility Aspects
Noise 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The music is at a comfortable background level and the noise level of conversations are low to moderate. The noise level never became overwhelming, it’s a nice juxtaposition to loud bars!
Crowds 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The pool bar is pretty large, so even though it got busier towards the end of our visit and most tables were taken, the crowd was not overwhelming. There were no areas of crowding either.
Smells 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The pool bar doesn’t have any noticeable smells. It smells faintly of chlorine, but it’s not overwhelming like some other pools or water parks. The reason I rated it lower than perfect is because of the bathroom. It had a very strong smell of mildew. It was enough to be quite bothersome when I was in there. My husband said he didn’t really notice the same smell in the men’s room.
Lighting ?/5
This is dependent on the day you visit since the entire experience is outdoors! There is shade under the bar, so if you sit on the barstools you can escape the sun!
Temperature 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This category is usually dependent on the weather when you visit as well. However, the pool is heated, so for that it gets a perfect score! The pool water felt so nice. It wasn’t too hot, but certainly not at all cold. Even if it was chilly outside or nighttime I think the pool would be perfect!
Spots for Decompressing 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In my opinion, the entire experience is great for decompressing! However, if you are looking for a quieter part of the pool, sit on the perimeter facing the bar head on. It seems groups gravitate to the corners of the pool or sit at the bar itself. Outside of the pool bar, there are plenty of tables with shade to sit at and they are spaced out so you aren’t on top of your neighbors.
Accessibility 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
They have a pool lift so the bar is accessible to all! There is handicap accessible parking up front and a flat entrance into the park. The paths are all paved so there’s no rough terrain and it’s spacious enough for mobility devices.
The restroom is a bit tight to navigate, but it does have a handicap stall at the back.
Restroom Rundown 2/5 ⭐️⭐️
I’m not too impressed with the restroom. It smelt very strong of mildew to the point where it was irritating. The floor and sink weren’t the cleanest and the soap dispenser I used was empty. I had to resort to using a broken one where the soap bag was just lying on the counter and people were squeezing it for soap.
From an accessibility perspective, it’s a bit tight in there, but there is a stall for disabled individuals to use.
General Review-y Aspects
Pricing 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I think the pricing is very fair! It’s on par with a typical bar, but you get a relaxing and unique experience with your drink!
I’m bummed they charge for parking especially because you only spend a couple hours at the pool bar, but $10 is low compared to what other water parks charge.
Atmosphere 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The atmosphere overall is great! I think the tables and seating in the pool itself are nice offerings and add to the relaxing vibe. The abundance of seating with umbrellas outside of the pool is wonderful, too. You don’t feel like you have to rush for a table or else you won’t get one since there are so many.
I took a point off for the sad music. It didn’t fit the upbeat vibe of a pool bar and we were not the only group to notice it.
Cleanliness 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The pool bar, pool and seating area outside were very clean. The only area that wasn’t clean to the standards I would expect is the bathroom.
Customer Service 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The employees are great! Security moved us along quickly and efficiently and the bartenders were both attentive and friendly. I spilt my drink when we were sitting outside the pool and someone who I assume may have been the owner of the park or a manager came over and offered to replace the drink for free. It was just water so I declined but the gesture was very kind.
Location/Parking 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The location on Main St. is central to the tourist attractions on the Cape, which is nice because you can make a whole day of visiting! We actually visited a mini golf attraction after the bar that I will review next week! There are plenty of restaurants, places to stay and things to do on the street that the bar is located on.
The parking is abundant and the attendant was very nice. Even though it’s only $10, I’m disappointed they charge for parking at all.
TLDR Ratings
Overall 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sensory 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Accessibility 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Highlight ✨
The unique experience at a low cost
Lowlight 😖
The slow songs killing the upbeat vibes
Hey, I’m going to The Surf House Pool Bar! Do you want to come?
Heck yes! I would absolutely return here (as long as the traffic to the Cape isn’t too bad!). Next time, I think I’ll purchase an ebook to read on my phone!
Recommendations for Visiting
- Bring a waterproof phone bag for your phone, ID and credit card. I use the Rynapack brand from Amazon. The model at this link has a separate pouch for your ID too! https://amzn.to/4vuxt8f I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, so if you are looking for a waterproof phone pouch and want to give that one a try, feel free to use my link to support the blog!
- Bring a hat and sunglasses. While there is shade under the bar, if you want to sit around the perimeter of the pool you won’t have any shade.
- Wear flip flops to go into the bathroom
- Bring a change of clothes so you can continue your fun day on the Cape!
This experience certainly started my summer of on the right foot! I can’t wait to see what fun things we discover this summer and I hope you’ll come along for the ride! Thank you for reading my review! ☺️
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