We have been staying at the CBI for a long weekend in the off season for 3 years running and will continue to do so. Many of the complaints about high rates and crowds do not apply in the winter and early Spring, and while you won't get the same use of the beach and pool, a winter visit will provide plenty of old fashioned charm, hospitality, and great views.
We travel with a toddler son so the cottage rooms are ideal. Also, after a visit several years ago with a less-than-impressive room in the Main Inn, I am very willing to suffer the longer walks for the fresh decor and space offered by the cottage accomodations.
Yes, there are shortcomings and this year, the management change did seem to add a bit of confusion to the process (you can no longer reserve a specific cottage building, rates are up and not always up-to-date on their website) ....but the new spa is absolutely gorgeous and services are very good - and I haven't even seen the outdoor space that was just completed over the summer! A few years ago, the poor masseuses had to work out of empty hotel rooms near the main inn - not exactly cozy or pampering for the guest. The locker room is well appointed and the waiting area is calm and restful - Tall men be warned: husband found the robes a little small to wear in the common areas.
Even in winter, there are family and kid's activities like a scavenger hunt or guided nature walk. The shops in town are all having sales and restaurants are surprisingly lively (make reservations on the wekends).
Our cottage room had a King bed, spotless pack & play, gas fireplace, sm frige (great for toddler snacks and milk), pretty views over the golf course, and parking just several steps from the front door. A big window seat, dining table, nice built ins and seaside/country decor complete the picture. The linens are nice and the heating /AC system responsive and efficient. Baths are small and rather utilitarian but adequate and, in cottage rooms, there is a large vanity are around the sink for plenty of storage. A big closet could hold a week's worth of clothes and suitcases. Be aware that the cottages are a good walk from the main inn and (some) from the spa - they feel, at least in winter, like independent rental accomodations so if you are looking for a pampered "inn" experience - they may not be for you.
The main inn offers afternoon cookies and and cider in the living room, board games in the library, a roaring (gas) fire, and free morning coffee/tea. The restaurants are good but the main dining room is overpriced - try the elegant tavern for good food and competitive prices.
We have had some small snafus over the years: the promised DVD player missing, late set up of the pack-n-play, a not too spotless bathroom... But all concerns have always been addressed in a cheerful and timely manner. We even received a letter of apology from management in the case of the housekeeping oversight.
Knowing the property as we do, I don't think I would shell out thousands of dollars per night for the summer high season - but maybe when our little one is old enough for the all-day kid camps I will feel differently.

We are a family of three, two adults and a girl of 7. We are travelling a lot internationally, South Africa, Dubai, Portugal, Spain, Uk, Germany, Austria, just to name a few.

We aimed to stay for 9 days at Chatham Bars Inn, but decided after four hours to cancel. The rooms are inappropriate, especially if you compare them with the webpage. International standards for a "Leading hotel of the World" seem to be worth nothing there.

The pictures of the beach on the web are beautiful, the reality is shocking, you do not want to swim there. The pool was around 30 celsius, cabanas not available and the pool area just too small for so many guests. The beach restaurant is a joke, no wine card, just white, red and rose wine, served in plastic glases. The terrace of the
hotel for an afternoon tea is nice, however, the chairs and the tables
should be cleaned sometimes.

This hotel would be a 3star in Europe, it is definetly not a "leading hotel of the World".

This hotel is too good for me. It was by far the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in and is very very very nice, but pricey. There was a formal dinner in the hotel resturaunt which was an all you can eat buffet and I believe it was $72? per-person! We left when we heard that, but the room was amazing and the service was great and the view
of the beach was amazing. I really reccommend this hotel to anyone not on a tight budget and wanting to relax.

My wife and I stayed here in mid-August 2007. Our experience was just about the opposite of what the CBI website indicated (idyllic retreat, relaxing, casual, comfortable, unhurried).

Rather, CBI was overcrowded and loud and not at all relaxing. If we weren't at the pool by 10 a.m., there were no chairs available, and the pool itself was packed from 10-5 -- swimming was not an option. Advance reservations were required for just about everything (meals, activities).

On top of this, we could not escape to our room because it was tiny and uncomfortable. The shower, TV, and telephone didn't even work properly.

Moreover, the hotel isn't even on the ocean (the website says it's "just steps away from your room") -- you have to take a short boat ride across a bay and then walk along a sandy path to get to the ocean beach, which does not have any amenities or facilities. We do concede that the ocean beach was beautiful (Hamptons/Montauk beaches are nicer, though).

The other positive -- the food was superb.

Final Thoughts: If CBI didn't require guests to pay in advance, and if we had not been desperate for a vacation (and already on the Cape during a time when availability was about nil), we would have left after the first night. Instead of wallowing, we made the best of it and in the end were able to laugh about how much we were paying for so little. But we did come close to erupting a few times.