THERE'S NO PLACE like Cape Cod, Mass., with its miles of dune-studded beaches and historic seaside towns. Sprawled on 429 acres that include 700 feet of beachfront along Cape Cod Bay, a PGA championship golf course, and six swimming pools, is Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club, a 335-room property that welcomes groups even in the high summer season. The resort's 6,665-yard golf course features five ponds. Ocean Edge was recently named one of the state's top 10 courses by Boston magazine.

When I visited with a group of journalists and their families in late June, two corporate meetings were taking place there, including an executive retreat for a large insurance company.

With a CMP pricing package and 15,000 square feet of function space that can accommodate 400 people, the resort handles all kinds of conferences year-round. It's a great alternative for family-friendly meetings as well. Planners can take advantage of its Ocean EdgeVentures program, a creative offering of activities for kids ages 4 to 12 that includes “A Bug's Life,” (kids build bug hotels) and “Never-Never Land” (you'd be surprised at the buried treasure to be found on the beach). There's also a popular Hip-Hop Workout for kids. The children in our group loved the peanut butter and jelly bread pudding at the opening reception and the evening beachfront bonfire with s'mores (fire-roasted marshmallows squished between graham crackers and chocolate). The Ocean Edge chefs are masterful at group functions: The final night's clambake featured delectable passed hors d'oeuvres, perfectly cooked lobsters, to-die-for clam chowder, and a very attentive wait staff.

Accommodations include 88 hotel rooms and two corner suites, as well as 244 one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas with kitchens, dining and living rooms, and washer/dryers, clustered in different areas of the resort. All accommodations have balconies or terraces. Ten meeting rooms in two historic buildings, The Mansion and the Carriage House, range from 322 square feet to nearly 2,000 square feet, and a 5,000-square-foot permanent tent holds up to 750 people theater-style. The golf clubhouse, with more than 4,000 square feet of conference space, underwent a $1 million renovation in 2003, and a new fitness center opened this summer.