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The Glorious Bucket List: The Beaches of Block Island

By on April 29, 2013 in Beach Vacations, Family Travel, Glorious Bucket List, Rhode Island, Romantic Vacations, Trips with Friends

Bluffs Beach

 

Where: Block Island, a 7,000 acre, pork chop-shaped island off the coast of Rhode Island

Why: Often called “the Bermuda of the North”, much of the 17-miles of beach front on this island offers clean, powdery sand and clear, turquoise-blue water similar in feel to the beaches of the Caribbean.

How: Most visitors arrive to the island via ferry from New London, CT or Point Judith, RI, and New England Airlines offers daily shuttle flights, too. Rent a bike or a moped from Aldo’s on Weldons Way—the best way to navigate the island’s winding, country roads.

The main beach on the island is Crescent Beach, which stretches along the island’s east coast from the ferry landing at Old Harbor to Clay Head. It includes Town Beach, a best bet for families as this busy stretch includes a pavilion with food, restrooms, and changing rooms, as well as life guards during peak hours.

Fitness fans will appreciate the journey to Bluffs Beach at Mohegan Bluffs marked by the Block Island Southeast Lighthouse, accessible via a long, steep staircase. Our favorite time to visit is first thing in the morning when the beach is nearly empty, and visitors can wander along and take in the dozens of stacked rocks placed there by previous visitors, and maybe create one themselves.

Vacationers looking for a bit of privacy should bike down the dirt road to the Clay Head Preserve, where a short hike leads to Clayhead beach. On the way back to the trail head, visitors should take time to explore “the Maze”, a series of interconnected pathways offering spectacular viewpoints of the island.

Best of all, admission and parking at all beaches is free.

More: For maps, photos, and travel info on the island, check out the Block Island Tourism Council’s super-helpful website.

Town Beach

 

Bluffs Beach

 

A couple enjoys the quiet of the beach accessible via the Clay Head Preserve’s nature trail

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Glorious Getaway: The Surf Lodge

By on July 10, 2012 in Beach Vacations, New York, Romantic Vacations, Trips with Friends

With the heat wave hitting NYC, we’ve been dreaming of cool breezes and the white sand of the beach. Hence this week’s Glorious Getaway, The Surf Lodge in Montauk, a boutique property with a casual, bohemian vibe on Long Island’s East End. New this summer is the property’s restaurant Byron, serving prix-fixe brunch and dinner menus designed to showcase the fresh seafood and local vegetables the area is renowned for. While you’re out East, head to the beach in Ditch Plains to watch the surfers and snack on summery treats like lobster rolls at the popular Turf Truck. Need a brunch stop on your way out of town? Check out local favorite Mr. John’s Pancake House and order their specialty, crepe suzette.

all photos via The Surf Lodge

 

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Glorious Getaway: Shelter Co.

By on June 20, 2012 in California, Trips with Friends

It just doesn’t get more Glorious than Shelter Co. a new L.A. and San Francisco-based pop up lodging service catering to groups looking for a stylish, overnight outdoor experience. Co-founded by husband and wife team Mike and Kelsey Sheofsky, one of the planners at incredible event design firm Alison Events, the company makes camping chic with European tents featuring luxe amenities not often found in the great outdoors (think area rugs and 400-thread-count sheets). These pictures are from a set up they created at the Leonard Lake Reserve, with charming details like Scrabble on the dock and a ready-to-bake s’mores kit. They’ll also arrange lounge vignettes, bar set ups, and lighting schemes for parties. Choose your location from their list of venue partners including stunners like Sonoma’s Scribe Winery and Russian River’s Dawn Ranch, and get inspired by their gallery of past events like this charming soiree in Brentwood.

all photos via Shelter Co.

 

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Glorious Getaway: The Ranch at Rock Creek

By on June 5, 2012 in Adventure Travel, Family Travel, Montana, Romantic Vacations, Trips with Friends

Nature lovers looking to channel their inner cowboy will be thrilled to discover Montana’s Ranch at Rock Creek, a working cattle ranch comprised of over 6,600 acres nestled at the base of the John Long Mountains that offers visitors a chance to experience some of the prettiest, wildest wilderness in the United States. Guests can spend their days here horseback riding across fields of wildflowers, hiking the surrounding hills, or mountain biking the forest trails. The ranch also offers Western sports like clay shooting and archery, and even pistol shooting at the nearby Rod & Gun Club.

There are a range of accommodation options to choose from—opt for “glamping” in a canvas tent along the Creek, or take a room at the main Granite Lodge, or settle into one of the property’s twelve log cabins. Fly fishing fans should check into Trapper Cabin, which offers secluded fishing right outside its front door thanks so its position beside the river. Evenings see guests gather at the Silver Dollar Saloon for cocktails and games before dinner at the lodge, with dishes like Montana-raised beef and lamb, paired with local, seasonal produce prepared by executive chef Josh Drage. Families can take advantage of the property’s Little Grizzlies Club, which takes kids on outdoorsy excursions like tadpole collecting or a visit to the ranch’s horse barn, while parents will enjoy a trip to the Granite Spa for rejuvenating treatments like the Rock Creek Stone Massage.

all photos via The Ranch at Rock Creek

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