We are celebrating our 35th anniversary in May. We will both have vaccines by then so looking to go somewhere wonderful to celebrate. Before Covid, we would have planned a really nice trip overseas, however, due to Covid and restrictions possibly still in place, we want to stay on the east coast mainland and closer to home.
Therefore, I am looking for suggestions. We don’t mind driving if under 6 hours. We live in the lower Hudson Valley in New York. We have been up and down the east coast including Savannah, Charleston, Boston, Cape Cod, NewPort, Ogunquit, Bar Harbor. Lake Placid, Finger lakes, Cape May, the outer banks. This is why it is so hard to find a new place.
I have booked Key West. However, the airline keeps changing the flight times and the arrival keeps getting later and later, shortening our time. Given how expensive the hotels are, we are having second thoughts as we are already losing out on day 1. We originally got a good rate on the flight and when I tried changing to an earlier flight, it was much more expensive. It is all still cancellable.
We are looking to stay 4-5 days at a nice beach town/resort area with good restaurants. We don’t golf but do enjoy hiking/scenery. I am open to hearing your suggestions and maybe discover a new place.
Bermuda, any of the ski resorts in Vermont, Blackberry Farm in the Smoky Mountains (a flight, not a drive from you but supposed to be spectacular), is Montreal open to Americans yet? Old Saybrook in CT is beautiful but May can still be cold so a beach town might not be what you want. Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires? Gorgeous hikes, bike rides, spa services, lovely setting…
A couple of ideas:
–A friend of mine likes the Ocean Club in RI (I’ve never been).
–You could look into hotels in Long Island (ex. in Southampton, Montauk, or the North Fork) – it is still a bit off season so it may be reasonable. The North Fork also has some wineries.
Rehoboth should be nice and not too crowded that time of year. Lots of places to walk and enjoy nature and history for a few hours. But you might want to make sure the President isn’t visiting while you’re there!
USVI? We were looking into St. John (less touristy). I just looked and found a direct rt for $183 from Kennedy. Then you could take a ferry to St. John.
We are also going away in May. Looking at either a Caribbean island or Smoky Mountain NP and NC/GA coast mashup.
That’s one of the reasons the Eastern Shore/Delmarva Peninsula was the first thing that came to mind - wasn’t mentioned that they had visited that general area before and was within driving distance (to me, a real bonus right now). With 4 or 5 days, there is so much that could be explored with day or overnight trips to interesting places. Rehoboth and Lewes in Deleware, some of the Eastern Shore of Maryland places-Assateague, Easton, St. Michael’s (Inn at Perry Cabin), etc. Chincoteague in Virginia. Ocean and bay places to explore.
Try the Don Cesar on St. Pete Beach or The Vinoy in downtown St. Petersburg- very tiny beach on the bay by the pier. Lots of wonderful hiking trails, kayaking, bicycle rentals, dining, and shopping.
Thank you for such great ideas. @Blossom, I did check Blackberry Farm. It is gorgeous, but no room availability for my dates, only houses. I am saving this idea for a future family getaway with my daughters. The Delmarva peninsula seems interesting I am going to check that out. I go to Florida often for work and yes, Amelia island is beautiful. Mr. B has not been so I will check to see what is available there.
The White Mountains are beautiful…but not really a beach destination. But great hiking!
As noted, the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods is quite nice.
I personally love the Mountain View Grand in Whitefield…but I don’t think it’s open until June 5.
If you want to head north, what about Wiscasset Maine, or the Camden area? And since you are going in May, even the North Conway NH are wouldn’t be over crowded (but no beach).
It’s not on the coast, but since you considered the Finger Lakes, have you ever been to the 1000 Island region of NY? The St Lawrence River is the most gorgeous river in the world with it’s size and blue color. If Canada opens back up, that’s right next door to explore too. If it doesn’t, Wellesley Island is US and has nice hiking trails plus there are a lot of state parks all around. Both Boldt and Singer Castles are worth spending time at. I’m not sure when in May you’re looking for. I just looked up Boldt and they open for the season May 8th.
Bermuda is a great place for a 4-5 day getaway and it will be really nice in May with the temperatures in the mid to high 70’s. My H is from Bermuda so we always stay with family when we are there, but places I would recommend staying are Cambridge Beaches or the Southampton Princess. Both are gorgeous hotels with lovely beaches and Bermuda is a place that you can really relax and just chill!
Look at Sea Island off the Georgia coast. We have stayed at The Cloisters several times and really enjoyed it. You can fly to Jacksonville or Savannah. Lots of options for recreation. The beach is beautiful.
Second suggestion—Nantucket Island. I only mentioned Sea Island first because it can be chilly/rainy in May on Nantucket. There is a reason it’s called The Grey Lady! There are three hotels on island—other lodging (there is a huge choice) consists of B&B/guest houses. Lots of activities—hiking trails, bike paths, deep sea fishing, surfing, paddle boarding, galleries, island tours, whaling museum, etc. Nantucket is almost always included in any list of the best beaches in the US. My favorite is Steps Beach.
Third suggestion—not on the coast but a great resort is Twin Farms in Vermont. We celebrated our 30th anniversary there and loved it.