Some local escapes that are worth the drive (and gas prices)
At a party once, I sat next to a girl, named Autumn Sunshine ”” you don”™t easily forget a name like that ”” who was telling me about her new Alfa Romeo, a car of intense coolness back in the day.
I was impressed. I was 16 and just learning to drive and Autumn didn”™t seem much older. “Oh,” I asked (for want of anything better to say,) “do you drive?” To which Autumn witheringly replied, “No, I just have a car and push it.”
This was an ace one-liner, a spontaneous piece of sarcasm as witty as it was cruel, and it has stayed long in my memory. I thought about it again only the other day when filling up my car at the pump and paying roughly 30% more for gas than I would have paid a year ago. Brava, Autumn. I am now thinking quite seriously about just having a car and pushing it myself. I”™d lose weight and simultaneously save a fortune.
All of which rather mitigates against this month”™s travel column, which is where I”™m going to recommend some wonderful Connecticut hotels and inns ”” all drivable, no matter where in WAG country you”™re located. With Covid and its myriad variants once again on the rise, Monkey Pox causing consternation, especially in New York City, and the current staffing crisis spawning chaos at airports across the globe, vacations closer to home that you can reach by car are once again an appealing option.
The Delamar hotels, Greenwich Harbor, Southport and West Hartford
Owned and operated by Greenwich Hospitality Group, the Delamar trio is known for its great food, soothing spa treatments and luxurious rooms and amenities in picturesque, maritime settings. (And let me pause here to say do visit L”™escale, the independent restaurant at the Delamar Greenwich Harbor, before it closes Dec. 2. It will reopen with the same staff, which will continue to be helmed by executive chef Frederic Kieffer, and the same Mediterranean menu and look but with a refresh and expanded services, under the hospitality group”™s umbrella.)
But here I want to concentrate on the farthest Delamar, West Hartford, where in true Delamar fashion all the guest rooms and public spaces feature original art by local artists, most of it for sale. (Just choose your pic and the staff will wrap it up for you to take home at the end of your stay.) And if you hadn”™t thought of taking a vacay in West Hartford, think again, because this hotel has lots to offer, including Bulgari bathroom products, an excellent small spa and a terrific restaurant, Artisan, also overseen by Kieffer, where as much of the produce as possible is locally sourced, or comes from the hotel”™s own kitchen garden. And if it”™s more science and culture you”™re after, then this refreshing hotel is also the perfect base for visiting such neighboring Hartford sites as the Connecticut Science Center, The Mark Twain House & Museum and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. delamar.com
The J House, Old Greenwich
One look at the white canvas cabanas around the swimming pool at The J House Greenwich and you could be forgiven for thinking you had landed slap-bang in the middle of Beverly Hills, or even the South of France. With its post-modern design and curated collection of Modern and Pop art, it”™s as visually arresting on the outside as it is indoors and its dreamy, vine-covered terrace is just made for summer evenings. Even locals who simply need a break from routine have been known to shut their own front door and head over to The J House for a couple of nights of decompression and pampering. Tony”™s is the well-known on-site Italian steakhouse and bar. jhousegreenwich.com
Madison Beach Hotel, Madison
Summertime and the livin”™ is ”” or should be ”” easy. If it”™s a few uncomplicated, relaxing days by the water you fancy, without crowds and without glitz, then you want to grab a bucket and spade and type “Madison Beach Hotel” into your Google app and head out to the shore, pronto. Located right on the Long Island Sound between New Haven and Old Lyme, this attractive, well-established and well-maintained resort boasts three bars, a charming restaurant for great New England dining and a high-end spa. hilton.com
The Roger Sherman Inn, New Canaan
Completely renovated three years ago, this 250-year-old inn boasts polished hardwood floors, zingy soft furnishings and gleaming white linens. The 15 guest rooms are the last word in understated luxury, but luxe as they are, the inn”™s real draw is its restaurant, where chef Christophe Cadou wears the whites and offers a superb cuisine of American classics with a French or Provençal accent. Indeed, more of a European-style “restaurant with rooms” than a resort hotel, the Roger Sherman is the perfect spot for a romantic or culinary getaway or simply a quick overnight “battery recharge.” rogershermaninn.com
Saybrook Point Resort & Marina, Saybrook
Far removed from most folks”™ day-to-day reality, Saybrook Point Resort & Marina is the sort of place you arrive at and say, “I can”™t believe we live so close.” Between the Sound and the Connecticut River, Saybrook Point combines New England and maritime history with contemporary small-town charm. Honestly, it”™s magic. Accommodations run the gamut, 82 rooms in total, from simple doubles to spacious suites in the main house, with two handsome, historic adjoining guesthouses, just the place to play at being your very own sea captain (or pirate). The resort restaurant, Fresh Salt, takes its name from the sea, offering dishes like squeaky fresh oysters and baked stuffed clams. And like the Madison above, the resort”™s small spa punches way above its weight. saybrook.com
Photograph by Allegra Anderson.
The White Hart Inn, Salisbury
Here”™s another New England inn with a past, but happily also a present and a vibrant one at that. Located close to the Massachusetts state line and handy for the Appalachian Trail, the atmospheric inn was built in 1806. (Fun fact: It”™s where John Harney launched Harney & Sons teas in the basement.) Despite its historic antecedents, the inn offers all manner of 21st creature comforts. There are king-size four-poster beds and Carrara-marble bathrooms, but perhaps even more interesting is the inn”™s artwork, with works by the likes of Terry Winters, Frank Stella and British artist Hugo Guinness. Another British talent, the celebrated chef (and partner in the inn) Annie Wayte, runs the kitchen, where her modern European menu continues to draw plaudits. whitehartinn.com