block island + birthday = bliss

This is my recommendation for any couple-to-be after months of planning a wedding. Take a pre-moon. Just an overnight before the wedding to get back to the business of being a happy couple. Sometimes it is difficult to know how much you need a vacation until you are on one. You breathe deeper, walk slower, find inspiration easier and giggle at the drop of a hat. The short and unexpected getaways are sometimes the best. Forty eight hours of unplanned, uninterrupted relaxation. The kind of getaway where the biggest decision is whether to walk or bike to happy hour to watch the sunset.

Mike, Lulu and I spent a glorious two days in Block Island pre-season, off peak days in perfect weather for my birthday. Nothing beats it. Except, of course, an unexpected upgrade to a gorgeous suite with water views and a private deck. We were so grateful to Tamara at Blue Dory Inn who graciously offered us the best room in the Inn (complete with a kitchen to keep ingredients chilled for the perfect mudslide.) On Monday morning, Mike and Lucy surprised me with a birthday breakfast in bed serving up the Inn's homemade scones, fresh fruit & OJ, chewy bagels, spinach and onion frittata and possibly the best cup of coffee ever made. (though it could have been the water views that made it taste so divine!)

Lucy was full of energy and good spirits and biked with us around the entire island (she had a tandem bike hook-up on Mike's bike) for a late afternoon at Mohegan Bluffs. In the shallows, she found countless snails, glittery rounded rocks, a crab and two purple starfish. Nothing beats a day like that in eyes of a six year old- especially when finished off with an oversized treat from the Ice Cream Place.

The early June, Sunday vacation getaway is ideal in Block Island. All the seasonal staff are in their pre-season mode...fresh faced, enthusiastic and accommodating, the room rates are terrific and the weather is generally glorious.

Whether a birthday, "pre-moon" or simply a much needed break, go ahead- play hookie and head out to Block.