Luckily, we found that - and more - when we checked into one of the two new Carriage Houses Suites at the Weekapaug Inn in Westerly, Rhode Island.Īmong this boutique property’s 33 guest rooms are the two airy Carriage House Suites that just debuted in September. We wanted to be enwrapped in a sense of the serene and the scenic with over-the-top privacy. I didn’t want any raucous bar or restaurant scenes, nor bustling parks or crowded sandy stretches. So, several months ago, I developed a pandemic travel plan for mental and physical well being: Each month a friend and I would rent a car and spend several nights in a luxe, nature-based locale that was also uber COVID-conscious and no more than three hours from Manhattan. After all, I’m a New York City resident and travel journalist who normally spends much of the year on the road, indulging in myriad outdoor activities that energize my spirit. For someone like myself who craves sun drenched beaches, lakefront picnics, morning kayak adventures, and peaceful bird watching walks, 2020 has been a difficult and frustrating year.

And that’s especially the case now when we’re all trying to stay safe and well (and sane) as the pandemic rages on and the days grow shorter and darker. For me, it’s the little things that count.

Endless sky hunt down