Honeymoon in the U.S.A.
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(Photo: Courtesy of the vendor) |
Little St. Simons Island, Georgia
If it’s privacy you want, it’s privacy you shall receive at the Lodge at Little St. Simons Island (from $450 all-inclusive; littlessi.com), which maxes out at 32 guests. One of Georgia’s Golden Isles, the archipelago hugging the coast between Savannah and Jacksonville, Little St. Simons offers 10,000 acres of undeveloped wilderness and seven miles of untouched, serene beach where shorebirds outnumber sunbathers. Privately owned since 1908 (by the families of Philip Berolzheimer and more recently, former U.S. Treasury secretary Henry Paulson), the island is accessible only by ferry (which departs twice daily) from the Hampton River Marina on the larger St. Simons Island. Accommodations are fittingly quaint: cottages (the Tom House, with its outdoor shower, fireplace, and screened-in porch is a couples favorite) set amid dense groves of lush, moss-draped live oaks. There’s not much more to do than explore the surroundings: Follow the maze of wilderness trails to spot birds (the isle is home to more than 280 species), take a cruise through the marshlands in one of the motorized skiffs, and kick back on the beach for a Saturday-afternoon low-country boil.
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(Photo: Joe Bar/Flickr) |
Narragansett, Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s 40-mile-long meandering craggy coastline is home to some of New England’s loveliest beaches. Enjoy them from The Break (from $259; thebreakhotel.com), a 16-room boutique hotel opening late spring in Narragansett and the latest venture from the Lark Hotel group (which runs properties in Kennebunkport, Portland, Portsmouth, Nantucket, and Newport). Your beaching options are plentiful: Scarborough, one of Rhode Island’s most popular, is ideal for wave-seekers; Roger W. Wheeler has mellow waters and is bikeable from the hotel (the Break has wheels for guests); and Salty Brine, named after the state’s legendary radio personality, is the ideal spot for boat-gazing. When you’re not in the water, the surrounding area will keep you entertained. Ogle the trippy Edward Scissorhands�esque creations at the Green Animals Topiary Garden (the nation’s oldest of its kind) in Portsmouth. Sample the best of the state’s signature fare with clam cakes at Aunt Carrie’s in Narragansett, frozen lemonade at Del’s, fifteen minutes away in Wakefield (the company’s cultish following can even be felt in New York where it now has roving lemonade trucks during the summer), and an impressive smorgasbord of raw seafood, caught locally, at Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingston (a 15-minute drive; walk in or pull up in your boat dockside).
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(Photo: Jaimee Navarro) |
Vieques, Puerto Rico
A wave of new hotels may have set up shop here in recent years, but Vieques has managed to retain the low-key vibe that first drew tourists to this wild-horse-strewn island eight miles east of the Puerto Rican mainland. Bunker down at El Blok (from $180; elblok.com), a brand-new 21-room property designed by Fuster + Architects with a white concrete façade perforated to allow as much natural light in as possible. El Blok also marks the first foray outside San Juan for chef Jose Enrique�his menu takes a clean, wood-grill-focused approach to Puerto Rican cuisine. There is no food on-site that doesn’t bear his imprint: Even the vending machines are stocked with Enrique-made snacks, plus fixings for a Bloody Mary. Enjoy one by the rooftop pool or head for the beach just outside the front door (the hotel is located on the town of Esperanza’s main drag, or malecon), but it’s worth it to rent a jeep and do some beach-hopping around the 21-mile island. And no trip to Vieques would be complete without an evening visit to the famous Bioluminescent Bay; rent a glass-bottomed kayak (through the Vieques Adventure Company) and glide through the sparkling waters.