family travel

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Christmas Prelude in Kennebunkport

December 12, 2019 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | No comments

Sometimes you just need to take a half day Friday to head off on a family adventure, especially when it’s December, and the toddler in your life is really starting to respond to everything around him. Last Friday, thats exactly what we did. I have a hard time taking off from work, but getting away is so worth it, and Christmas Prelude in Kennebunkport may be a new family tradition.

Kennebunkport’s Christmas Prelude is the #2 Christmas Town in America, as decided by HGTV, and one spin around town during prelude will show you why. Kennebunkport is an easy drive from Boston, and in the middle of the day, we made it there in under two hours. We made a quick stop at our lodging for the night, The Port Inn, Kennebunk, and discovered a cozy, clean, and convenient place for this and future stays. Our room was lovely and came with a pack-and-play for the little one.

We found the inn to be very warm and friendly, and breakfast was delicious. The spread included a Greek yogurt bar, fresh local donuts, muffins, waffles, toast, eggs, cereal, coffee, hot chocolate, chai. . . and it was all included with our stay. There’s an outdoor pool for warmer months, and the adorable downtowns of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport were both close by.

After dropping our bags, we went straight to check out what was happening in Kennebunkport. We checked out the Christmas market at Old Vines Wine Bar, where we picked up a cookie the size of our 20 month old’s head and browsed fun local crafts and treats. We got cold quickly, and Old Vines’ heated tent and their drink for the Prelude Cocktail Trail, “Running with Scissors” delivered a delicious punch that helped keep us warm and merry!

Everyone at Old Vines was absolutely delightful and made all of us feel welcome. I tend to be nervous when in nicer establishments with our child, making sure he’s not bothering anyone, and we were made to feel really comfortable.

They even moved Santa closer to our table so his new friend could hang out with him.

Old Vines is a place I would definitely visit again after such a lovely experience.

From there we wandered through town and visited a few shops, picking up new mittens and ear muffs and snapping photos of the festive decorations along the way.

Along the river, we found little stalls with gift items and holiday lights galore.

One of the stops we really wanted to make was at Batson River Brewing and Distilling, and the line outside definitely told us we were in the right place. I can’t imagine a more perfect winter scene than on their front patio, snow falling, fire roaring, lights twinkling, Christmas songs playing, and strangers becoming friends.

It as a little bit of holiday season magic! Our time by the fire also helped us work up an appetite for a big seafood dinner, which I will cover in a future post.

After a delicious dinner, we drove over to Cape Porpoise for their lobster trap tree lighting. By that point we had a sleeping baby, and it was snowy, dark, and cold, so we quickly saw the tree lighting and headed home to The Port Inn for an 8:00 bedtime for all of us! All of that fresh air definitely made us tired.

The next day, we’d hoped to take a lobster boat ride from the Nonantum Resort, but we waited well past the scheduled time, and the boat didn’t arrive. In our go-with-the-flow mood, we didn’t care that much and made the most of time playing outside on a snowy, sun-drenched December day before meeting old friends for lunch in Kennebunk.

We ate a few excellent meals on our short Kennebunks trip, and I look forward to sharing those. It’s so fun to be back blogging again, even if it’s only intermittently. Stay tuned for more holiday and travel posts!

Tags: cocktails, family travel, Maine

Baby’s First Trip to Ireland – A Wild Atlantic Way Getaway

February 27, 2019 in Travel by traveleatlove | No comments

The months leading up to our baby’s first flight were filled with anxiety for me. As someone who tries to avoid ruffling any feathers, I was super nervous that we would annoy our fellow passengers with crying and other baby shenanigans. Our flight ended up being delayed four hours due to November snow, and while there was plenty of crying (including on my part when deplaning after two hours on the plane while it was de-iced) overall it went pretty well. Other passengers and the Norwegian Air flight crew were super understanding, and the baby slept for several hours, which gave us a little break.

Our first trip to Ireland was of course very special; baby got to see where his dad grew up and where part of his family comes from. While we often do day trips from Galway to Connemara, this time around we rented a house and stayed for a few days.

But first, we made time for a little hike in Connemara National Park. Climbing the Diamond is a pretty tiring undertaking (with incredible views of Connemara and beyond) so this time around we just did the base hike while Myles hung out in the car with Granny. It was windy and cold, and he was asleep, so we decided it was best that way.

After our hike and a trip to the grocery store in Letterfrack, we found our cottage, which was just a few houses from Renvyle House, a beautiful hotel and resort.

Our cottage rental was gorgeous and fully equipped with everything that we needed. We got a fire going and relaxed before taking in the sunset on the West Coast of Ireland, something I try to do every day there is sun.

Connemara sunsets go on forever, and this one was spectacular. You could hear nothing but wind and waves, and we were the only people for miles. This is a very special place.

Having Renvyle House so close gave us the opportunity to have dinner there, and our food, wine, and service was all fantastic. Their roaring fireplace is a must for cozying up on a trip to Connemara!

I love trying a few menu items, and I enjoyed a delicious salad with beetroot, pear, and pecans, along with a steaming bowl of local mussels. You have to eat seafood when in Connemara! These were so flavorful and aromatic, perfect with a bit of brown bread to soak up the sauce!

After a super restful night in the country, we were greeted by a blustery but beautiful Connemara day, and we took a drive to a place that’s an important part of our story for a few reasons. Ballyconneely is a place my husband spent a ton of time at while growing up, and it’s also where I brought my father’s ashes and where we got engaged. You can’t help but feel connected to the sea and earth and sky here and to really exhale.

Myles loved the baby cows along the beach, and we were lucky enough to spot a few seals, which always has me squealing like a child!

The wind was whipping out there, so we made our way to Clifden, where Myles’s papa is from, for a perfect pint of Guinness at EJ Kings.

Since we loved our cottage so much, we then made our way back to have some snacks, including Connemara smoked salmon and some cheeses. We took a moonlit drive later on to drop my husband’s aunt back home, then watched the clouds go by over the cottage through it’s giant skylight. I love country nights.

We rarely go to Connemara without visiting Ballynahinch Castle, and we made time on the way back to Galway to stop for a hot whiskey and a walk around.

Ballynahinch is the place to stay for a special occasion, and we were lucky to spend one St. Patricks Eve there. The food, castle ambiance, views, are all amazing and create for an unforgettable getaway.

Our last stop on the way to Galway was the valley where my father-in-law grew up. While I know that Myles won’t remember this trip, it meant a lot for us to bring him along to the places that we love so much.

Traveling with a baby certainly isn’t the easiest, but we’re hoping he gets a bit of our wanderlust and craves learning about the world as much as we do.

Tags: Connemara, family travel, Ireland, wild atlantic way

Our Rhode Island Getaway–Where We Stayed

August 14, 2018 in Travel by traveleatlove | No comments

Summer has been flying by, and true to our wishes for a summer close-to-home, we have made some beautiful family memories enjoying our surroundings in the coastal Northeast.

My husband celebrated his 40th in July, and to make it extra special, I found a house on Narragansett Bay, where we spent three nights relaxing, eating, drinking, and playing with our little one, who happens to be a huge fan of the beach. We opted to stay a little closer to Boston than actual Narragansett and found the most adorable waterfront cottage in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Prior to booking, I had no idea that Warwick is home to such beautiful views and some great restaurants. . . more on those later. Bay Breeze Cottage is where we spent most of our time, and staying here again is definitely a priority for us.

The two bedroom house was immaculate inside and equipped with everything you could ever need to feel at home. . . a full kitchen, books, games, towels, linens, beach chairs, even sweatshirts for chilly nights. The home-like nature of the house made it easy for us to have some meals in, and the views made us never want to leave.

The beach was mere steps from the house, and being on the bay meant that the water was warm and calm. We enjoyed walks and taking turns taking dips while Myles looked on. He had his toes in at one point and wasn’t impressed. We’ll work on the swimming.

Right down the street from the cottage was a park with views toward more open waters and a beautiful lighthouse. Having the park nearby gave us even more reason to just leave the car in the driveway and spend our time outside walking and taking in the views.

One of the best parts of the cottage was the sunset view, which was spectacular and changed daily. We were blessed with clear and perfect weather every day which resulted in long, stunning sunsets.

And on our last night at the cottage, fireworks dotted the skyline over the bay. We never needed to turn on the TV or open our laptops because our surroundings and some great music provided the perfect backdrop for reconnecting and making memories.

We spent so much time outside that I didn’t get many indoor photos of the cottage, but it was truly lovely. Cottage owner Jackie thought of every detail to make the cottage an ideal getaway. And since it was just over an hour from Boston, we didn’t end up tired from travel and traffic.