I Came, I Saw, I Roadtripped

by Shauna Burke

About an hour from the city is the unassuming Bedford Post Inn, an immediately charming eight-room inn dating back to the 18th century. It sits in the center of Bedford along the Old Post Road and underwent an extensive renovation after actor Richard Gere and his business partner Russell Hernandez acquired the property in 2007. Now, the property boasts beautiful, serene rooms, the stunning Yoga Loft with complimentary daily yoga for guests, Bedford Post Barn for breakfast, lunch, and phenomenal pastries, plus the cannot-be-missed Bedford Post Tavern for dinner.  

Walking through the inn’s front door felt almost spa-like. The spaces are intentionally calming, with lovely and thoughtful touches to common spaces and guest rooms. My room even had the exact essential oil diffuser and white-noise machine I have at home next to my own bed, so the homey feel managed to get pretty intense. I curled into a reading nook with a glass of wine before heading to the warm and cozy Tavern for dinner, where acclaimed chef Sam Mason offers simple but perfectly-executed dishes like the lauded caramelized red onion tart, grilled branzino, and nibbles like fried olives with smoked chili yoghurt or mushroom toast. Be sure not to skip dessert—the chef here is also the mastermind behind Brooklyn-based OddFellows Ice Cream, which is known for their creative flavors. In the morning, don’t miss yoga at The Loft (or, if you’re lucky, you may catch a sound bath on offer) followed by a fireside breakfast downstairs at Bedford Post Barn, operated by the lovely Dawn and Jason Bowman, who also own BreadNBakes in Pound Ridge. The Barn is clearly a popular community gathering space, as I sat and watched locals fill almost every chair each morning.

Nearby hiking at trails like the Mianus River Gorge Preserve or Ward Pound Ridge Reservation offer an even further peaceful escape into nature, or you can explore the village of Bedford and cute shops around Pound Ridge—don’t miss oHHo in Bedford for CBD-infused chocolates and great coffee, BreadsNBakes in Pound Ridge for amazing pastries, and The Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges for a great local brunch or dinner. For a more lavish dining adventure that requires advanced planning, the inn is also about a half-hour drive from Dan Barber’s famous (or infamous) Blue Hill at Stone Barns (bluehillfarm.com) where, even if reservations are all booked up, a visit to Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture (stonebarnscenter.org/calendar) is still worth the trip for a farm tour or cooking class. 

From Bedford, the drive is a bit over an hour on scenic country roads to the storied Mayflower Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection, where you’ll likely be oohing and aahing at the sights of bucolic small towns, rolling hills, endless treetops, and stumbling upon charming antique malls, bookshops, and cafes along the way. That first glimpse of the shutter-adorned, quintessentially New England inn that inspired Gilmore girls hit me right in the feels and I couldn’t have been happier to walk through that door. 

It’s as adorable as you’d imagine, with roaring fireplaces at every turn and Barbour jackets and Hunter boots lined up neatly, all ready for a horseback or bike ride through the Connecticut countryside. While I really wanted to do nothing but enjoy my beautiful room and read a book, I decided to explore all the inn’s nooks and crannies, like the mahogany-paneled library, and walk the 58-acre property to enjoy the gardens and whip out my phone every ten seconds to capture yet another scene. You’ll find there’s no shortage of things to do, like tennis, archery, parlour games, fly fishing, picnics, or even a trip to nearby Mine Hill Distillery. 

The main building houses two dining options, giving guests a phenomenal dining experience from breakfast to late-night cocktails and snacks. Dinner in The Tap Room was dark and moody, with hearty countryside pub fare like country ham with hush puppies and maple butter, beef pot roast, and venison chili. My personal favorite was the colorful, sun-drenched Garden Room for breakfast and lunch, where they had one of my all-time favorite breakfasts, eggs in purgatory, along with freshly baked sourdough toast and butter.

The shining star of this countryside retreat, however, is THE WELL spa (the-well.com/mayflower), where they offer everything from indoor and outdoor pools and saunas, yoga and movement, a truly stunning relaxation room, and health-forward dishes in the spa’s own dining space. They have treats and their signature bone broth on tap throughout the day, which is the perfect warmer after a spa treatment. 

When it’s time to reluctantly say goodbye, it’s just under three hours through lovely Connecticut towns, like picturesque Mystic (a great stop for oysters and some shopping), to The Vanderbilt, Auberge Resorts Collection in Newport, Rhode Island. To break up the drive, consider staying a night at the iconic Ocean House, perched on the bluffs of Watch Hill, making sure to enjoy a lobster roll and a spa treatment, if not only for the homemade granola bars and tea you’ll get to enjoy in the spa’s ocean-view relaxation room. 

The Vanderbilt is a historic downtown mansion once owned by Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, boasting bold but timeless interiors that are incredibly warm and inviting from every corner. The property is perfectly situated in the center of Newport for an easy walk around town and as home base to explore the mansions and storied past of the city. For a real New England adventure, begin the day with a sailing excursion through beautiful Narragansett Bay, or even take the helm and learn the ins and outs of sailing yourself, before heading back for Mansion Oyster Hour or Champagne Hour—Sunday to Friday evenings, indulge in half-priced local Rhode Island oysters in The Dining Room and on Friday evenings watch as the beverage team crafts a tower of vintage glass coupes and pops Champagne to signal the start of the weekend. It all feels very quaint and celebratory.

The Dining Room’s handsome navy blue walls and leather club chairs make for a cozy dinner experience with expertly-crafted cocktails, essential raw bar offerings, and shareables like smoked haddock croquettes or cast iron octopus. The sun-drenched, plant-filled Conservatory is the place to be for breakfast, brunch, and lunch—don’t miss the custard French toast with whiskey and vanilla Vermont syrup on the brunch menu. For a nightcap, The Reserve Room with The Macallan has been transformed into a unique, interactive whiskey tasting experience with exclusive cocktails, mixology classes, and tastings of rare selections.

Heading back to the city—it’s about three hours back to New York City or roughly an hour and a half north to Boston—for a night before departing adds some balance to this quieter adventure, but there’s no doubt that an escape to these perfect inns gave me some much-needed space from the sounds of the city and refreshed me in a way no city spa could ever. Just don’t forget to make many stops along the way—I made a rule that there’d be no stopping at big coffee chains, only local spots, because I didn’t want to ruin any of the immaculate vibes I was creating on this road trip. Experiencing these properties all together or one-by-one as separate weekend getaways, there’s really no going wrong—they’re all created with relaxation and get away from it all-ness as top priority.