City, Lake & (the best U.S) Beach
To get under the skin of Boston in a relatively short space of time, we decided to rent an apartment on Tremont Street in the city’s South End, lined with historic brownstones and regarded as having the best food scene in the city. The cab driver from the airport gave us a great tip - when having dinner stop short of dessert and instead head to the city’s Little Italy, North End, to grab a gelato or cannoli (shells of fried pastry dough filled with a sweet, creamy filling.) As a first-timer, Boston was a big surprise - like a condensed New York, that’s dropped down a gear or two. Buildings are comparatively low rise; streets are clean and leafy, and the locals are friendly with time to chat. One of my favourite areas of the city was Beacon Hill - specifically Charles Street. Lined with gas-lit streetlamps, crammed full of independent coffee houses, delicatessens and antique shops.
On day 4 we then took the I-93 towards Cape Cod - a surprisingly easy city exit and 90-minute drive to Dennis, located Mid Cape. We decided to make a stop en route in Plymouth to ensure we struck a lobster roll off our list of culinary ‘musts’. Our cottage for the weekend was sandwiched perfectly between Scargo Lake and Corporation Beach...the sun rising over morning kayakers on the lake and dramatically setting over the ocean in a spectrum of vibrant pinks. After saying goodbye to the city, the Cape provided a wonderfully sedate contrast. On our first morning we joined the locals in what seems like a weekend ritual of buying coffee and fresh doughnuts from the Village Coffee Shop. My favourite town we visited was Chatham - chocolate box houses (many of which have preservation awards) with its pristine Lighthouse Beach. A personal recommendation would be to park up at the Town Hall and walk the one mile stretch along Main Street admiring all the quaint homes and independent shops, finishing up at the beach.
The last part of our trip involved a domestic flight from Boston down to Tampa to experience the Gulf Coast beaches. Not before trying out the newly redeveloped Seaport District of Boston for a spot of lunch and returning our rental car. Opal Sands Resort opened in 2016 and is located on the fine powdery sands of Clearwater Beach - hailed in 2018 by TripAdvisor as the best beach in the U.S. All guest rooms as well as public areas, including the gym and four dining options have sea views. (Ensure you request a high floor to maximise the impact - we were lucky enough to be assigned a 15th floor room with entirely uninterrupted views.) The sunsets are truly magnificent, so much so, they are celebrated nightly at Pier 60, just a short walk from the hotel. The festival features live music, street vendors and often fireworks and sand sculptors. During the summer Sunset Cinema (a free outdoor movie theatre) takes place at dusk….bring along a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy the movie.
Typical of any destination with a tropical climate we did experience the odd rain shower but had planned ahead and discovered a $5 daily bus pass, which takes you anywhere between Clearwater and St Pete beaches, 16 miles south. Admire the beach front mansions of Belleair and stop for a doughnut at the Donut Experiment in Indian Shores - highly recommended!
Clearwater Beach has every kind of cuisine you could possibly imagine, and most restaurants are within an easy walk. However it’s worth knowing that the hotel has its own Rolls Royce Ghost available to resort guests between 3-11pm Wednesday - Sunday to transport you anywhere on Clearwater Beach - we took advantage when wanting to dine at a local steak restaurant without having to pack the umbrella on what had been a showery day! In addition to this complimentary service is the guest pantry, located on every floor, which is fully stocked with fresh fruit, ice, water and homemade cookies to keep you going between meals!
110,000 Fitbit steps, 3 incredible destinations and too many bakeries to count later, it was time to head home. I am a huge advocate for having a holiday within a holiday and experiencing multiple stops to our honeymoon felt we could thoroughly enjoy every gear change after the fun and energy of our wedding day. The best medicine for holiday blues - start planning the next trip! Keep an eye out for my Rome blog in September!