A Night Away Without the Kids at Water's Edge Resort & Spa

When I was invited to spend an evening at Water’s Edge Resort & Spa in Connecticut, it sounded like the answer to my prayers. It had been many years since my husband and I got away on our own. I just looked it up on my blog and it was in 2009, before this blog was even born. We don’t have much family support where we live, so it is never easy to orchestrate childcare so we tend to take our kids with us when we travel. Thankfully, when this invite came, the timing could not have been better. We’ve both been working overtime with long commutes into the city, spending weekends on the soccer field, running ourselves ragged between work and family life. It was time for a child-free break to refuel and reconnect and childcare was easy to arrange this time.

Water’s Edge Resort & Spa is located on the Long Island Sound, about two hours from NYC. There’s nothing like a walk on the sand before winter hits full on, and we happened to be there in nice weather. The hotel also offers a full-service spa, an elegant restaurant, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a fitness center and best of all, it’s located near a few very quaint towns on the coastline including Old Saybrook, Essex and Ivoryton. It’s got charm, scenic views and best of all, tranquility, which was exactly what the two of us needed.

We kicked off the weekend with a luxurious meal at the hotel’s restaurant. We arrived late on a Friday night and were seated immediately at a table directly facing the water, with superb views of the Sound. Relaxation kicked in as we happily drank pomegranate martinis and ate seafood fresh from the sea. Surrounded by other couples clearly vacationing for the weekend, we both indulged in tuna tartare and raw fish appetizers as well as dessert prepared by Chef Joe Vitti. I really didn’t want to have dessert but it was too tempting to pass up Strawberry Shortcake made of scones and cream!

We were thrilled to stay in an oversized room with a view of the ocean, offering both solitude and peace. Complete with a flat panel TV, free high-speed Internet and a big bathroom with a powerful hot shower, we were set. We spent the evening watching Breaking Bad on the iPad after dinner and loved how in the morning, we didn’t have kids jumping on top of us waking us up at an ungodly hour. Yes, we were feeling the pleasure of getting away…really away, and I say that as a big fan of family travel.

After a morning walk on the beach (which actually wasn’t as long as intended as the stretch of beach in back of the hotel is not long, but made for a refreshing walk), I returned to the hotel for something called a hot stone massage. Hot stone massage is a specialty massage where the therapist uses smooth, heated stones, either as an extension of their own hands, or by placing them on the body while they massage other parts of the body. The heat can be both deeply relaxing and help warm up tight muscles so the therapist can work more deeply, more quickly. It was positively relaxing and heavenly. On Twitter, I think I called it an “out of body experience” and it was just that. My husband enjoyed the pool and jacuzzi while I was at the spa, and we were both incredibly relaxed when we left Water’s Edge.

I was incredibly excited to be in a part of Connecticut where Katharine Hepburn spent much of her life when not in Hollywood. We wandered over to Old Saybrook, a quaint town with a variety of shops, including a book store full of books about the legend and a small theater named after her called The Kate. After lunch we headed to Clinton Crossing Outlets for a bit of discount shopping. We came back very relaxed from our one night away (and to chaos, I might add, but the chaos blew more easily off our backs).

I’d love to return in December when the local area is offering holiday celebrations. Ivoryton, located just a few minutes from Water’s Edge Resort & Spa, becomes the brightest village in Connecticut with over 200,000 lights and the tallest living Christmas tree in the state. The Essex Steam Train transforms into the Polar Express on weekends with sing-a-longs, hot chocolate, sugar cookies, and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, and Mystic Seaport hosts lantern light tours that take guests back in time to Christmas Eve 1876 and includes a traditional tavern dance and a horse-drawn carriage ride.

If you’re interested in the same kind of getaway this winter that we had, the hotel has a special available November 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014 for what they’re terming the Retail Therapy package. It’s based on double occupancy and starts at $299 per night on weekdays and at $339 per night on weekends, plus tax and a service charge, and includes: