jkmoyer

My fiancee and I are in the early (and fun) stages of planning a honeymoonfor early October, 2004.
We both have visions of about 10 days in New England, with city stops in New York and Boston, and a few smaller, more quaint stops. I haven't been able to find any suggested itineraries and am looking for suggestions.
We'd like the feel to be romantic, but neither of us are particularly interested in a beach vacation. We like a little exploring, a little shopping, good restaurants, and romantic hotels. Also, we're looking for a total of maybe four stops, so we can stay a few nights in each - we don't want too much time spent traveling between stops.
Thanks for any tips - we've never taken a trip like this, our New England experience is limited to New York and Boston. Thanks!

BuzzyJ

You might check the suggested itineraries at the Yankee magazine website (www.newengland.com); they probably still have some up from this foliage season. You will get lots of info right here on this site; just use the search section above. New England is a beautiful and perfect honeymoon destination because it's fairly small, and you can go from the mountains to the ocean, and the country to the city in a matter of hours or less. We enjoy Portsmouth and points north: Ogunquit, the Kennebunks, Camden, Blue Hill, Acadia, etc. And you can't beat the White Mountains (NH) and the Green Mountains (VT), especially at that time of year. You might check the websites for Wentworth-by-the-Sea in Portsmouth, the Mt. Washington, the Balsams, Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine; and the B&B Finder also on the Yankee site. And don't forget the Berkshires!

clarkgriswold

www.bayside-inn.com

scs

There have been many questions on this forum about this topic. If you type New England itinerary into the search box, you will get some help. A couple of places you might want to look into are The Equinox in Manchester, VT (equinox.rockresorts.com) and The Mayflower Inn in Washington, CT (www.mayflowerinn.com). I don't know what your budget is. These are not cheap, but definitely fit the category of romantic.

AHaugeto

My husband and I spent 4 blissful days in Bar Harbor last September - hiking, biking, shopping, touring the mircobreweries, whale watching, eating lots of lobster! It was perfect and just what we needed - beautiful scenery, not a lot of tourists, and lots to do. We were treated royally by the B&B - Cleftstone Manor - and got the room pictured on their website with the massive bed and fireplace. Just gorgeous, and great pancakes. I would highly recommend dinner at Havana, too, with George's running second. I'd go backin a second!

jkmoyer

Thanks to all - I'll search further on this site and the others you recommended. And that trip in Bar Harbor sounds absolutely perfect - thank you!

stillbrowns

Burlington,VT in the fall. It's right on Lake Champlain, the leaves are beautiful. Many great restaurants, too. Sturbridge, MA is great, too.

hleesa

I would suggest two days in Newport, with a trip to Providence for some good food; three to four days in and around Boston; a few days in Maine, and a few days in the White Mountains. That could give you a range of urban, good food, nature and peacefulness, and it's not too much travelling over the 10 days.

Blair9535

Camden ,Maine....SOOOOOOOOOO cool.Little Dream Bed and Breakfast..awesome!!

LaraM

My absolute favorite thing to do in New England is drive up the scenic coastal highway all the way up to Vermont. I've never really needed an itinerary. Every single town on this route is worth stopping at and while there is no need to hurry everything is so close to each other you don't need a huge expanse of time to see it all. Some of my favorites though are whale watching out of Glouster, MA., the Hawthorn home in Salem, MA., and Bar Harbor, Maine. I really wouldn't recomend traveling far off of the coast though. When I have done that I've found that the scenery is pretty but there aren't many excuses to get out of your car.

travleis

Favorite towns/areas to consider:

Woodstock VT (often voted the quintessential New England postcard town)
Manchester VT
Kancamagus Highway NH
Kennebunkport ME
Ogunquit ME
Acadia National Park ME
Newport RI
Nantucket MA
Martha's Vineyard MA
Westport CT
Litchfield CT
Lake Placid Lodge, Lake Placid NY (no, technically this is not New England)
Hudson River Valley NY

zootsi

There are countless romantic inns in New England. Since you are not interested in the seacoast, probably concentrate on the mountains of NH and Vermont. (LaraM, the coastal highways don't go into Vermont - Vermont is a several hour drive from any coastal area). Here are a few towns that are particulary scenic or quaint: Woodstock Vt, Grafton Vt, Chester Vt, Stowe Vt, Jackson NH, Sunapee NH, Lyme NH.
For a humerous insight into Vermont, rent the film 'Vermont is for Lovers'. It's a locally made, small budget film about a New York couple who come to Vermont to get married.

koi

WE love Greenville, Me (The Lodge at Moosehead Lake) we stayed in a wonderful room with a balcony........then we went to Bar Harbor- many quaint inns there, some right on the water......we stayed 3 nights in each city which was perfect!

raineday33

LaraM.......the scenic coastal highway all the way up to Vermont.....hmmm...that's interesting??

Wefferman

Yes, Vermont does not have any coastline so that would be a hard thing to do! Try the White Mountains in New Hampshire too. Franconia Inn is real nice as is the Kancamagus Highway area. I agree with ALL of the places listed above. Nantucket and Bar Harbor can be a bit yuppieish; id try some of the less infested like Boothbay Harbor. A nice oceanfront cottage nestled in a cove is easily obtained if reserved in advance. Burlington, VT is a great city, but again; if you want solitude, it's a city. Try little inns around Pecham or Waterford, VT.

vkhunter

New England in October is beautiful. A must see October event in Boston is the Head-of-the-Charles usually the third Sunday in October (http://www.hocr.com).

Newport, RI is also a must-see, especially for romantic weekends. There are plenty of B&B's and upper chain hotels (Mariott is our favorite). Staying downtown is preferred as is is within walking distance to shopping/dinner/visitor's center. Dining is execellent at Black Pearl and The Moorings.

pegoode

Stayed at the Eagle Mountain House in Jackson, NH this year. A lovely old Inn with lots of charm and character. Beautiful area with lots to do and great restaurants.

If you want to stay on the coast, check out the Cliff House in Ogunquit (I think it's Ogunquit anyway). Never been but hear raves about it.

In the greater Portland area, the Black Point Inn in Scarboro and the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth are also good choices.

10 days isn't much, especially if you're stopping in NY and Boston (skip NY!).

bkovo

land in NYC. Stay at Rega Royal
Marriott. see Rock Center and Statue of liberty while cruising on the Circle Line. Eat at Gallaghers. Drive north on 95 to Newport ,RI stay at the Cliff House. Eat at Christies. Drive east to Cape Cod. see National Seashore Beach ( very romantic) stay at a B&B in Provincetown. eat at Lobster Pot. take ferry to Boston. Stay at Parker House near Fanueil Hall. Walk romantically through the changing leaves in THE OARK. Take Red Line subway to HARVARD. eat at Leagl Seafood, Capitol Grill. fly home. You should consider driving to New Hampshire to see the foliage if it's not too late. feel free to email me directly

bkovo

walk romantically through THE PARK not the ork, sorry.....

ParrotMom

Late this spring we went on a get-away-weekend to the Harakeeset Inn in Freeport, Maine...great shopping, exploring and going down to Portland and this inn was incredible.. http://www.harraseeketinn.com/site/h...ketlinks.shtml The staff is outstanding, food great, there is an indoor pool and they have all sorts of package deals..October is a great time...you could drive up to Wicassett and all the other little fishing villages.