You Blue Me Away:: A Weekend on Plum Island with Lark Hotels

I’m dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on this post in the wake of a Hawaiian vacation. While I don’t discount the incredible time we had on said exotic escape {I can’t wait to tell you more about it later!}, relooking at my photos from a weekend in Newburyport, Massachusetts reminds me that you don’t have to go very far at all to have an I’ll-remember-it-forever kind of getaway.

I was lucky enough to spend a chilly but beautiful winter weekend in one of my favorites towns at Lark Hotels’ Blue – Inn on the Beach with a darling group of bloggers, photographers, writers, and creatives last month. Being surrounded by such inspiring and creative women in the serene setting of Blue and its accompanying beach was pure bliss. January wasn’t a walk in the park, but for better or worse, I quite instantly forgot about the crap weather and crap government and crap alternative facts upon my arrival.

Sorry! Back to the point.

If you aren’t familiar with Lark Hotels already, I’d like to change that. These little buds of boutique hotels are popping up all around New England, and they are far from your mother’s bed-and-breakfast. Each has the most subtle of a theme, and to say Director of Design Rachel Reider has done an incredible job of bringing them to life would be a gross understatement. I’ve been wanting to visit a property based on design alone ever since I read about my friend Kate’s trip to Gilded in Newport.

Blue is a serene escape on Plum Island—less than an hour from Boston—sitting right up against the Atlantic. In all my 28 years, I’ve never been more motivated to wake up for a sunset. Its interiors are equally as tranquil—everything you’d want in an oceanside abode, without bordering overdone. No anchors or garish nautical motifs here.

And the food! Oh we were treated to some of the best meals {and snacks!} I’ve enjoyed in ages, including a dinner by Justin Perdue, Executive Chef for Lark Hotels. Whether you choose to stay in one of these sweet retreats or not, you should make a point to try one of Chef Perdue’s restaurants, like Pig + Poet in Camden, Maine, or Picnic Social in Stowe, Vermont.

While Blue isn’t home to its own on-site restaurant, Newburyport’s downtown is less than a 10-minute drive over the bridge, and I’ve chatted about a couple of my favorite NBPT eateries before. Now add The Paddle Inn to that list; I loved its coastal-inspired menu and awesome staff so much that I dragged MJF back for brunch the morning he picked me up post-stay.

Speaking of eats, I felt like I was in the presence of greatness all weekend alongside some of the Yankee magazine team. We spent Saturday learning how to curate the perfect New England party spread with Senior Food Editor Amy Traverso {I totally fangirled} and food stylist Krissy O’Shea. All of the treats you see photographed here were winners of Yankee’s Editors’ Choice Food Awards. I’m still dreaming about York Hill Farm‘s chévre.

While so much of New England is seasonal {or so they say–I’ve been known to brave blizzards for Nantucket jaunts}, Plum Island is an island for all seasons. Whether I was cozied up with a breakfast basket in front of my fireplace, taking a winter beach walk with Gabi & Gabby, or soaking in the views from the Blue Suite over some wine and politics girl talk, I couldn’t have pictured a more perfect place for a January staycation. You want to beat the winter blues? You need a stay at Blue.

[ Blue – The Inn on the Beach ]
20 Fordham Way
Plum Island, Massachusetts
978.463.6128
click here to book

See more of our weekend away on Instagram:: #OnALarkWithYankee

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Full disclosure: I was provided a complimentary stay at Blue by Lark Hotels. All opinions and images are my own.