Weekend Getaway Wedding edition: Delaware beaches

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Activity: Wedding guest in Wilmington, DE and beach house guest in Dewey Beach, DE

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Website: Dewey Beach

Description: The wedding was at a beautiful estate in Wilmington, DE. The food was delicious, the band played the favorites [I'm with the band ;)] and friends were rejoicing (playing corn-hole for example). Since most people can not replicate this experience I will elaborate on the post-wedding festivities. 

I traveled from Wilmington to Dewey beach by car and then traveled back to the Philadelphia airport. Dewey beach is a a good destination to rent a house with a large group of friends. In this particular case I crashed a college reunion so I can attest to larger groups are better. There were plenty of places to go out and the beach was nicer than I had anticipated. A holiday weekend would be a good time as I am sure the area is more lively with young adults during the holidays. The only draw back is that it is not easily accessible from an airport. The best way to travel was by car, so if you are from the east coast you may have been before.  

As a California native, I always enjoy a good paddle ball competition and a swim in the ocean.

Portland weekend getaway: nature & food

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Activity: Exploring Portland for the weekend. This included eating doughnuts and ice cream, hiking and touring the Rose and Japanese Garden

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Website:

Cost: Doughnuts were under $2 and ice cream was reasonable depending on the size (scoops, cones, etc.), the all day tour was $54 per adult. The Rose garden was free and the Japanese Garden was about $10 pp.

Description: Portland references itself as a "weird" town, but in my experience it was quaint and full of good snacks and outdoor activities.  

If you like doughnuts this is the place for you! We tried Voodoo Doughnuts because of its popularity and unusual shapes. Locals told us many time that Blue Star doughnuts actually taste better, so if you have time and the metabolism for both then try them and compare. Personally, I am more of a fan of ice cream and frozen yogurt. Therefore, I was in HEAVEN at Salt and Straw. They  had flavors like blue cheese with pear, olive oil, habanero chile with fruit, and coffee with Bourbon just to name a few.

In between our eating festivities we checked out the International Rose test Garden that was beautiful in the summer. There were so many varieties of flowers and colors in full bloom that it was a perfect free afternoon activity. Within walking distance from the Rose garden is the Japanese Garden. You can either walk up a short hill or take a trolley. The garden was nice, but much smaller than I expected. There was also an entry fee unlike the Rose garden.

On the last day of the trip we went on all all day tour of the Gorge. This included stopping at scenic views and going to multiple water falls. I recommend a tour since it was reasonably priced and parking would have been difficult. 

Recommended:  weekend trip to Portland is a great  weekend getaway for outdoorsy foodie crowd!

Montauk weekend getaway: Lobster rolls, boats, & beaches

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Activity: Montauk weekend getaway

Rating: 4.2 of 5 stars

Websites:

Food: 

  1. The lobster roll
  2. Tacombi
  3. Ruschmeyer's
  4. Gurney's

Activities

  1.  Charter Catamaran 
  2. Montauk Lighthouse

Cost:

Casual lunches ranged around $14-20 pp at the Lobster roll and Tacombi ($) Rushmeyer's and Gurney's are more expensive meals that vary widely depending on order. We did the fixed price menu with several entrees as a group ($$$).

The catamaran was pretty reasonable for large groups. The lighthouse was fun to explore and free if you only want to wander the outside. Admission inside is $10 per adult and $4 per child with additional parking fee

Details: Montauk is a great getaway from NYC when the weather is nice.

Pros: Montauk is a quaint town with nice restaurants amidst expensive casual bars so there is something for everyone. The boat time and beach were very relaxing.  The lighthouse was picturesque. 

Con: the weather fluctuates greatly and sunny days are not as predictable as one would assume during the summer season. The train to Montauk was over 3 hours, so if you are not driving or coming from a flight to a train the commute can be quite a trek. 

Recommended: young adults that need a break from the city, but not the nightlife. Alternatively. wealthy retired people would find it enjoyable.