A WEEKEND AWAY - INN AT MYSTIC

Parenting is really hard. Especially when you have two kids that are ages 1 and 3. Of course, people tell you how hard parenting is, and you never listen. You think it’ll be different for you. You’ve got it under control. Well, you’ll find out just like I did, that assertion is 100% completely and utterly incorrect. And here’s the real issue, if you and your spouse don’t make time for ONLY each other, no only will parenting become even harder, but your LIVES will be that much harder too. Which is why we decided to finally get away for a weekend. Just us. No kids. No diapers. No potties. No whining. Just two people in love who needed a break from everything that happens every single day. Let me tell you, it was heavenly – like, I wish we never left and somehow the kids just grew up and were able to take care of themselves in one day heavenly. And it was all thanks to The Inn At Mystic.

We are madly in love. In fact, Blake knew from the VERY MOMENT he met me that I was the one. (Yes, cheesy, but that’s the honest-to-god truth.)

But, with all things in life, things evolve.

For us – it was when we had kids.

Of course, we love our children – they are quite the highlight of our lives. But, man, can they wear us down. When you have to be ON all the time, watching, listening, searching, etc., not only does it have an adverse affect on you physically and mentally – but it also permeates through your marriage/relationship with your partner. Everything becomes heightened, magnified, and dissected because of the stress of taking care of two human beings every waking second of every day.

With this in mind, consider how we felt when, after the birth of Felicity, we hadn’t gone out with each other, alone, for over one year! Can you imagine that? Naturally, this was our choice so you can’t feel too bad for us. We needed to be home with the kids to make sure Rhys didn’t feel jealous of his sister, and Felicity was just too young to leave home alone without Mom.

But we had certainly lost touch with ourselves, but most importantly, we had lost touch with who we were as a insanely in-love couple.

After Felicity turned one, we decided we were going away to be with each other. To re discover who WE were. Because, honestly, without us – there is no family.

Enter stage right: The Inn At Mystic.

A little slice of heaven.

Here. On earth.

And just one hour away from Providence, RI (or a couple of hours ride from New York.)

I’m sure you know Mystic, CT for things like the Seaport, or The Aquarium (read my previous posts about the aquarium here and here.) While those places should definitely be on your to-do list when you visit Mystic, you should make it a point to go to the Inn At Mystic.

Surrounded by TWO bodies of water, The Inn is a quaint turn-of-the-century style inn that prides itself on personal service, smiles on the staff’s faces, good food, quality entertainment at the restaurant, lots of activities for guests, clean rooms, and perfectly manicured grounds.

We stepped foot into our room that overlooked the water, and immediately the tension pain in my back that I often have just melted away to the soothing sounds and view of river rushing through to the bay out ahead of us.

Much to my surprise, there was even a working WOOD fireplace, with wood stored away on the porch for use, and you can better believe we sat down with a glass of wine at night and just stoked the fire.

There are tons of other amenities to the grounds, like kayaks, free bikes to ride, tennis courts and even a beautiful swimming pool.

But, we were so enthused with not being around children that we reveled being able to sleep in a calm, quiet, and easy paced environment for the first time in a year, so we didn’t even worry about them.

If you are to ask us now, yes, we probably regret not taking advantage of those amenities – but can you blame us? All we wanted was to eat dinner without having to create a perimeter around us at the table so our children can’t get there grubby little fingers on the salt and make a Christmas scene.

Speaking of eating – the restaurant on the premises is just perfect. While Mystic somehow manages to avoid the bug of terrible eateries that most tourist cities are afflicted by, I can honestly tell you that the restaurant at the Inn was the best place we ate while there. We sat out on the deck that overlooks the water as well, and we just watched the world go by us. Cars, motorcycles, people walking, even boats traveled by and we just soaked it in.

Treated to steaks, seafood, and even making a custom drink order I wanted at the bar (a Bourbon Smash – which you need to try yesterday) they were more than happy to take care of all our needs. We had a sweet server who was 8 months pregnant who took the time to chat with us, and even traded stories about kids, pregnancy, and all the weird cravings that go along with brewing a human. (seriously, who thought pickles and ice cream would ever be a thing?) We laughed all night, listened to the excellent jazz band play live, and even took a bottle of wine back to the room to enjoy with desert.

Now I know it wouldn’t be prudent to never leave the Inn – because Mystic is such a great little town, but, circle of trust here – you really don’t even have to leave the grounds. Between the restaurant. a walking path that takes you up the river, and the serene setting of the grounds, it’s totally convenient to any need you may have.

It certainly helped that we were able to travel around all of Mystic and the surrounding towns with our motorcycle, but honestly, just being in the room was enough for us. The best part of the Inn, and Mystic in general, is that it’s just so darn close to us. We would have NEVER thought that we could be so close to home and still get the feeling that we were in a far away vacation spot.

So while we were dancing on the dance floor at night to the smooth sounds of jazz, or traversing the farm roads of northern CT on the bike, we were never afraid of something going wrong with our kids while they stayed at the grandparents house. We were close enough that we could get home within an hour.

I think if I had to categorize the Inn At Mystic, I’d probably tell you that it’s a mixture of the personal connection one has at a local bed and breakfast, but it also beneftis with the flair and amenities of a larger scale hotel. After years of doing both, The Inn At Mystic is the perfect hybrid of those styles, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite places we have ever stayed.

In the end, being away with each other for three nights is exactly what we needed. We were able to reconnect with who WE were as a couple. We laughed, danced, rode the motorcycle, went for walks, ate at ice cream stands, visited historic sites, saw the Aquarium, ate delectable food, and were able to sleep in each others arms without having the tug of a toddler at our toes – or a nursing baby who cries every two hours.

Yes. It was a little slice of heaven.

Here. On earth.

One hour away from Providence, RI.

And I can’t wait to go back.