A few months ago, “New England” wasn”™t even on our radar as a travel destination – and then the phone rang and our interest in the smallest state in the United States of America was awakened as a place to visit. Since this call, there has been only one topic: Our preparation, anticipation and excitement: #CondorTraveldingLilRhody was now on the schedule.
Condor and Uberding set off for Rhode Island
The destination was Providence, Rhode Island, in beautiful New England. On June 18th, Condor started offering the first non-stop flights from Germany to Rhode Island – and who was allowed to be onboard for this very first flight? We were! It was an honor and lastly, when the cupcakes with our tagline “#CondorTraveldingLilRhody” arrived, our excitement was at its peak. Since a long time, we don”™t really get nervous before a long haul flight. But this flight was different, special and the very first Condor flight to the Providence airport.
It was exciting to be invited to be a part of the procedure several days before our flight. We were present at the unveiling giggling and shrieking like kids at Christmas as the rattling board at Frankfurt Airport displayed the destination “Providence” for the very first time. Currently, Frankfurt Airport is also the only airport in Germany that still uses rattling panels or “flip-digit displays” – deliberately, because the noise and clatter of small tablets is always brimming with the anticipation, right? Especially that afternoon!
Preparations for our road trip through Lil Rhody
True to the motto “A good traveler has no fixed plans,” we have not planned our trip to New England from start to finish. We wanted to simply drive and discover Rhode Island, sometimes called “The Ocean State” with its long beaches and coves and let it engulf us. Therefore, before departure we only planned our stops and booked a car.
Since we only had 4 days to discover this part of New England, the rough schedule of our trip looked like this:
✓ Arrive in Providence and pick up the rental car at the airport. We recommend getting an ” E-ZPass ” so that you can just relax and drive on all the bridges without paying extra (toll) costs.
✓ Drive from Providence to the beautiful port city of Newport
✓ Enjoy two days in Newport
✓ Continue to “Weekapaug” (Westerly) with an overnight stay on site
✓ Return to Providence, sightseeing, accommodation and return flight
You can’t really influence the weather in Rhode Island – but you definitely can influence your luggage.
Our recommendations for what to pack for Rhode Island
✓ With a fishing hat (fortunately all the rage) you could pass as a local
✓ Boots – when it rains it can get very muddy, and they are also perfect for beach walks and shell hunting
✓ Sunscreen – with the wind on the coast you often do not feel the strength of the sun
✓ Binoculars or zoom lens for birds (or Taylor Swift) watching ;)
✓ Sturdy shoes to climb along the cliffs and for sailing
✓ Water protection for Camera & Co. (Depending on the direction of the wind while on the sailboat)
In love with the port city of Newport
Romantic, smallish, authentic. When you ask us about “New England”, we respond with our memories of Newport. For us, it’s the epitome of the classic “New England Idyll”: We arrived at a hotel right on the harbor. Below, we were awakened by the singing of the seagulls, we ate with locals at the newly opened “Saltwater”, strolled through the streets and along the “Cliff Walks” at noon, marveled at villas, sailed into the sunset and ate seafood before getting cozy in our beds.
Newport is only about 40 minutes away from Providence and is therefore suitable and perfect for a New England getaway. The town, with its small boutiques, sports facilities (the International Tennis Hall of Fame) and the nature between sandy beaches and coastal paths is pretty much everything you would expect from New England!
Idyllic Westerly
It is not surprising that the South coast of Rhode Island has attracted stars like Taylor Swift. She has a summer home in Westerly – away from the hustle and bustle, it’s only 3 hours to New York City. What drove her there? She enjoys the amenities of her 17 million dollar coastal villa, Stand-Up Paddling, maybe she eats mussels on the beach or takes a walk to the “Watch Hill” to write her next hit the “Flying Horse Carousel” – a historical children’s carousel which stands on the beach there since 1879.
Unfortunately, because of the weather, we had to discard a few spontaneous ideas. For example, we wanted to try a “Clam Bake” – a special kind of Seafood meal baked beneath the sand right on the beach. When you fly to Rhode Island – it’s an absolute must-do.
Getaway in New England – Rainy Day in Weekapaug Inn
We spent a rainy but pleasant day at the Weekapaug Inn. “Weekapaug” is a district of Westerly and our accommodation on this day could not have been more perfect. The historic house was built in 1899 (for the United States that’s a very, very long time ;) ) and it was rebuilt after the 1938 Hurricane. The house offers charm, tranquility and the simplicity of a house by the sea. We had a room with direct access to the garden – overlooking the rainy bay. Isn’t that the epitome of romance?
The area is ideal for exploring the beautiful countryside when it rains and also to go on a walk along the private beach in any weather. This place is perfect for lovers, paired with soft beds and understated luxury it’s authentic. I would have liked to stay here longer.
City, country, river – Providence
The capital of the US state Rhode Island, we must say, was worth the visit for a day – but we wouldn’t have liked to stay longer. Where was everyone when the sun was up in the sky? Because when we marched comfortably through the city on that Sunday, there was no sign of the 178 042 inhabitants – except for the occasional homeless, one of whom was very friendly, and unasked, led us through her hood and showed us the latest street art. Thanks for that.
My highlight was visiting the prestigious Brown University in Providence. The campus is green and full of life – quite contrary to Downtown Providence. The shops are also open here on Sunday’s, and that was perfect for us. A few new sneakers were quickly found and we soon carried them back to our room on the 14th floor of the Biltmore Hotel – and after another night back to the airport.
Lil Rhody, it was a party for us! We have experienced so much in these 4 days and are happy to have added an until recently unknown place to our “Places We Love” list! Thanks.
