Ever have an experience that relaxed and invigorated you all at once? No easy feat, but I was fortunate enough to have just that during the last weekend of January.
.
.
It’s no surprise that I am a huge fan of Lark Hotels, and now I would openly admit that it’s more of an obsession. Their motto is “amenities you desire, service you remember, and a touch of mischief”, and it shows. My relationship with them is more recent, after I was already a smitten repeat guest, which makes it more special. When they invited me on their girls’ getaway to the 13 room and cottage Blue – Inn on the Beach in conjunction with Yankee Magazine, to say I was jazzed would be an understatement.
.
.
I drove the hour up to Plum Island late afternoon on Friday, just in time to catch sunset. The light was already gorgeous en route as I drove by the marshes, but I was able to catch true sunset from the beachfront balcony off of my oceanfront King room. The ocean for me is always centering, no matter the season. While I’d love to come back in the warmer weather, Blue is breathtaking even in the quiet of winter.
.
.
The main hotel is situated beachfront, with cottages located across the street. The color scheme, to not compete with the natural beauty, is white and (you guessed it) blue. As Chief Inspiration Officer Dawn Hagin words it, they aim for “oh, yeah!” meaning the ‘theme’ makes sense with the space, but isn’t in your face. Most of the Lark properties are designed by Rachel Reider, whose impeccable taste I have gushed about previously here.
. 
.
As if the view wasn’t fantastic enough, the room itself is delightful. I mean, I basically had to pinch myself. From the deep tub with jets, to the electric fireplace, the giant comfortable bed, and the kitchen amenities, I had everything I could need for two nights (and easily longer). There was a sitting area (couch, chair, coffee table, mounted TV), plenty of storage (dresser, various cabinets, large closet) and a kitchenette (Keurig, small sink, refrigerator, microwave). I know what you’re thinking– when can I move in?! Same. Same.
.
For Lark, it’s all about the details though– they have you covered. There are k-cups, bottled water, and Lark Fine Foods shortbread cookies. Wine glasses and an opener, Apple TV and a Tivoli radio, beach towels and– best of all– breakfast in a basket delivered to your door daily.
.
Friday night, we were treated to a dinner and wine pairing in the epic Blue Suite by Justin Perdue, Executive Chef of the Lark Group. Oh. Wow. The first course was the perfect quahog chowder, which can be found at their Chair 5 restaurant in Narragansett, accompanied by Pinot Grigio. Second course was the best fish tacos I’ve ever had, found at Camden, ME’s Pig + Poet, paired with Chenin Blanc. The third course was to die for crispy pork rillette and Pinot Noir. Fourth, and my favorite which is saying a lot given the caliber of each course, was the braised oxtail tortellini which will be available at Counter when it opens in summer 2017 and Cabernet Sauvignon. Course five, our dessert, was the most incredible hot chocolate and homemade marshmallows alongside homemade cookies from Picnic Social. Each course was so well executed and we all couldn’t stop raving!
.
After dinner, it was back to my room for a bubble bath! I just adore baths and sadly my home tub is… lacking so this giant tub was a treat in and of itself. Then I put my relaxed, full, grateful self to bed so I could be ready for the sunrise.
.
If there is anything better in the world than waking up to a sunrise over the ocean than I have yet to see it. I had left my curtains open so it was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. I got dressed and went down to the beach and watched it unfold. After taking it all in, and feeling all kinds of zen, I went back to my room for some breakfast, which was delivered to my door in a basket! Every time I thought the weekend couldn’t get any better, it did. Saturday morning’s array consisted of cranberry and almond overnight oats, citrus slices with blueberries, tortilla espanola with aioli, banana and Nutella muffins, bacon cheddar chive scones and a Thermos of coffee. Plenty to choose from and all delightful, although the scones may have been the MVP.
.
Since we had the morning to ourselves, I made the most of it. I don’t know about you, but oftentimes my weekends are as packed as my weekdays. Even if there’s nothing particular going on, it fills up with cleaning, errands and the like. To just be able to sit and spend some quality time with myself was a true gift! I don’t know the last time I had done that to be honest.
.
.
At noon, we reconvened in the Blue Suite where Amy Traverso, Food Editor of Yankee Magazine, spoke about the local picks for their annual food awards which were arranged by the extremely talented Krissy O’Shea of Cottage Farm. Um can we discuss this spread?! As you can imagine, given the crowd and Krissy’s gift of styling, we took approximately 89,284 pictures before digging in. Everything was out of this world and I could absolutely see why they chose the goodies they did, all of which are local to New England.
.
.
Next we had a Q&A with Dawn and Rachel, who are both partners of the Lark Group (and certified girl bosses). The two women work very closely together, with Rachel’s task being to make Dawn’s visions come to life. As I mentioned before, they take into account everything from location to the history of the building to how the new spot fits into their existing portfolio. I am so excited for the forthcoming The Hotel Salem (opening this summer) and to see other future projects come to fruition.
.
For dinner on Saturday, we were treated to downtown Newburyport gem, The Paddle Inn, which is about ten minutes away from Blue. The surf theme, the creative cocktails, the fantastic food and even the music playing all worked so well together. Everything we tried was out of this world, but the crab rangoons were on another level. They also host weekend brunch, which I am aiming to get back for sooner rather than later!
.
.
When we returned to Blue, I walked in to find a compass necklace in a beautiful box on my pillow. Like, seriously?! The entire weekend was so well planned, executed and I felt like a VIP the entire time.
.
When I woke up Sunday, while I was looking forward to another breakfast basket, I was not looking forward to leaving my oasis. I cannot express fully how thankful I am to Lark, Yankee Magazine and the wonderful women behind both. You are all so creative, smart, and generous and this weekend was good for the soul in multiple ways. Thank you!
.
.
While I was hosted for the weekend, all opinions, words and photos are my own. I hope you will check out Blue (or any of Lark’s properties) soon! For more photos and reviews, look up #OnALarkWithYankee or read what my fellow blogger guests (who I adore) have written about our weekend:
It all looks outstandingly awesome Danielle. I have to say it – the photography is just top notch ??????
Stop I’m so impressed with the decor and food! Need to go here!
Ok so this looks like the most amazing weekend and every detail is perfect. I love the Lark Hotel Group properties and need to add this one to my list! Great recap of a beautiful getaway!
What a dream weekend!!!
I’m obsessed with each and every inch of this place, thanks to your photos! How stunning is that beach front view?!?! And the food looks SO yum! So glad you had an amazing weekend- and I agree, I love the beach at any time of year!
xoxo, Jenna
Boston Chic Party
I don’t know how I missed this! Ughhhh you are making me long to go back SO. TERRIBLY. You perfectly captured the best best best weekend I’ve had yet in 2017! xoxox