Travel with Val: Bee and Thistle Inn
A small Connecticut town that is only a two-hour drive from New York City offers an historic and romantic stay at a quaint bed and breakfast. Our Valarie D'Elia has more.
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Romance doesn't have to hibernate after Valentine's Day. The Bee and Thistle Inn, located in Old Lyme, Connecticut on five acres along the Lieutenant River, wants to keep love's embers burning through April showers.
The Old Lyme landscape looks a bit bleak in the winter, but in March, the river starts to thaw and guests can shake off the doldrums while cozying up for a night or two in the historic bed and breakfast.
The Bee and Thistle has nine impeccably-decorated rooms with private baths. On the weekend, the dining room serves up comfort food and tableside entertainment at the same time. There's also a dedicated spa room, which is uncommon for a B&B.
The inn is located right next door to the Florence Griswold Museum, a complex that includes a late Georgian-style mansion and exhibition space. An outdoor sculpture called "The Rambles," which is made of six tons of native birch and bayberry saplings, is great for ducking around.
Old Lyme seems frozen in time, with its art galleries and quaint period homes. A country drive leads to Ashlawn Farm, which offers a cup of coffee and small town chatter.
Old Lyme is about a two hours' drive from New York City, and is by Exit 70 on Route I-95 North. The Old Saybrook train station is under four miles away.
A two-night weekend stay at the Bee and Thistle includes champagne and chocolates in the room upon arrival, continental breakfast each morning, a dinner for two on Friday night in the Chestnut Grille that does not include drinks, a one-hour couples' massage and two tickets to the Florence Griswold Museum. The special rate for "Travel with Val" viewers through April is $550, plus taxes and tips.
A one-night, mid-week stay is available on Wednesday or Thursday and includes the same features as the weekend two-night package, except that the couples' massage lasts a half-hour. The price is
$400, plus taxes and tips.
Visit www.beeandthistleinn.com for more information on the getaway deals.