I know, it seems like one of my last posts was of our 3-day trip to Block Island last summer. Well, this summer we went all in on the island, we packed up my new station wagon (mom-mobile, if you will.), Ro, a ton of food and the rest of my family for a 7-day island retreat.

Now I won’t take you through a day-by-day because honestly there isn’t just all that much we did- Beach, Food, Relaxed, Drank and played Despacito 103847293487 times. But, I did want to share some of the trips highlights and of course new things we discovered on our trip from last year.

We were able to book this corner unit (of 6) condo’s called Seawinds owned by the Spring House Hotel. It was roomy with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Perfect for the 7 of us. We made a point to find a rental with AC but it ended up being unnecessary, once you open up all the windows the island breeze keeps you cool. We went the week before the Fourth so the weather wasn’t as intense as it would be in the height of the summer season.

The day we arrived happened to be my dad’s birthday so of course, we had to head out to celebrate. After cracking open the case of Rosé my sister and brother in law brought. 

 

There is waitstaff serving the chairs so you never have to venture in and out! We ordered cocktails and raw bar and relaxed. Ro, of course, took a tumble down the hill, but once she got her footing we couldn’t stop her from going up and down. This was, of course, Ro’s first vacation and I was beginning to understand how much of an active vacation this was going to be for me.

One of the biggest things we had prepared for was cooking at the rental. We had a few trips to Costco, restaurant depot and the grocery store to stock up. Everyone had their checklist and we divvied up the groceries. What we didn’t know until a few days before we left is that Peapod actually delivers to the island. That would have saved some room in my car…next time I will definitely take advantage of that! Especially, since I had to basically pack up my entire life for Rowan. Ahhh traveling with a baby…

 

Pro Tip: Bring your own booze, the mark up in the island liquor store is high (as are groceries).

The majority of us travelers love to cook so coming up with ideas for dinner was a no brainer. My favorite was the night we had home made pizza. It was near the end of our trip so we were using up whatever we had left in the pantry.

 

We actually bought the pizza dough from our favorite local joint here in Connecticut and brought it over (because of course).

 

 

Almost every other day we were at Finn’s Seafood to pick up some fresh mussels, little necks and one night we had swordfish. Brett even got his first lesson at shucking clams from Jay, which I am very happy about (because I’m lazy).

 

And while we did cook in a lot, of course, we still had some meals out. We hit up the Oar as usual when my mom came out for a day trip. They still have the best mudslides, it’s great hanging out outside and playing a game of corn-hole unless you have a crazy 16-month-old who just wants to dart off the small cliff into the brush and water.

 

I got to enjoy a rare moment of quiet social media time with my mud-slide while she was strapped into a high chair enjoying her super nutritious lunch of french fries (I wasn’t gonna fight it, we’re on vacation).

 

One of the newest additions to the Island this year was Tiger Fish. I had come across them on Instagram and when I saw noodles on BI I knew we had to go. We snuck in for lunch on a rainy day, sans-Ro, and had a surprisingly DELICIOUS meal. I have to say while you can find good food on block island, sometimes it can be a bit….lacking. This was far from it. Hands down the best pork belly I’ve had in ramen- ever. From early summer they have since, from what I’ve seen, closed for lunch BUT have gained their liquor permit. The “mocktails” we had (that you could have BYOB for at the time) were delicious so I can’t wait to go back to try them next summer for a boozy noodle supper.

The perks of being on vacation with your entire extended family are that Brett and I were still able to enjoy a quiet date-night, just the two of us. We decided to go to Hotel Manisses again after we had an enjoyable experience last summer.

 

 

After dinner, we took a quick trip up the road for after-dinner drinks at the Spring House again. Where I almost lost Brett in their garden. He was scoping it out to see how they planted everything.

With all the food and drinks we couldn’t ignore our bodies. Unlike my sister who was up for a run every morning, I enjoyed a lot of walking. One morning we even went to a class at Elevation studio. The studio was relaxing and the class was very enjoyable! It was also way more packed than I thought it would be! Another day my sister and brother in law rented paddles boards, I chickened out at the last minute (because ew- what if a fish touched my foot?) but I was able to go grab some paparazzi shots for them.

Our condo unit wasn’t far from the popular 1661 Farm, Ro was ecstatic. Until the llama wouldn’t stop eyeballing her and following her. It’s a great place to go and watch the animals. They also have a lot of interesting ones there, like lemurs, a Yak and giant tortoises that she kept walking up to and saying “hi” to.

 

 

A quick trip up to the Northern Light made for a great photo op. Ro also learned to stack rocks from her uncle. Not to mention how to say “uncle” this trip. Something that ended up becoming something of a small obsession the rest of the trip during beach days.

 

 

 

And last, but most certainly not least, was the beach. It was our first vacation with Ro and her first time at the beach (besides walks with shoes on at home in the winter/spring). The first day we went to Ballard’s beach club where there are waiters that walk along the beach and serve food and drink (Brett and my sister got pina-Coladas in pineapples, because why not.) and Ro was not having the sand so much, but loving the beach chairs and towels.

 

But, my child is of course not afraid of anything for long. By the end of the trip, she was a full-fledged water baby and owning that beach.

 

 

 

All said and done, it was a really great trip.  The week might seem long on such a small island, but it made us feel like we didn’t have to rush around to squeeze things in. Staying in and reading (ok everyone else got to read, I did not) was popular and of course hanging out on the deck with a coffee just enjoying the view and the island breeze. Can’t wait to start planning the next one.