Aer Lingus will launch its first flight between Dublin and Hartford Connecticut next September, offering holidaymakers a straightforward route to the tourist mecca that is New England.
Home of the first ever Dunkin’ Donuts, and boasting an impressive 20 per cent of the United States’ historical landmarks, New England comprises Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont – each state packed with fun trips, gorgeous eateries and jaw-dropping backgrounds for those getaway selfies.
The location for classic movies including Love Story, Jaws, The Great Gatsby (you can tour even tour the mansion in the film, Rosecliff, in Newport, Rhode Island, less than two hours from Hartford’s Bradley International Airport), New England is also the scenic background in Beetlejuice, Mystic Pizza, and Me and Me, Myself and Irene, so the famous fall foliage and shingle houses will be familiar long before you touch down.
These five stunning Air BnB homes will help inspire your New England adventure…
1. A room with a view – €454 per night
Surrounded by bobbing yachts in Newport, Rhode Island’s picturesque harbour, the Belafonte is a restored houseboat complete with sun deck and queen-size bed. It sleep two, making it a romantic getaway like no other (and the perfect setting for a proposal) and it can seat 10 comfortable on the deck, so it’s also ideal for family get-togethers (and intimate engagement parties!).
2. A Beekeepers Cottage – €159 per night
Freeport, Maine
A fairytale base from which to walk the ocean shoreline or sit out at night and star gaze, this sweet cottage even has access to private pebble beach, where a canoe and kayak are available to guests. Fill your days with antique shopping, hiking and biking and pick up some lobster, mussels and clams for a family dinner cooked on the range. The owners, who live nearby, are beekeepers and their hives are on the property – they’re happy to give tours too!
3. An Italianate mansion – €118 per night
Higganum, Connecticut
Built in 1841, the owners rent out two bedrooms and a large living room in this imposing 11-bed home, named Spirit of 76 House after a mural on the west side facade. It’s in the village of Higganum, where you can access a wealth of water sports, crafts, fishing, swimming and hiking… all just a two hour drive from the bright lights of New York or Boston, if you can tear yourself away from the hammock in the back yard.
4. An artist’s retreat in the mountains – €181 per night
Hyde Park, Vermont
Built in 1926 by two artist sisters, this rustic Vermont home boasts a wood burning fireplace, galley kitchen and a dining table that seats eight. Set on 12 acres with pristine view of the surrounding mountains, its Japanese tea garden overlooks a trout pond and it’s close to two cross country ski trails.
5. A cosy log house – €127 per night
Foster, Rhode Island
This adorable ‘in-law apartment’ boasts a queen size bed, full kitchen and full bathroom in a property surrounded by horse trails. There’s even a hunting cabin available with bunk beds and a wood stove for keeping warm.
Flights between Dublin and Hartford, Connecticut will be available for booking on November 3, 2015. See the Aer Lingus website for updates.
