For when you want to get away, but casually...
Over Labor Day Weekend my friends and I celebrated my best friend's birthday, and when I say celebrated I mean we went ALL out. For 2 nights, we rented a tiny home/camper on VRBO and decorated it as if it was a bachelorette party. The best part about the rental? It was 30 minutes away from our town and in-state. No need to worry about state regulations or if we would even be allowed to travel to our rental. Since the weekend turned into such a fun event, I thought a Glamping Guide to Southern Rhode Island would be perfect. If you’re ever in the area, it is gorgeous in the summer and you’re most likely on the water or 5 minutes away from it.
Where we stayed: Matunuk, Rhode Island
Waterfront Property on Potter Salt Pond - this was our tiny home/camper and it was amazing to say the least. There were 5 of us and we actually fit in the 2 bed, 1 pull-out situation. It’s an updated camper with a full kitchen (no dishwasher), a large bathroom (enough room for 2 of us to do our makeup and one to shower), 1 queen-sized bed, one lofted full-sized bed and a couch that pulls out (not that comfortable for sleeping but we made it work), and an insane amount of storage. Outside featured a table and chairs, a grille and the best part - dock access to the Salt Pond (basically a huge inlet from the ocean).
What we brought: SO MUCH, but it was all used and needed
Food/Drink: We planned to dine out for one dinner and one brunch, so we needed enough for snacks and a cookout
Cookout Food: Hamburgers, hot dogs, buns, ketchup, mustard, mayo, tortilla chips, potato chips, watermelon, queso, guac,
Snacks: Cheese Itz, Pita Chips, my homemade crowd-pleasing Spinach Artichoke Dip, tons of cheese for the cheeseboard (of course using Simple Mills and Kilchurn Estate Cheese, this cheese is so good I actually called a restaurant once and asked what their cheese was...it is this brand), candy and of course some Velveeta for late-night.
Drinks: 2 cases of water (and yes we drank them all), a case of Spindrift (the best clean seltzer, Liquid IV for the expected hangovers (I have a link/code “KELLYELIZABETHKING” for you to save some $$$ on this! My friends love it), Tequila, seltzers, OJ for mimosas and some wine from Winc (I also have a link for this wine ordering platform to save you $22/free shipping - they have organic and vegan which is a game-changer).
Random: Lemons, limes, oranges, a homemade cake that I used Simple Mills cake mix and frosting for, delish and cleaner ingredients than typical cake mix/frosting!
Supplies: I did a ton of research into the reviews to see exactly what we would need/want/be missing…
The reviews mentioned there was an outdoor table but it was pretty small and only had two chairs, so we brought a folding table and extra chairs.
Decorative scalloped table cloth, pink star paper plates, gold plastic utensils, mini wine cups, my go-to lazy susan cheese board, beach chairs to hangout on the doc, beach towels, a speaker, disposable cameras, extra blankets, tongs for the grille and we went out to buy ice and a lighter for the grille/candles.
Fun items:
These tumblers from Etsy...we got them personalized and used them all weekend long. They also come with reusable straws! 5 stars.
Floats for the Salt Pond - Taco, Fruits and Flamingo
Don’t forget rope to tie yourself to the dock/each other
Personalized balloons from Etsy - 5 stars.
Matching PJs - so soft, I can’t stop wearing them! True to size.
Candles for the cake
More hanging decor
A taco pinata - it’s a little joke we have
Where we ate - Matunuk Oyster Bar, Ocean Mist and Bagel Z
Dinner: We did dinner out one night and booked Matunuck Oyster Bar. They take reservations 14 days out and definitely plan ahead. We were seated at an awesome table outside.
Highly recommend doing oysters - the oyster farm is literally right there, the mussels, calamari, the cheese board, pesto pasta and any seafood.
They do a great Skinny Marg and have an amazing wine selection.
Parking is available.
It was walking distance from our rental.
To the left is our delicious plate of oysters and their fresh wildflowers...obviously had to pull out the fun disposable cameras!
Brunch: You can’t go to Southern RI without hitting up Ocean Mist. They take reservations and you 100% should make one since it really is the town hot spot. Don’t leave without a Coffee with Love, Curly Fries and one of the Eggs Bennies.
Request outside in the warm months! Parking is available on the street but you have to keep an eye out for people leaving to get a good spot. This was a 5 minute drive from our rental and we obviously took some Coffee with Love back to the rental (it’s allowed right now).
Quick Coffee and Breakfast: Bagel Z was the perfect stop for the day of checkout. Great bagels and breakfast sandwiches, I used to LOVE this place when I went to college at URI.
What we did….
Aside from eating and drinking we basically did a whole lot of nothing! Being right on the Salt Pond was perfect because in the mornings we could hang out there and then in the afternoon we tied our floats up to the dock and hang out in the water. Here is our basic itinerary:
Day 1: Saturday
3pm: Arrival, unpack
3:30pm-5pm: Snack on a cheese board, have a drink and explore the area
5pm-6:30pm: Getting ready for dinner
6:30-7pm: Pictures on the dock
7:30pm-8:45pm: Dinner at Matunuck Oyster Bar
9:30pm: Back to the rental for more drinks, cake and hangout.
Day 2: Sunday
Wake up - 10:30am: getting ready, chugging water, hanging out on the dock
11am-1pm: Brunch at Ocean Mist
1:30pm-2pm: Back at the rental and getting ready for the water
2-4pm: Hanging out in the water, exploring the area
4pm-5pm: Rest, get ready for cookout
5pm-7pm: Cookout in the yard
7pm-bed: Hanging out
Day 3: Monday AM
Wake up-11am: Getting ready, grabbing bagels from Bagel Z, packing and checkout.
How we planned it…
We kinda just said let’s do it. Found this adorable spot on the water and immediately grabbed it. The owner/property manager was so nice and accommodating. We completely surprised our friend btw. We took two cars and myself and my friend Sarah drove up early to set everything up. The bday girl was blind folded for the drive and totally shocked when she arrived. The 4 of us that planned the trip all took different jobs - one got all the food, one bought floats and fun items, one was in charge of getting the bday girl to the spot, etc.
If you’re planning a trip during COVID-19 I highly suggest something like this - it’s so easy to book in-state and especially a rental home where you do not need to be amongst tons of other guests.
Anyone else traveling right now? Any questions about the vaca? Drop a comment or message me on social media.
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