This past weekend, Zach and I celebrated our five-year wedding anniversary in Saratoga Springs. I always find it difficult leaving Wesleigh and Tucker and now that we’ve been home together for over 6 months, I knew this trip would be especially hard. Fortunately, the kiddies were in good hands with family.
We arrived in Saratoga Springs, known primarily for its famous racetrack, at the end of the day Friday, looking for a relaxing and stress-free weekend. We stayed at The Brentwood, a former motor lodge renovated by Brooklyn-based designers Studio Tack (the creative group behind the popular Scribner’s Catskill Lodge) who maintained the neighborhoods equestrian-inspired heritage and added subtle trendy design cues.
Although I grew up horseback riding competitively, I never made it to Saratoga, so spending time around the countless stables and seeing horse’s parade down the street was wonderful. Although we didn’t get to experience The Brentwood as we would have under normal circumstances, the staff made our stay delightful. We pulled into the parking lot, parked in front of our room and were able to walk right in as the team called us ahead of time asking our ETA to maintain contactless check-in. High-touch items (hairdryers, pens, notepads, etc) were removed from the room, mid-stay housekeeping was suspended, and all laundry and linens were cleaned following CDC guidelines. In total honesty, these changes did not bother me at all. I’m the type of guest that will make my bed in the morning anyways and bring my own hair dryer, so this did not affect our experience.
Once we settled in and freshened up after out drive, we moseyed into town for a late dinner at 15 Church. The restaurant had a huge patio set up with outdoor heaters – perfect for a chilly night during social distancing. Saturday morning we took advantage of having no set plans, slept in late and went to brunch at Hatties, made famous for their fried chicken. We ate far too much and walked around town in an attempt to burn off some of the biscuits consumed. A few shops in town to consider stopping by include Lex & Cleo which has a wonderfully curated selection of children’s toys, clothes and gift items as well as Saratoga Tea & Honey, where we stopped each day for tea and matcha and I purchased this beautiful vintage teacup and saucer to add to my collection.
Later in the afternoon we went to 550 Waterfront Restaurant, an adorable American bar on Saratoga Lake. We sat outside along the water to enjoy unobstructed views of the Lake, although the interior space could feel like you’re outside because the exterior walls are all open garage doors. The restaurant also offers seating at bonfires and Adirondack chairs on the sand closer to the water.
Keeping it Covid safe, we drove up to the Glen Drive in Theater and saw a pretty awful movie, The War with Grandpa, which considering how bad it was, starred an A-list cast (Robert DeNiro, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken, Jane Seymour). Disappointing movie, but adorable drive in for a fun, safe activity. Following the movie we headed for another late dinner, this time at Hamlet and Ghost, a restaurant I’d highly recommend if you make the trip to Saratoga Springs.
To break up the drive home Sunday morning we had brunch in Albany at Iron Gate Cafe and made a pit stop in Woodstock so I could shop at the local Flea Market where I snagged an adorable footstool for Wesleigh’s room (more on that soon) and a pretty vintage tray.
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Note: Affiliate links may be used in this post. I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you if you use my affiliate link. Full disclosure policy here.
