Heated igloos are nothing new, not by a long shot. Restaurants, bars, and hotels in London, New York (the folks at Fifth Rooftop Bar in NYC were definitely early adopters) , DC, and Atlanta have been setting them up on their patios and rooftops since at least 2017. And this winter, with the pandemic and the move to outdoor dining, they have been popping up all over Rhode Island.

The great news is that Gurney’s Newport has them again (this is their 2nd year and for the record we visited last December for hot chocolate and smart phone photos) — and I just loooooooooove Gurney’s! I’ve had many a delicious meal at Scarpetta, the Italian restaurant on the premises. Also, since opening, they’ve hosted two of my favorite former-Conde-Nast-editors-turned-21st-century-lifestyle-gurus Jean Godfrey June (now of Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP) and Eva Chen (now of Instagram). In addition, similar to the set-up Doris Duke had a Rough Point back in its hey day, I hear there’s salt water on tap at their spa.

Now I tried to make a reservation this week, but not surprisingly these cozy and stylish lunch or dinner bubbles that over look the Newport Pell Bridge were booked solid. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not someone who would ever want to sleep outside in a tent (ok, glamping maybe, traditional camping never), but igloos with iconic Rhody views at one of the chic-est resorts around, sign me up! I did manage, however, to reserve one for next week and I cannot wait to share 2021 details and photos.

If you’re somewhere between excitedly busting out the cashmere sweaters and coats and concerned about safety, let me just say that I was pretty darn impressed after reading on their site about how they clean and sanitize each and every igloo immediately following. I mean, they use a hospital grade, and NSF certified, device and solution to santize the entire interior, so I feel completely comfortable going and enjoying a two hour meal there. Provided you’re going, as I am, with people who are already in your pod, and the server is masked up, I think it’s a splendid way to get out of the house this winter.

For complete deets, do check out GurneysResorts.com.