Lifebeat
| Recommended 
Newport getaways
01/18/2007 01:00 AM EST
One of the guest rooms, above, at the stately Vanderbilt, below.
The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson
When you need to rest and recharge, a close-to-home getaway weekend can sometimes be more relaxing than jetting to some Caribbean isle or western ski town. For one thing, you can drive there, thus avoiding the pat-downs and shoe-removals and toiletry confiscations of modern airline travel.
And for Rhode Islanders, what better place than Newport to get away? From any corner of the state, Newport is not longer than a 40-minute drive, yet when you’re there, you know you’re somewhere else. Rhode Island’s second city and one-time capital has among the highest concentrations of bed-and-breakfast inns in the country, and virtually all of them hang out vacancy signs in this post-holidays, pre-Valentine’s period.
As with any off-season travel, there are pluses and minuses: On the plus side, you have the luxury of being welcomed at a time when tourists are few and far-between. On the minus, some inns use this time of the year to refurbish and repaint — or for the innkeepers to get away themselves — and some places may be closed for a week or so. So it’s important to call ahead to check on availability.
To tempt people to visit Newport in the depths of winter, many inns offer discounted room rates, and the Newport Convention and Visitors Bureau coordinates packages at several inns that combine off-season rates with admission vouchers to performances, art venues and cultural attractions. This year, more than 40 inns and hotels are participating with discounted one- or two-night stays that include breakfast and admission to local vineyards, mansions and museums, as well as a coupon book containing $500 of coupons from area restaurants and shops, a four-issue subscription to Newport Life magazine, and a chocolate treat from Newport Chocolates.
Discounted inn packages are available midweek and on most weekends through April, the exception being Valentine’s weekend, which is always a busy one in Newport. For information, visit www.gonewport.com or call (401) 845-9151.
There are dozens of options for getting away from it all in Newport at this time of year. Without crowds, you can experience the historic charm of the City by the Sea at your own pace. Just remember to call ahead if you have a favorite restaurant or shop in mind to visit, because this is the time of year when even Newporters kick back and take a little time off to play and relax.
While summer visitors to Newport might spend most of their time at the beach or strolling on Thames Street, winter visitors are more likely to settle in and enjoy their host inn. Many places offer a sumptuous breakfast, and some add a complimentary late-afternoon snack or tea to warm guests up after a winter walk on First or Second beach. If those kinds of luxuries are important to you, ask when booking what’s included in the room rate.
These days, no getaway can be considered luxurious unless it includes a Jacuzzi-style whirlpool tub, a surround-spray shower, or both. Simpler places may not offer these amenities, so if they’re important to your getaway experience, ask about them.
What’s luxury? For some people, it’s not fancy breakfasts or bathroom amenities but personal attention. Lifebeat Weekend editor Alan Rosenberg reports in an accompanying story about a perfect getaway weekend he shared with his wife recently at the Architect’s Inn, on a quiet but well-located side street off Bellevue Avenue. By Newport standards, the Architect’s Inn rooms are simple and historic rather than over-the-top luxe, but Rosenberg liked the warm, welcoming reception he got from innkeeper/owners Harlan and Sheila Tyler.
For those looking for the ultimate in luxury in Newport, the Castle Hill Inn and Resort tops the list. With its spectacular perch on the promontory overlooking the Narragansett Bay entrance, the turret-topped Victorian inn offers rooms outfitted with Jacuzzis, as well as separate “beach houses” that open onto a private sandy ocean beach. The inn’s window-wrapped dining room offers a clear view across the harbor entrance to Jamestown and north to the garlanded lights of the Pell Bridge.
A two-night midweek Winter Wonder Package (Sunday through Thursday, January and February except Valentine’s Day) at Castle Hill includes two nights’ stay, one night’s dinner-for-two, afternoon tea service, and two breakfasts-for-two for prices ranging from $761 to $1,466 (for the two-story Turret Suite). Deluxe “beach cottages” run $1,145 for the two-night package. Weekends are $964 to $1,597.
The inn’s Web site is www.castlehillinn.com, phone (888) 466-1355. Its address is 590 Ocean Ave.
For a romantic spot to while away a winter weekend, Castle Hill is ideal unless you want to be able to walk to city attractions. For that, you would need a car for the 10-minute drive to shops and restaurants.
A couple of luxurious in-town inn choices — both new or newly refurbished this year — are the Hilltop Inn and the Vanderbilt Residence Club and Hotel. Both are located within a short walk of Bellevue Avenue, Washington Square, and Thames Street.
The Hilltop is the second Newport inn to be renovated by innkeeper Will Dewey, who also owns the elegant Francis Malbone House on Thames Street.
Opened as an inn for the first time last spring, the Hilltop was built in 1910 as a doctor’s house and office and incorporates Craftsman period architectural details, fine wood moldings and generous arched doorways. The renovation took about a year, and turned the five guest rooms in the inn into masterpieces of calm and luxury, with modern amenities such as flat-screen TVs tucked behind paneled doors, and bathrooms fitted with Jacuzzis and marble surround-spray showers.
At the Hilltop, no detail is left unattended-to. European bed linens, wireless Internet access, and a fitness center in the Carriage House complete the check-list of must-have modern conveniences that are smoothly made part of this genuine historic inn.
An elegant breakfast is served in a conservatory room overlooking a formal garden that is lovely even in winter, and afternoon tea is offered in the paneled dining room.
Room rates for mid-week in January and February are $159 to $199 per night. Weekends are $195 to $250. The inn’s Web site is www.hilltopnewport.com, phone (401) 619-0054. Its address is 2 Kay St.
Also new this year, and still completing some renovations, is the Vanderbilt Residence Club and Hotel.
The Mary Street brick Vanderbilt has been an inn since 1997, when it was converted from a YMCA, but recently followed the industry trend of combining private ownership rooms with regular hotel rooms. For hotel guests, there is no detectable difference. All of the Vanderbilt’s 31 hotel rooms and its common rooms have been renovated in a sleek-yet-comfortable metro style that makes a refreshing alternative to the prevailing Newport Victorian style.
All the modern necessities are there, from flat-screen TVs to wireless Internet to luxury linens and bath amenities. Rooms feel like studio apartments, with separate seating areas, in-room refrigerators and built-in cabinetry.
A special winter deal is for two nights at $199 with a third night’s stay free, with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres for two on one night included. The Vanderbilt hotel restaurant serves dinner, and for Valentine’s Day is offering dinner-for-two and a one-night stay for $425 per couple.
The Vanderbilt’s Web site is www.vanderbiltrc.com, phone (888) 826-4255. Its address is 41 Mary St.
Still another option for staying in Newport is Rhode Island’s only kosher bed-and-breakfast inn, the Admiral Weaver Inn, located in-town on a side street close to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The six-room 1860 inn was opened as a kosher property by Ukrainian immigrant Eugene Twersky and is operated by innkeeper Mary Ellen Newbury. To keep kosher, the inn uses separate ovens for cooking dishes made with meat and dairy, and all foods are approved by Orthodox Rabbi Mordechai Eskovitz of the nearby Touro Synagogue.
Newbury says the inn is popular even with people who are not seeking a kosher experience. “We have a very varied clientele, and our guests come back to us over and over again. They love our location on a quiet street that’s close to everything.”
Winter room rates range from about $70 on weekdays to $92 on weekends, including a hot breakfast.
The inn’s Web site is www.admiralweaverinn.com, phone (401) 849-0051. The address is 28 Weaver Ave.
 | Animal Behaviorist, Christine Johnson |
 | Providence College's 'grunge' edition of Romeo and Juliet |
 | Brown engineering students race cars you can compost |
|
More Lifebeat stories
Mark Patinkin: Let’s take a trip up to my attic
Most Viewed Yesterday
The hunt for Stephen Saccoccia’s hidden assets
Vehicle fatalities climb in R.I.
Suspect shot during struggle with undercover officer
Patriots journal: Belichick says Moss is smartest receiver he’s seen
Most active surveys
What's your favorite breakfast/lunch place?
React to Carcieri's veto of R.I.'s first saltwater fishing license
Are the Yankees on the brink of another dynasty?
Will you allow your children to be vaccinated against swine flu? Why or why not?
Is it a bad thing or a good thing that prostitution is legal in Rhode Island, indoors?
Most e-mailed in the last 24 hours
Reader Reaction
You must be logged in to contribute. Log in | Register Now!
You are logged in as screenname | Log Out
You are logged in, but do not have a "screen" name. Create a Screen Name