Hotel at a Glance: Admiral Fitzroy Inn

When the building that would become the Admiral Fitzroy Inn was constructed in the 1850s, it not only served a different function—a convent for St. Mary’s Church—but was also in a different location, just a few blocks away from where it is now. In 1986, it was broken down piece by piece, brought to the new location, and masterfully reconstructed. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Admiral Fitzroy Inn provides a bed-and-breakfast stay about a mile from the Gilded Age mansions at Newport’s famous Cliff Walk.

• Where you’ll stay: The inn’s 18 guest rooms, formerly the nuns’ quarters, have a European elegance, and greet guests with colorful, hand-painted borders and armoires.
• Added perks: This deal is tailored for a romantic getaway, and the 2-night options come with in-room tulips, chocolates, and a bottle of wine (with two collectible wine glasses to drink it out of).
• Breakfast is served each morning in the sunny breakfast room, with walls painted in spring green. There you’ll find a European-style continental breakfast with freshly baked scones, sweet breads, fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola.
• In-room amenities: a tea kettle, cable TV, and a small fridge.
• Recent accolade: A 2016 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence
• Go shopping in the Newport Historic District that surrounds the hotel.

Newport, Rhode Island: Harbor Town with World-Famous Mansions

Newport sits on Rhode Island’s Aquidneck Island, just 30 miles south of Providence and 70 miles south of Boston. With its picturesque cliffs running along the rocky coast, Newport understandably attracted America’s upper class at the turn of the 20th century. The prestigious Astor and Vanderbilt families joined other captains of industry in building their summer “cottages” here—sprawling estates that epitomized the Gilded Age’s glitz and glamour. You can sign up for mansion tours at the historic The Elms, Marble House, and The Breakers, a 70-room Italian Renaissance–style palazzo commissioned by Cornelius Vanderbilt II in 1893 and inspired by the palaces of Genoa and Turin.

Year-round, the Cliff Walk is one of the most popular activities in town. From sunrise to sunset you’ll find visitors strolling the 3.5-mile path, ensconced between the beautiful Newport shoreline and the spectacular mansions. If the conditions are ripe, you might see surfers catching waves on the ocean breakers.

The city slows its pace in winter; find time to shop on Thames and Spring Streets or visit the city’s many museums. The town is home to the National Museum of American Illustration, which features works by Saturday Evening Post artist Norman Rockwell, as well as the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum.

The ocean is easily accessible from Newport’s western, eastern, and southern coastlines. It’s often referred to as “the Sailing Capital of the World,” and in the summertime, fishing boats fill its harbors and beachgoers flock to its shores. Easton’s Beach (or 1st Beach if you’re a local), the largest public beach, sits catty-cornered to the Cliff Walk’s stunning homes. Back on land, the city hosts a variety of festivals, including the Newport Jazz Festival and the Newport Kite Festival, held in the ocean-facing Brenton Point State Park.

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