Hotel at a Glance: The Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina

Founded in 1639, Newport is one of the country’s oldest towns. You can find traces of its centuries-old history along the mansion-lined Cliff Walk, inside the late-19th century Fort Adams, and at the town’s Queen Anne Square, which is located right next to The Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina. Some guests of the hotel can look out at this historic square from their rooms, while those on the other side of the building can peer out onto the yachts moored in Newport’s scenic harbor.

• Located in the heart of downtown Newport: Stroll along cobblestone streets lined with restaurants, pubs, museums, and boutiques.
• In-room amenities: kimono-style robes, free WiFi, Keurig coffeemakers, and HD cable TV with HBO
• Go for a swim in the indoor heated saltwater pool, which is enclosed in an atrium and surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows with a harbor-view sundeck. You can also relax inside the hotel’s sauna.
• Where to eat: Sample classic New England cuisine at the hotel’s restaurant SaltWater.

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 cater-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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