If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD254.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Supremely cosy Newport stay the Cliffside Inn is a slightly humbler prospect than, say, the Vanderbilts’ Breakers mansion down the road; but this Victorian deserves a vaunted rep. It was formerly home to a Maryland governor and then mysterious artist Beatrice Turner (each individually styled room encapsulates the inn’s characters, so you’ll get well acquainted). And it’s still one of the most handsome houses of the Historic District (close to the coast and Cliff Walk, too), leaning into the ‘summering’ lifestyle: gardens to read in, a daily wine hour (free for guests), and working fireplaces to snuggle by.
16 uniquely designed rooms, including nine suites.
Check–Out
11am. Check-in is from 4pm to 8pm (let staff know if you’ll be arriving later). Both are flexible, subject to availability, but you’ll need to request this in advance.
Prices
Double rooms from £229.84 ($287), including tax at 13 per cent.
More details
Rates include breakfast; daily free wine and refreshments from 5pm to 6pm; and coffee, tea and hot chocolate from the lounge.
Also
Due to the hotel’s historic nature, this property sadly isn’t suitable for guests with mobility issues.
At the hotel
Gardens (including a front yard with a fire pit); wraparound veranda; decks; dining room and parlor; library; free-to-use beach chairs, towels and bags; and free WiFi. In rooms: gas fireplace (switched off seasonally, from 1 June to 1 October), LED TV, corkscrew and wine glasses, black-out shades, individually controlled heating and air-conditioning, and Lather bath products. Some rooms also have waffle robes and a mini fridge.
Our favourite rooms
All rooms and suites have their own character and some nod to characters that loomed large in the inn’s history: say, original owner Maryland governor Thomas Swann and artist Beatrice Turner, whose family moved in after Swann and renamed it to Cliffside from Swann Villa. Cosiness is ensured in all, with a working gas fireplace in all rooms (can be switched on seasonally from 1 October to 1 June); but when it comes to crinoline-rustling romance, we like the Tower Suite, set in a turret with a dramatic carved bed; the Garden Suite with its leafy views and reading nook; and the Lark Suite (set in the Carriage House), with its colourful custom decor and collection of antiques.
Packing tips
A pair of sea legs will be of use, as will some hardy shoes for long coastal walks. And maybe bring some games to play in the parlor.
Also
Artist Beatrice Turner, who summered here throughout her life, may be a bit of an enigma, but you can get to know her works, which hang on the walls.
Pet‐friendly
Up to two dogs under 30 pounds can stay in the Atlantic, Cliff and Hydrangea suites with their own private entrance for $50 a pet, each day. See more pet-friendly hotels in Newport.
Children
The Atlantic, Cliff and Hydrangea suites all have a sofa-bed, and kids are welcome, but there are no dedicated distractions or facilities on-site.
Taking breakfast or drinks on the veranda or in the gardens feels suitably genteel.
Dress Code
No need to go full captain’s-table attire for breakfast, but maybe sling on some boat shoes.
Hotel restaurant
Only breakfast is served here, which you can take in the parlor or the veranda; but it’s treated with much import. Dishes change frequently, but small plates might include parfait, French toast, eggs whichever way the chef feels that day, pastries, homemade granola… ie plenty to fuel you up for a day of exploring, and all washed down with Legendary Blend French-press coffee, roasted that day and created in collaboration with Middletown’s Custom House Coffee.
Hotel bar
Aside from the daily wine hour (from 5pm to 6pm), where guests drink for free, there’s a selection of bottles to buy, or you’re welcome to BYOB; there are corkscrews and glasses in each room (some with fridges too), and the freedom to wander with your drink from parlor to gardens soirée-style. Stock up on fine bottles, local ciders and beers and top-tier snacks at Newport Wine Cellar & Gourmet, just down the road.
The Cliffside Inn is an elegant Victorian house set amid other clapboard residences on a picturesque Rhode Island street, a short stroll from Easton Bay.
Planes
rovidence’s Rhode Island TF Green International Airport – serving the Eastern Seaboard, some states further afield and the Caribbean – is the closest to the inn, at around an hour’s drive away; staff can help with transfers on request.
Trains
If you’re railing it across the States, the closest Amtrak stop is in Providence.
Automobiles
Newport itself is a walkable city; in fact, in summer a car will likely be a hindrance. However, driving is probably the easiest way to reach the inn, and it’s ideally positioned for a road trip from Boston (a 90-minute drive) or New York (a three-and-a-half-hour drive). Each room has a dedicated free parking space.
Other
A ferry runs on a frequent seasonal schedule from Providence to Newport, and it’s a leisurely and scenic 60-minute ride.
Worth getting out of bed for
Get prepared for some prime-real-estate envy. A handsome example of Victorian architecture itself, the Cliffside Inn sits in Newport’s Historic District among covetable – and often colorful – antique houses. Once you’ve gazed upon their clapboard and red-brick façades (and delved into the past at the Newport Historical Society), turn your green eyes to the Bellevue neighborhood where you’ll find Gilded Age summer ‘cottages’ (read, big ol’ mansions) of America’s ‘robber barons’, big-deal families and industrialists. This includes the Breakers, the Vanderbilts’ not-so-humble home; dripping-in-gold Marble House (another Vanderbilt res’) and Rosecliff, modelled on Versailles by Nevada heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs. See them as part of the Cliff Walk, a three-and-a-half-mile coastal path with spectacular scenery, which also crosses Salve Regina University’s campus. On completion, you’ll understand just how huge a role the water plays in daily life here: sailing is nigh on a religion in these parts, with the America’s Cup each year (and with the help of 12 Meter Yacht Charters, you can spend time on a racing yacht). Classic Cruises’ history tour is on the Rum Runner II (which smuggled alcohol during Prohibition) – with cocktails, of course – passing Fort Adam; Captain Rob and First Mate Leah entertain families with Fish ‘n’ Tales on the Northeastern boat; and the Newport International Boat Show docks in town in September. And there are belle beaches for landlubbers: Easton and Second Beach at Sachuest (by the Norman Bird Sanctuary) are within easy walking distance. Those who prefer horsepower to helms can see sweet vintage rides at the Audrain Auto Museum or cruise the 61-mile Rhode Island coastal scenic drive. And the Newport Art Museum and International Tennis Hall of Fame catch you up on the culture. And, try to plot your trip around Newport’s events diary, with the Folk Festival in July, Jazz Festival in August and Bowen's Wharf Annual Seafood Festival in October.
Local restaurants
The Atlantic Ocean is basically a big blue seafood à la carte – but first, burgers. Newport has a beefy rep for them, with Mission Burger and Pour Judgement’s towering offerings (the latter’s Littleneck clams are worth your time too). And there’s a fine line in Mexican eats as well, with the likes of lobster quesadillas at Perro Salado and pork belly or poke tacos at Diego’s. OK, now let’s dive into that seafood at 22 Bowen’s, whose menu is awash with tasty catches, or Midtown Oyster Bar, where you’ll find crab cocktail, a swordfish reuben and chowder alongside molluscs. Or spend a more special night at historic White Horse Tavern or French-leaning, caviar- and truffle-offering Chanterelle.
Local cafés
Fruitful farms and waters give Rhode Island its culinary clout. Get a taste for the region on a Rhode Island Red Food Tour, working your way from clambakes to johnnycakes. While Cru Café has a community feel and delicious eats from daybreak to dinner (south-west scramble, meat-packed ‘Italian stallion’ sandwiches, crab cakes, chicken and biscuits…). For dessert, ironically, the sane choice is Mad Hatter Bakery, for its mocha brownies, key-lime cupcakes, pumpkin whoopie pies with cinnamon buttercream, and more delights.
Local bars
First roll out the barrel with flights of rum in Thomas Tew distillery’s tasting room (and take the tour, at 3pm each day). Then clink habanero-spiced martinis or Malibu-sloshed mimosas at Parlor Bar & Kitchen (with some Filipino-style spring rolls); knock back craft beers at Norey’s; and see which blues, rock, soul, hip-hop group are taking the stage at Newport Blues Café. And, if you arrive later in the year, there’s thigh-slapping and stein-smashing to be had at Oktoberfest.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this quaint bed and breakfast, close to the coast in Newport, and readjusted their lofty aspirations (hey, we can’t all be Vanderbilts), a full account of their sailing and seafood break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside the Cliffside Inn in Rhode Island…
If the ‘robber baron’ or Victorian industrialist life paths didn’t work out for you, you can still insert yourself into Newport, Rhode Island’s social scene, with a stay at the Cliffside Inn. First of all, this handsome Second Empire Victorian house – at the heart of the Historic District – has pedigree: it was once Swann Villa, home to Maryland governor Thomas Swann, then a prestigious prep school, and summer home to the Turners (a cotton merchant and socialite) and their artist daughter Beatrice. Nowadays, its past lingers in characterful rooms with charming original features and antiques alongside modern comforts – couples will love the romance of the working fireplace each is fitted with. And in its present bed and breakfast form, it gives you a taste of the lazy high life as sweet as the locally made toffee you’ll find in your room, with custom coffee blends to sip on a sun-kissed veranda, trim gardens to gossip in, daily wine hours, and a location that puts you in the best of company, with the coast and beaches steps away, and billionaire neighborhood Bellevue within jealous-glancing distance.
