The Chanler at Cliff Walk
During Christmas break, my mother took Lucy and my niece, Charlotte, to a hotel overnight to have a fun sleepover with room service and a swimming pool. Which left Dave and me with a night by ourselves.
Bonus!
Instead of watching something on Netflix, we decided to get out of dodge. This is easy if you have the Hotel Tonight app. It’s genius! Last minute, cheap rates, right there on your phone.
We chose Newport because it’s close and it wasn’t going to snow. (Rear-wheel-drive decisions. As in: Dave has a car that’s rear-wheel drive so our winter options are limited.)
We found the Mill Street Inn right near downtown for a GREAT rate. It is walking distance to everything, which was IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT WAS 10 DEGREES.
The rooms are awesome, with super-high ceilings, exposed brick and a sizable sitting area. PLUS, they provide cashews and chocolate-covered pretzels FOR FREE. (It only takes chocolate to impress me.)
First stop, The White Horse Tavern, the oldest tavern in America. We chose this because of the history, because I’ve never been and because it has HUGE fireplaces. (Did I mention it was 10 DEGREES?) We sat at the bar (of course!) ordered this amazing brussels sprouts appetizer and sat near a blazing wood fireplace.
This place has been around since 1673 and apparently is the birthplace of the businessman’s lunch, because city councilors would meet here and bill the public treasury. Interesting.
Next stop, dinner at the Clarke Cooke House, right on Bannister’s Wharf. I’ve been here during the summer, so I wasn’t sure how it would translate in blustery, subzero weather, but it was charming, warm and the burgers are DELISH.
Last stop? Fluke, which is right across the street from Clarke Cooke. The third floor of this place features a GREAT bar with innovative drinks and craft cocktails. If you aren’t sure what to order, just tell the bartender your favorite spirit – mine is tequila – and he’ll make something up!
We got back to the hotel around 10:30 p.m. (I know. Lame. But I think we did a good job hitting the hot spots), got up at 9 a.m. and headed home in time to pick up Lucy from my mother’s.
Next time we need to brunch it up somewhere, but no big deal. There’s always next weekend!
Here are some shots from our super-quick trip.
- Oh! I forgot to mention the The Chanler at Cliff Walk, a crazy-posh inn overlooking Easton’s Beach. This place is GORGEOUS. We grabbed a drink there and took in the view. It was so Gatsby. But be warned: this is no watering hole. The price of a martini will make your head spin, so stick to one.