Newport Trip Report

My husband and I recently spent two nights in Newport, the mid-leg of a six-night trip that started on Cape Cod and ended in Mystic, CT.

Although I had made numerous day trips to Newport in the past, I had never spent the night. After celebrating our anniversary on the Cape, we decided to celebrate my birthday in Newport because my family members in Rhode Island wanted to join in. Newport seemed liked a good spot for a party — and it was!

Acoommodations: Vanderbilt Hall Hotel. In a word, this place is fabulous! It is a 4* hotel that greatly aspires to be 5*, and is succeeding! A former YMCA, it occupies a renovated historic building on Mary Street, a quiet area but within walking distance of the overly-crowded, maddening, Thames Street and wharfs.

Absolutely everything about Vanderbilt Hall (except breakfast) was top notch and wonderful. We had reserved their smallest size room, and were very pleased. Very comfortable king bed, plasma tv, bookshelves fridge, sink, microwave, combo elegantly designed. Top notch linens, great shower and tub... I could go on and on but will save that for the hotel review section.

To top everything off, we had a view of the harbor and Newport Bridge from our room. And on the floor above us was a roof deck which we took full advantage of. We brought our guests up there to marvel at the same harbor, bridge view, sipping on cocktails while watching the sailboats.

Customer service was first rate! Our guests needed parking, no problem they were allowed in the hotel%26#39;s lot for free (a great plus if you are familiar with Newport parking).

Common areas such as the conservatory and backyard garden are lovely. There was a child in our group, and we saw other children there as well. No problems.

The Vanderbilt may not be on the water like the Chanler or Castle Hill, but the prices are much lower and the quality is right up there!

Restaurants to follow:

Newport Trip Report

Forgot to mention above, breakfast food at Vanderbilt hall was very ordinary, we had better on Thames Street. Very pretty eating in the conservatory, however.

Asterisk: Had my big birthday bash at Asterisk. I chose it after reading posts on TA and then reading the menu. It has a nice selection of seafood and non-seafood dishes, plus it is French, my favorite.

We had an early reservation, because of the child in our party. Our table was ready when we arrived. Our server was a gem. My sisters had bought me a special birthday tiara which lit up, but it was small and had trouble fitting, so our server brought by some bobby pins.... Quite honestly, I would have been happy not to wear the silly thing, but I credit the server for going above and beyond.

Food and drinks at Asterisk were across the board excellent. A few said the crispy salmon was delicious. I enjoyed duckling with cherries and a wonderful fresh salad with berries. A few others liked the steak frites, chciken and torellini dishes. Our little one dined on a grilled cheese from the children%26#39;s menu... there was something for everyone. Various Champagne drinks, Mojitos...all refreshing and well-made.

Asterisk allowed my sister to bring in a birthday cake, and provided plates and set-ups at no extra cost. The cake was a humongous Boston Cream Pie she got from Gregg%26#39;s Restaurant in Warwick. Wow was it great! I think I make a good homemade BCP, but I have to concede to this one. Super soft cake, thick layer of fresh vanilla custard topped with rich chocolate ganache. Bigtime yum!

Our other dinner was in Jamestown at Trattoria Simpatico.

We had another lovely dinner with family members (the party never seemed to end) in the outside garden. Appetizers of Tamarind Glazed Ribs and a grilled Pizza Margherita were excellent! The main courses of steak, veal and other meats were well prepared, the pastas were okay, not quite as authentic as they could be.... (The Bolognese sauce was too red)...but still everything was good to very good, and once again service was outstandingly friendly and helpful. Nice spot in the summer.

Next...sights...

Newport Trip Report

Sights:

Having just spent two amazing days at Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, Mass, I was crazing more ocean and crashing waves.

Those needs were met at Beavertail State Park in Jamestown, a really pretty spot with a lighthouse and craggy rocks you can climb onto (and fish if you are so inclined), and wonderful crashing ocean waves!

We also sat out at Brenton State Park off Ocean Drive in Newport, but it smelled bad there, so that visit was short.

We have toured the mansions in the past, so skipped that.

We headed to Fort Adams State Park, but it was closed because it was a state holiday, VJ Day! R.I. is only state that celebrates it! So went ot the Cliff Walk instead off of Easton%26#39;s Beach and got my ocean fix again.

Final thoughts on Newport:

It%26#39;s a GREAT place to party, but I prefer the cape for vacationing. If you like sailing, dining and imbibing, Newport is great. I don%26#39;t like sailing and prefer beaches and the ocean roar, so the cape is more for me. However, Newport really fit the bill for a birthday celebration and Vanderbilt Hall was fantastic!

Fort Adams itself was closed for VJ or the whole park? I can%26#39;t imagine the whole area was closed because there are other business in there, but maybe it%26#39;s something new...glad you had a fun time!

You could drive up to the fort%26#39;s entrance but it was locked. We wanted to take a tour, not available.

Voy thanks for your trip report! Lots of good details in there.