Today we were setting out to see the Newport Mansions, as one is compelled to do. I will spare you the blow by blow of how we walked a mile to visit a bakery that is supposed to have the best pastries in town only to find it closed. It was Monday after all. We found an acceptable second choice and fueled up.
One can spend days touring the mansions in Newport, but in my mind, if you’ve seen one opulently gilded ballroom, you’ve seen them all. We decided to just visit the grandaddy of all the mansions, The Breakers.
The tickets were a about twenty dollars each. A little hefty, but if you want to tour an additional mansion it’s just five dollars more. For ten dollars more you can visit all the mansions. Good on ya if you’re up for it. Another add-on available was a Servants Tour where you can experience the gilded age through the eyes of the staff, but I’ve watched all three seasons of Downton Abby so I’m pretty much up to speed on that.
There was no photography allowed inside the mansions. The delicate fabrics and tapestries are vulnerable to flash, I guess. They take this rule very seriously. When a guy tried and take an iPhone photo in the Grand Hall there was a lady with a walkie talkie on him in two seconds flat. I did however find another blogger who had some pretty sweet interior photos. I’m not sure if he/she got permission so I won’t rat them out.
Photo Gallery!
This is a self guided tour where you are outfitted with head phones and walkman type device that you can advance at your own pace. I have to say, this was really well done. There were not only facts and details about the construction and the history of the house, there was also commentary from people who actually visited or served the Vanderbilt family. Another nice feature was that if you wanted to expand the tour, you could key in a number at certain locations and learn even more about aspects of the house or it’s occupants. We did this just a couple of times, but if you wanted, you could turn a ninety minute tour into a three hour event. Not for us though, we had lunch to get to!
View from the second floor Balcony
I could easily set up my Weber grill down there.
After the tour was through we were free to roam around the grounds.
Side view of the cottage. Did I mention this was a summer home?
The Back Yard
Horrifying fountain
This guy guards the portal to hell.
Time for lunch!
You might remember how disappointed I was with my choice of venue for our anniversary dinner. I’m almost over it. Lunch however, was a totally different story. In researching for our hotel I looked into some of the most recommended (read: most expensive) options as well, just for comparison sake. The Chanler at Cliffwalk was one of the finest. With rooms ranging from $700 to $1200 per night this was not where we would be laying our heads. However, we would take full advantage of their amenities.
The Chanler. Unassuming compared the the Breakers!
The front lawn and driveway.
Can you guess which car is ours? You’re right!
Sneak peek of the view.
The Chanler hosts the “jacket required” restaurant Spiced Pear. This is dinner only so no dice for lunch even if Jeff was sporting a jacket. By the way, no entree on this menu was over forty-one dollars. Still working on my resentment. Anyway, this fine establishment also offers dining in the Vernada or on the Terrace for breakfast lunch and dinner, with a very affordable menu. However, the food isn’t the star here, it’s the jaw dropping view!
Tadah!
How delightful!
The patio terrace
The menu featured a variety of salads, fresh seafood and sandwiches. We started with the lobster bisque.
Creamy lobster deliciousness.
Jeff got the fish tacos with mango slaw. I didn’t steal a bite. Very unusual for me.
Fish tacos
I got a tasty burger with onion marmalade, topped with onion rings. Very oniony. I’m a lady so I chose salad instead of fries.
A dainty lunch
After lunch we took our adult beverages out to the lounge chairs for some reclining.
You know you couldn’t resist either.
Aahhh….
Looking back at the terrace.
We look a last walk through of the Chanler before we headed out.
The Veranda
The manly bar. I could spend some time here.
Cozy conversation area.
I’m sure there’s a back story to these paintings.
No visit to a fancy hotel is complete without a snoop at the facilities. These were some of the finest I’ve seen.
The powder room
The loveliest of sinks and real cloth towels.
A place to regain your composure.
Still in the bathroom.
Let’s get one last look at that view!
So here’s the thing. In our limited travels, I’ve discovered that there are some exquisite hotels out there that, other than actually sleeping in the beds, you can really enjoy almost every aspect of their amenities. This time, for the price of a casual lunch, we observed the most spectacular seaside view in Newport, reclined on the manicured lawns in their Adirondack lounge chairs while sipping fine libations and basically traipsed around enjoying all the comforts afforded any guest. We were customers after all.
Our two day jaunt to Newport was just lovely. Despite my laments about certain meals (just my type A controller showing) we couldn’t have had a better time. We saw and did enough to be satisfied, but there’s certainly many reasons to visit again …maybe after we get to Tokyo.