Joe and Jamie’s Blog

I wrote a review on Hotels.com which you can start off by reading. I left out a few things just because it was a quick blurb for other people to read. You can read that review here or below.

Hotels.com Reivew: All around great hotel
“This hotel is literally across the street from Easton’s Beach. If you are looking to go to Newport and hit the beach, well you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. If you were just looking to visit downtown Newport save a few bucks and stay here. It is literally 5 minutes away down one road. The room is kept neat and clean. Everything looks great with the recent renovation they just did. I can’t wait to come back and see what the new hotel is like that they just built next to it. Only downfall I could see is room size. There was only two of us in the room and one bed, but the room was small and the bed almost touched the TV stand. Also, the bathroom door just missed the bed as well. I believe we had a small room because there was only two of us. I saw many other rooms and they were a lot bigger when they had 2 beds in the room. Comfort was still excellent even with room size.”

We loved that the beach was across the street, it was so convenient.  The bed was the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. I have lower back issues and my back did not hurt all week long because of that bed. The room was very neat and cleaned very well by the staff. The size of the room was the big issue, but it didn’t bother Jamie and I, we live together in a small room as it is with all our stuff. I can see it being a major issue for some people since there wasn’t any room between the bed and TV stand, and the door to the beautiful bathroom almost hitting the bed as well.

The staff was very helpful. I can see why some people complained about their accents since they were thick, but we had no issue understanding them. The continental breakfast wasn’t the greatest. It was all just bread, muffins, bagels, and some fruit. But hey, what do you want for free. We both recommend this hotel to anyone that wants to stay in the area. I feel the hotel is better suited for business or couples, but like I said I did see rooms much bigger and most of the rooms are actually suites with 2 bedrooms, a living room and kitchen. There are more suites than rooms, so I guess it would be great for a family if you get a whole suite. They really are only about $50-$80 more than a room.

Here are some pictures I took of the room for you to see. Jamie and I are going back in three weeks and will have an ocean view room this time, so I will have more pictures and review that room as well.

Standing in the doorway

Standing on a chair in the corner of the room

Tuesday was a very hot day. Jamie and I decided to check out the famous Cliff Walk that was located only a few blocks down the road from our hotel. We had no idea that it was 3 1/2 miles long, but fortunately there were stopping points where we can pick up the trail another day. We weren’t very prepared for a 7 mile walk, we had just woken up and didn’t eat yet.

The scenes from the cliff are amazing. My pictures and words truly cannot define the beauty of the seaside and the fresh ocean smell in the air. If I were in better shape I would jog here everyday. We went 1 1/2 miles down the Cliff Walk and then headed back to Easton’s Beach to cool off in the water. Since it was cloudy the water was much cooler today, but it was perfect after such a long walk.

After eating at Ninety Nine, a popular North Eastern restaurant chain like Applebees, we went for a sunset cruise on the Amazing Grace around Narragansett Bay. The guide was very knowledgeable, he spent his whole life in Newport. Later in the week we want to go on a long cruise that visits all the lighthouses and goes into further depth of the whole bay. We are also planning on going kyacking in the bay when the weather is nice out.

On one of the stops along the Cliff Walk there was the famous Forty Steps. During Newport’s Golden Age, the Forty Steps were a gathering place for the servants and workers from the nearby mansions. Here they would hold weekend dances and play the Irish songs and music that reminded them of home.

This is the last part of the Cliff Walk that we have not done yet. We plan on finishing this before the vacation is over.

After diner we went for a sunset cruise around the bay on the Amazing Grace boat tour. We saw all the sites from the bay’s view, which is so much better because at the time everything was built there was no road, everyone traveled in via the bay.

This is the Newport-Pel Bridge. It was built in 1962 to allow more traffic between the islands. Before the bridge the only way to get back and forth was the ferry, which couldn’t hold as many cars as the bridge and took over an hour round trip.

This is part of the old Fort Adams that was used back in the 1700’s and 1800’s to protect the bay. Throughout the past it was used as various training facilities and stations for the Navy. It currently isn’t active but a museum.

Sorry of the delay in the posting. I have had major issues with my hosting company in the past few days that didn’t allow me to post this. I will have day four and five up tonight.

We woke up a bit too late today, so we made it a beach day. The sun was out and it was very hot, so perfect weather for the beach, not a cloud in the sky. We took the long trek across the street to the beach after spending the morning deciding what to do for the week.

We decided to eat at the Red Parrot Restaurant tonight. They had a very good selection of local seafood and Caribbean dishes. Jamie and I both chose the surf and turf.

Jamie and I posing at Brown Howard Warf.

Look at the size of some of these yachts. Everyone around here is loaded. That big one to the right is well over a million dollars.

Hustle and bussle down Bannister’s Warf.

Sites from the main road, America’s Cup Ave.

This is Trinity Church which I thought was pretty cool because of the huge clock on the side of it.

We completed our night with a stoll on Easton’s Beach taking in the nice sunset…

but not before ice cream at Roba Dolce.