Castle Hill Inn

Castle Hill Inn

Beach Cottages sit right on the sand dunes here, close enough to Narragansett Bay that the tide is the first thing guests hear in the morning. Castle Hill Inn occupies 40 acres on its own point five kilometers from central Newport, with a private beach that immediately separates it from the mansion-district hotels clustered downtown, and from there it's a short walk to Castle Hill Lighthouse and Collins Beach. The 33 rooms spread across the main Agassiz Mansion, the Chalet, and freestanding beach houses and cottages, each with its own layout, so a Mary Walsh Room with bay views is a different stay entirely from a Chalet Suite with its wet bar and pull-out sofa; bathrobes, slippers and proper toiletries are standard throughout, though families with children under 12 need the houses or cottages, since the main building doesn't take them. Dinner runs through Aurelia's six-course tasting menu, built around Coastal New England seafood and produce and paired with a wine list that Wine Spectator rates among the best anywhere, while the Lawn Terrace and its Adirondack chairs handle the more relaxed, watch-the-sailboats end of things. A concierge can arrange a Hinkley yacht half-day, an antique-car tour along the gilded coast, or a guided hike to a private picnic, and the Cliff Walk starts practically at the door. There's a spa, a massage room, yoga, a library, free parking and free Wi-Fi, and staff who work comfortably in English, French, German and Spanish. Pets are welcome for a $175 deposit. This suits a couple wanting a genuine coastal address rather than a Newport hotel with a harbor view on the brochure; anyone wanting nightlife within stumbling distance should stay in town. The rooms differ enough to matter, so it's worth picking one, but the private beach and the Aurelia tasting menu are what set Castle Hill Inn apart from Newport's other historic inns.