For all boaters and lovers of things nautical, here is a New England Getaway that should not be missed.  From September 16^th to the 19^th, Newport, Rhode Island becomes the center of the yacht world with the fantastic Newport International Boat Show.  Newport has historically been the summer home of the New York Yacht Club, which defended the America’s Cup throughout most of the history of this great racing challenge.  On these few days in September of each year, the entire waterfront area in the heart of Newport is transformed into a gallery of boats, boating supplies and products for every size boat, from dinghy to mega-yacht.  The boat show is an in-the-water affair, with every conceivable boat and yacht on display for your visit.  Manufacturers from around the world are present to show off their newest designs and to get you interested in their boats.  This show clearly takes over Newport with sailors and boaters alike enjoying everything that this amazing place has to offer.  Food, wine and drinks are available at dockside from the many restaurants and bars that are located right on the harbor.  For anyone interested in boating, sailing and yachts, this is a must see!

So make your reservations now to attend this great boat show.  One of the best things about Newport, other than the fabulous mansions that you can also visit while you are there, is the fact that one of our Distinctive Inns, Cliffside Inn, is right in the middle of it all.  Located right nearby the fabulous Newport Cliff Walk, Cliffside Inn is the perfect place to stay while you enjoy Newport and the boat show.  So don’t hesitate, make your reservations now.  This event fills up all of Newport very quickly.  See you on the water!

Have you ever experienced the cliff walk in Newport?  Recently we had a Distinctive Inns of New England meeting at the Cliffside Inn and I realized that the cliff walk was just about 100 yards down the street.  Of course we had an early morning meeting, so at 6 A.M. I jumped out of bed and threw on my shoes and wandered down to the cliff walk to enjoy an early morning walk.  The sun was rising over the ocean and the sounds of the waves hitting the rocks created a peaceful way to enjoy an early morning.  The smell of the ocean permeated the air and everything was just perfect, including an abundance of sunshine.  I had the choice of walking to towards the beach or going in the other direction and exploring the walking path.  Since I had already been at the beach, I decided upon exploring the cliff walk instead. 

As the path wandered along the ocean’s edge, I quickly realized that if I lived in the area this would become a daily walk to enjoy the morning.  Along the 3½ mile walk I encountered other walkers, joggers, and some very happy dogs on a morning jaunt with their owners.  Everyone seemed to be in a happy mood and I attributed this to the beauty that they were all enjoying.  If the ocean was not enough, a short way along the cliff walk I soon began to also encounter the many mansions located along the cliff walk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  Just lovely!  My goal was to cover the 3 ½ mile walk, but I knew with time constraints that I would probably only get half way and sadly I had to turn around before I reached the end.  So, I will save the rest of the cliff walk for another visit to the Cliffside Inn. 

If you have a bucket list, make sure to add this to the list.  It is what the coast of New England is all about…rocky cliffs, dramatic ocean views, and the smell of ocean air.

by Rebecca, Quantum Hospitality

While many of our Distinctive Inns of New England feature fine dining as a part of their offerings, one of our most luxurious destinations, AAA rated Four- Diamond, Cliffside Inn located in Newport, Rhode Island, is a Bed and Breakfast Inn.  Not to be outdone by its epicurean friends in Distinctive Inns, this celebrated property has developed one of the most respected dining guides for Newport restaurants called The Best Restaurants of Newport.  This wonderful restaurant guide is designed to make your stay at Cliffside Inn a gourmet dining experience to be remembered forever.

Current top picks in the Restaurant Guide include Tucker’s Bistro, a romantic and funky, Parisian-style bistro, and 22 Bowen’s Wharf Wine Bar and Grille, Newport’s acclaimed wine bar and steakhouse, located right on the harbor.  Also included in anyone’s list of fine dining in Newport is the perennial favorite, the White Horse Tavern, probably one of the best overall dining experiences in Newport, or anywhere!  Finally, one of our long-term, more casual favorites, the Mooring Seafood Kitchen and Bar, also located on the docks, with spectacular views of Newport harbor.   Have the “chowdah” at the Mooring, and you will return again and again.  These are all part of the many culinary experiences listed in the Restaurant Guide, all a quick jaunt from Cliffside Inn. 

The celebrated Cliffside Inn, former home of legendary artist Beatrice Turner, has earned a worldwide reputation as one of New England’s most distinguished Bed & Breakfast luxury Inns. Known for seamlessly blending today’s finest deluxe amenities — whirlpools, steam baths, fireplaces, grand beds, fine linens — with Victorian elegance and antiques, refined design, and stunning artwork from the Turner collection, Cliffside is a magical hideaway.  With its Restaurant Guide to recommend the finest Newport gourmet dining, it is the perfect place for a getaway visit!

by Howard, Quantum Hospitality

When you are considering a romantic getaway to the Cliffside Inn in Newport, make time to visit the Mansions of Newport.  Newport is home to 11 historic mansions located on over 80 acres of gardens and parks. Perhaps the most famous mansion in Newport is The Breakers.  Built by the Vanderbilt family in 1895, The Breakers sits on 13 acres overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.   Architect Richard Morris Hunt and a large crew of European craftsmen built this Italian Renaissance style palazzo with exquisite detail.  The Breakers is one of a kind and is open yearly for self-guided tours. 

During the Holiday Season from November 20th through January 3rd, The Breakers, The Elms, and the Marble House will be all decked out for the Holidays.  Music, tours, and spectacular decorations will highlight the celebration of Christmas.  Visitors will enjoy thousands of poinsettia plants, trees, wreaths and 19th century style ornaments as they turn their grounds into a Yuletide wonderland.   

In addition to the daily Holiday tours, self-guided evening tours featuring Holiday music, sweets, eggnog, and cider will be available for The Breakers on November 28th, December  5th, 12th, and 26st, from 6-8 P.M.  The Elms and the Marble House will have their evening tour on December 19th from 6-9 P.M.  For your convenience, tickets can be purchased in advance on-line.

Your Holidays are sure to be special when you visit the Cliffside Inn in Newport, Rhode Island!

by Rebecca, Quantum Hospitality

The Cliffside Inn debuts a new series of Winter Weekend Getaways on January 24th, with a grand wine tasting from New England winery stand out Greenvale Vineyards from Newport, Rhode Island. Owner Nancy Parker Wilson will lead the complimentary guest-only tasting of her entire wine lineup for the Grand Wine Tasting Weekend.

One lucky couple will win a collection of Greenvale wines hand selected by Ms. Parker Wilson. All weekend guests at Cliffside Inn and sister property Abigail Stoneman Inn, staying 2-nights, January 23 – 25 are invited. There are no additional charges for the grand wine tasting event or wine give away. Weekend rates from $280. Book Now.

For wine lovers, the Best of Newport Weekend Getaway Package also includes a tasting and Newport wine tour at Greenvale Vineyards, a top-pick bottle of regional wine, tickets to the Newport mansions, and a number of other luxury value getaway package ideas. Call 401-847-1811 to reserve your Newport weekend package getaway.

Learn more about the Southeastern New England Wine Appellation.

Calling all New Englanders suffering from cabin fever. Newport RI’s luxury bed and breakfast, Cliffside Inn, has just put together a spa treatment special that will revitalize and turn anyone’s New England weekend into a rejuvenating New England getaway weekend.

Guests save 25% on the indulgent, Signature Spa Treatment Weekend Package. Designed exclusively for the Cliffside Inn by leading organic skincare and spa specialist Brenda Brock, founder of Farmaesthetics Sustainable Beauty, the Newport spa deal includes 2-nights in a State Room, plus the inn’s signature couples in-room organic spa treatment, a Farmaesthetics Facial To Go gift set, and terry cotton spa slippers. Weekends are $650, weekdays are $550. The spa treatment deal is offered through February 8, 2009. Reservations by phone only, please call 401-847-1811.

The spa getaway is also available at Cliffside sister property, Abigail Stoneman Inn. Both inns are AAA Four Diamond B&Bs and members of the prestigious Legendary Inns of Newport luxury property group. Other Newport weekend packages and winter weekend getaways include: Grand Wine Tasting Weekend; Newport Getaway Weekend Package; Best of Newport Package; Newport Romantic Getaways. Check availability at all Legendary Inns of Newport

Distinctive Inns of New England founding member Cliffside Inn has received the prestigious AAA Four Diamond award for the fifth consecutive year. The luxury Newport RI bed and breakfast is one of five Distinctive Inns hotel or inn properties that are AAA Four Diamond rated, the others are Vermont’s Rabbit Hill Inn, New Hampshire’s Manor on Golden Pond and Inn at Thorn Hill, and The Captain’s House on Cape Cod.

The Cliffside Inn joins its sister Newport RI bed and breakfast Abigail Stoneman Inn with the AAA Four Diamond distinction. Owned and operated by the same family under the name Legendary Inns of Newport, the group is now in the unique position of running more than a quarter of all the AAA Four Diamond inns or hotels in Rhode Island.

The coveted Four Diamond award is given each year to only about three percent of the more than 32,000 AAA rated inns and hotels in America. Only seven Rhode Island bed and breakfasts, inns, or hotels have been honored with AAA Four Diamonds for 2008. Cliffside Inn was the first Newport RI bed and breakfast or inn to be awarded AAA Four Diamond status in Rhode Island. Check availability at Cliffside Inn. See all DINE inns.

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Many people often wonder the difference between bed and breakfasts, country inns, and historic inns. One kind of bed and breakfast, known as a homestay, is usually a private home with just a few rooms and offers a simple breakfast to its visitors. Homestays are often a part-time operation run as a means of extra family income.

Most bed and breakfasts, however, are professionally run and offer more rooms than homestays. The Camden Maine Stay has nine rooms, while the Cliffside Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, and Captain’s House Inn, in Chatham Massachusetts, have around sixteen. B&Bs are owner managed and operated, and usually employ additional staff to help with cooking, housekeeping, and guest services.

Country inns are bed & breakfast inns that offer dinner service as well as breakfast. Often, their dining rooms are open to the public like Gateway’s Inn in Lenox, Massachusetts, which is an ideal getaway for conferences and weddings. Country inns tend to have between five to thirty rooms and, like the Windam Hill Inn and Rabbit Hill Inn in Vermont, or the Chesterfield Inn in New Hampshire, can have a staff of 20-30 people to maintain the inn and care for their guests. Some inns go one step further by offering on-site spas like those found at New Hampshire’s Manor on Golden Pond and Inn at Thorn Hill.

Many inns and bed & breakfasts are also historic inns as they are located in historic areas or are themselves a National Historic Landmark like the Deerfield Inn located in Deerfield, Massachusetts. The Deerfield Inn opened in 1884, and is part of a 350 year old village that is home to an assortment of 18th and 19th century museum houses.

Whether you are looking to visit a quaint bed and breakfast, a renowned country inn, or an inn that is part of history, New England is your destination and the Distinctive Inns of New England offer it all.

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“Ten special inns whose warm hospitality is guaranteed to take the season’s chill out of the air, ” is how Travel+Leisure described its early Spring search for the 10 coziest inns in New England. The travel magazine named both Newport RI’s luxury bed and breakfast Cliffside Inn and New Hampshire’s small luxury hotel Manor On Golden Pond to its Top 10 Inns of New England list.

“Roosted above the Atlantic Ocean overlooking Newport’s Cliff Walk, this Victorian manor house and former home of painter Beatrice Turner channels the sort of joie de vivre stylings one might expect in an eccentric artist residence,” writes Adrien Glover about Cliffside Inn. “Enjoy afternoon tea surrounded by turn-of-the-century canvases in a living museum.” The magazine spotlighted the Governor’s Suite with grand king bed, 2 fireplaces, Victorian birdcage shower, whirlpool and iPod sound system.

“Katharine Hepburn and a doddering Henry Fonda may have made Golden Pond famous, but it’s this New Hampshire Lakes District inn that keeps Squam Lake (the pond’s real name) on the map, ” reports Ms. Glover on the Manor On Golden Pond. “Dinners are elaborate candlelit affairs; the kitchen swings in both directions, offering Chateaubriand for Two as well as special dishes for vegans.” Featured room blue-and-white Churchill Room with king bed, Jacuzzi tub, and fireplace.

Both properties are founding members of the Distinctive Inns of New England and both are AAA Four Diamond rated. Check availability for Cliffside Inn or Manor On Golden Pond. Travel+Leisure Top 10 Slide Show

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From one-night romantic getaways to sensuous weekend romance packages, Newport, Rhode Island’s top luxury bed and breakfast inns, the Legendary Inns of Newport, provides the extra romantic spark for spicing up Valentine’s getaways this month.

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