|
|
|
|||||||
|
Newport Newport’s most luxurious large B&B is based in a summer villa built in 1880 by a Maryland governor. It was meticulously yet extravagantly upgraded by the late Winthrop Baker of Wilton, Conn., who lavished big bucks and great taste on turning his first East Coast inn into one of the nation's best. Cliffside has up to three working fireplaces in each of its sixteen accommodations. Its bathroom “salons” – fourteen with whirlpool tubs and the others with steam baths – are some of America’s most glamorous. All blend rich Victoriana and stately king or queen beds with airy Laura Ashley freshness, telephones and TV sets. Some “digital video” rooms feature media centers and flat-screen TVs with an alphabet soup of LCD, DVD, CD and CVR). Low-key Victoriana prevails in the main house, from the half-tester bed and Victorian loveseat in the elaborate Turner Suite to a two-story Tower Suite with six sides, topped by a cupola. The tower’s entire lower floor is devoted to a wood-paneled bathroom, including whirlpool tub, marble shower and bidet. Upstairs is a bed-sitting room beneath an octagonal cathedral ceiling, with Eastlake queen bed, fireplace and bay window. The main-floor Victorian Room has a new whirlpool bath plus a dresser and a queensize four-poster bed bearing a shell headboard that was acquired at a Woolworth estate auction in Connecticut. The enlarged Garden Suite is a great summer space with a bay window off the front porch and a 28-foot-long "habitat bathroom" beneath, so-called "because you can live in it," what with a Victorian book nook at one end and french doors at the other opening onto a private courtyard. The newest and, some think, the nicest accommodations are in the Cliffside Cottage, a onetime ranch house near the Cliff Walk at the foot of the property. It’s been transformed into three suites, each with three fireplaces and sound-system bathrooms. The Seaview on the lower floor is a stone-walled hideaway with a wood-burning fireplace and an antique French kingsize bed. Its plush sitting room shares a see-through gas fireplace with the marble bathroom, which has an Allure bath, shower and sound system tub to end all systems. Upstairs, the Atlantic has a queen plantation bed, stone fireplace and sitting room with a media center. The kingsize Cliff has not one but two sitting rooms – a living room and a study. There are fine gathering places as well. The large fireplaced parlor is cheerfully decorated in shades of orange-coral and moss green; the faille draperies are a sight to behold. Classical music and opera play in the afternoon as guests enjoy hot apple cider, lemonade or tea, hot or iced, depending on the season, with treats like duck liver pâté, shrimp in puff pastry and brie with crackers. They help themselves to juices, sodas and the like stocked in a cabinet. They relax on the wide front veranda, which yields glimpses of the ocean down the street. The guest's every need is fulfilled by a pampering staff headed by innkeeper Stephen Nicolas and Win Baker Jr., the owner’s son. They serve not only the afternoon canapés but also a memorable breakfast. In our case it began with orange juice, two kinds of muffins and a remarkable (for winter) array of raspberries, blackberries and strawberries to lather upon homemade granola or mix with yogurt. The pièce de résistance was eggs benedict with a subtle hollandaise sauce. There’s food for the soul, too, in Cliffside’s
hundred or so paintings by reclusive artist Beatrice Turner, onetime
owner of the house, whose life story and background are full of mystery.
More than 100 images of her art, including a haunting self-portrait
above the breakfast credenza, remain on permanent display. They add
still another dimension to a luxurious inn of distinction. Eight rooms and eight suites with private baths. Doubles, $175 to $330. Suites, $245 to $575. Add $50 weekends, May-October. For more information: www.cliffsideinn.com or www.legendaryinnsofnewport.com
Material excerpted from Inn Spots & Special Places in New England, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2004. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
page |
Full destination index | |
|
|||||||||||||||||||
