Michele M.
Yelp
I gave the Castle Hill Inn a four star (which is a shame when you see my review for our stay) because of our dinner meal at The Lawn (very disappointing for a hotel of this caliber, but more about that later in this review). however the Inn itself and our stay this past August was FIVE stars without a doubt. Our dinner at The Lawn (we called too late to be able to secure a reservation in the main dining room restaurant) was average/three stars at best and what brought my overall review rating down.
By all accounts this is one of my favorite places to stay. If you're coming to Newport in my mind you can't get a better location. You are literally right on the beach if you opt for the cottage or the beach house rooms, by which I mean you have your own private beach to saunter down to any time you like - to take a dip, to do some yoga, to read a book, etc. There is valet service at the beach also to set you up with towels, chairs and beach umbrellas. On property the INSIDE main restaurant is very good (I wouldn't recommend The Lawn for food, ), the setting is absolutely spectacular - on a bluff overlooking Narraganset Bay and close enough to downtown (15 minute drive or you can take the Inn's launch to Newport Harbor). It's away from the chaos of downtown but close enough that you can still enjoy everything in Newport. I'm a runner so it was also great to be able to easily leave the property and safely run on Ocean Drive, which wraps around all along the Atlantic Ocean and through Brenton Point State Park and residential neighborhoods.
The Room - I booked a beach house room which was clean and cutely decorated in a nautical/beachy theme. It was good size, with a king & L-shaped sofa, which became a queen sleeper. The bathroom was spacious and modern with a soaking tub and walk-in shower. The highlight of the room was a private deck overlooking the ocean. Perfect for having coffee in the morning, reading in the afternoon or a glass of wine in the evening while watching the sunset - all of which we did!! The room also had a mini galley kitchen which we found useful with a small fridge, sink, cooktop,, coffee makers (Keurig & Nespresso), and stocked with mugs, glasses, plates, utensils etc. This turned out to be good if we just wanted to have a little snack or something in the afternoon.
The Service - They pull out all the stops here as far as service as to anything you need, they are extremely accommodating and everyone who works here is incredibly friendly. One night we dined at up the main house and someone came to pick us up in the golf carts and then drove us home afterwards, which was really nice since our room was a little bit away from the main house. I had asked for recommendations for restaurants in town since it have been a while that I've been in Newport and unfortunately the restaurant we wanted to eat at was completely booked. However the staff kept an eye out and there was a cancellation at the restaurant, which they were then able to secure for us. The little things were nice - the afternoon tea and treats, the absolutely delicious cookies delivered to the room, and reliable, consistent and quick room service. I cannot say enough about the attention to detail - meaning there were no mistakes ever in our room service orders and nothing was ever left out or wrong. They achieved perfection. Breakfast each morning was very good - pancakes were super fluffy and delicious, eggs were cooked perfectly and the hash browns were delicious.
The Lawn - the only negative. Dining at The Lawn was poor food-wise, but the the setting is STUNNING. We were seated on the patio reserved for house guests, it was a gorgeous summer, a sunset of golds, pinks and oranges, overlooking the sparkling Atlantic Ocean and sailboats on the water. The cornbread app - greasy and overly sweet. Oysters were excellent, but broken pieces of shell were served. Swordfish - cooked perfectly and flavorful. Tomahawk Steak for two recommended by our server - really terrible. Cooked unevenly and mostly thick fat. For $130 very disappointed. Side of lobster mac & cheese - not tasty/pasta hard/uncooked (& I don't mean al dente) Our server tried to make up for the steak debacle - which left my husband and son hungry since their meal was really inedible - offering dessert on the house, however really what we wanted was to have a good meal. We didn't need free dessert. Not acceptable and we won't come back to dine. I recommend just ordering raw bar and/or having a drink on the lawn to enjoy the setting.