NeoPatrick

Got a super deal at the Goat Island Hyatt in mid June -- $179 a night for waterfront room with resort fees waved, free parking, free internet, and full breakfast. That's for a Sunday and Monday night (of course it's closer to $500 on the weekends). We'll be driving and will be seeing a show (Good News) at the Goodspeed Opera House in Essex, Ct. on Saturday afternoon 3:00 to 5:30). So what should we do Saturday night? We aren't that far from Newport, but thought it might be fun to do a nice dinner and decent hotel somewhere "between" for one night. Checked the Griswald Inn, where we ate brunch last summer -- but again the rooms are over $300, and the food wasn't really that great. Even thought about Mohegan Sun, but don't want to spend the $479 which is their cheapest Saturday night room! Oh, and we did Mystic last summer, so probably not that. Just so we're close enough to arrive fairly early Sunday morning to give us that full day plus all day Monday for Newport.

Meanwhile, open to restaurant suggestions in Newport as well -- nice places, probably less "family oriented", and probably not the most "over the top" expensive. Quiet places are preferred, but great atmosphere. Years ago had a wonderful meal in a very old tavern -- White Horse or something?

emalloy

Goodspeed Opera House is in East Haddam, about a half hour drive north or Essex. Why not look in Hartford or New Haven or Providence for the Saturday stay. The prices in the city often are less on weekends and they all have nice museums, water activities, etc. There are also other options near the casinos that might have better rates and have shuttles to the casinos.

Fra_Diavolo

Did you get to Stonington Borough on your visit last year to Newport? If not you might want to see it this trip. It's all 17th, 18th and 19th century buildings, most very well maintained. The Inn at Stonington http://www.theinnatstonington.com/ looks nice and is slightly less than the rates you've quoted, at least for some rooms.

NeoPatrick

Well, realize we won't be getting to whatever place this is until evening (leaving Goodspeed after 5:30 PM) and we'll want to head to Newport first thing Sunday morning. So this really isn't about museums or activities or tourist attractions -- there's simply no time for any of that. I guess most of all we're saying "where is a really neat spot to have a nice dinner and a decent motel near by".

emalloy, Providence isn't a bad idea, though just for the night. I know there are some nice restaurants downtown and perhaps a jazz club or piano bar type place?

Meanwhile, yes, I know Goodspeed is in East Haddam, guess I was getting ahead of myself mentioning the Griswald Inn in Essex.

NeoPatrick

Oh, and Fra_Diavolo, the Inn at Stonington, like most of those places, has a two night minimum in June on weekends.

Fra_Diavolo

Sorry -- forgot to check that.

Ackislander

Providence, definitely. Priceline on. Saturday night should be good, they may be having the Fire and Water spectacle then, and restaurants are all over the place.

Centralparkgirl

My favorite restaurant in Providence without a doubt is Al Forno. If you go, do order one of their wonderful fruit crostatas for dessert. It's baked while you're eating dinner.

HappyTrvlr

For dining in Newport, I recommend The Moorings for excellent seafood. You can take the hotel shuttle near it's location to save on pricey wharf area parking.
I grew up eating fried clams and raw clams on the halfshell in the summer and thus loved having lunch at Flo's Clam Shack in nearby Middleton.
We also stayed at the Hyatt on Goat Island( with points) and ate in their restaurant one night as we were tired. It was a pleasant surprise, Portugese influenced dishes which I expect and love in RI, good seafood.
The hotel is a big wedding venue but other than a crowded lobby at times, it never bothered us at all. Make reservations early for The Moorings.
In addition to the Cliff Walk mansions, the International Tennis Hall of Fame is very interesting too, historic buildings and grass courts, a museum. Take a water taxi ride around the bay too.
Sorry to hear you can't get a room for one night at the Inn at Stonington, a favorite of ours.

janie

It's tough to get a Sat night only reservation anywhere along the CT coast in the summer, I've tried.
The suburbs around Hartford are full or chain hotels in corporate parks where you cab get a room for $100-125 per night. Lots of Marriotts for some reason. They may not be that close to a nice dinner place, and it is backtracking a little on your route. If you want to keep going another 90 minutes toward Newport for about $200 per night you can get a room in South Kingstown RI, (only 30 minutes out of Newport) Holiday Inn & Hampton Inn are in that area

That Travelzoo Hyatt deal in Newport is great, right? I'm trying to figure out a way to fit in a couple days.

In Newport, I like Cafe Zelda for lunch or dinner. It's on Thames Street, but several blocks away from the madding crowds

Lookin_Glass

Patrick, this may be a bit outside of the box, but from what it sounds you will just be resting for the night before heading to Newport. I have yet to eat here, or stay here, but they aren't too far from each other and might be a great solution. By the time you travel from the theatre, it will be time to dine and settle in.

Chapel Grill in Cranston RI
I think you would like the architecture and design and the food is supposed to be very good.
http://www.chapelgrilleri.com/

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel...dence-warwick/

If you do decide on Providence instead, you must garage/valet your car as there is no overnight on street parking downtown.

In Newport, a friend's brother owns this Italian joint. He was also the Mayor of Newport for about 5 years.

http://www.sardellas.com/

We like to take friends to The Castle Hill Inn for a cocktail or apps and sit in adirondack chairs and watch the boats go by. It had a massive renovation a few years back that will also resonate in your designer bones.

http://www.castlehillinn.com/

Good luck, hope this helped.
L_G

Lookin_Glass

Have you come up with a plan?

pthomas156

If you decide to do Providence, it would be fun to spend Saturday night eating and strolling on Federal Hill, the Italian section of town. Tons of restaurants, night spots and art galleries. i like Zooma, which is modern Southern Italian, not terribly expensive and really pretty. If it's warm, you might eat outside in DePasquale Square (try Venda Ravioli, also known as Constantinos), with live music usually available. If you'd rather stay on the tony East Side, you'd love New Rivers, which is farm-fresh gourmet. From there, you could stroll up College Hill to Thayer Street, which is the shopping/eating street for Brown and RISD. (Reservations are a must in Providence on a Saturday night, by the way). In Newport, I love the seafood and the boat-y atmosphere at The Moorings, but if you'd like Italian, Mama Luisa's is the favorite, totally authentic and not too expensive. Before dinner, take a beach walk on the beautiful Easton's Beach, then wipe the sand off your feet for a sunset cocktail at the elegant Chanler, which overlooks Easton's and the Cliff Walk. This is a really expensive restaurant, so a cocktail would suffice! The restaurant you are thinking of from your past is the Whitehorse Tavern, which opened in 1673! And if you've never done the Cliff Walk, don't miss it.

NeoPatrick

No plan yet.
Is the Whitehorse Tavern nice? Quiet? Good?

LarryBee

Rhumbline Retaurant is very close to the Hyatt just a few minutes over the Causeway. Very small and cosy but great food. They have a piano player on weekends, but not on Sunday nights unfortunately that I remember.

Thw White Horse Tavern is very well known but is one of the more "over the top" restaurants if you go for dinner, as is Castle Hill.

steviegene

We stayed in Newport for the weekend the last few summers.

The White Horse and the Castle Hill are not really in the same league. Castle Hill is about the nicest (and most expensive) dinner you can get in Newport. The menu was price fix and had teeny tiny portions of well-thought out and extremely gourmet food. Like an Iron Chef menu. The White horse had an atmospheric and dark dining room -- as if you were eating in the 1700s. It has a much more steak-house based menu. Also expensive, but not (as I remember) in the same range as Castle Hill.

We also enjoyed dining at the outside bar at Forty 1 North. It was trendy and glamorous, with good people watching. We did not like the Mooring that much. We've eaten there twice, once for dinner and once for lunch. It was better for lunch, but it seems too formulaic with bland food and sort of geared towards the older set.

Have a great weekend!

NeoPatrick

Steviegene, I'm confused. Your descriptions of dark and atmospheric,compared to teeny tiny portions of "gourmet" food make me prefer White Horse way over Castle Hill. Was that your intent?

And does "trendy and glamorous" mean too loud to have intimate conversation? Maybe I prefer the older set places.

NeoPatrick

OK, we booked the Renaissance in Providence for Saturday night (upgraded room with two full breakfasts for $161).
Now where shall we eat -- hopefully easy walking distance from the hotel after we arrive around 7 or so?
And yes, we will be driving to Newport immediately Sunday morning after breakfast, so no real exploring the city.

steviegene

It wasn't my intention to make you prefer either - just to give you a general idea of what they were like. Both were interesting, with intimate dining rooms and the food really nice. Castle Hill is a lot more fancy and geared towards a unique food experience.... and White Horse is a authentic feeling tavern with dark walls, low ceilings and candlelight. As for Forty 1 north, the outside bar wasn't loud. It overlooked a marina (as the Mooring does) but had more interesting food and light-colored modern decor that made it feel "trendy" and "glamorous". We enjoyed it, but to each his own

NeoPatrick

Thanks for the explanation. I guess I got a little lost when you said "The White Horse and the Castle Hill are not really in the same league. Castle Hill is about the nicest (and most expensive) dinner you can get in Newport." I took that to mean that White Horse was not that great. But now I "get" it. Locally we love a wonderful, small 18th century inn. It's funny, but people almost whisper there and it is amazingly quiet even when packed. Maybe it's just the atmosphere of the place that keeps people from yelling or at least speaking full voice like they do at so many "trendy" places.