I am going to Newport for a wedding in October and want to find a place to stay that is not too expensive but also not a dive. I have checked Expedia and Travelocity and come up dry - most places have no availability at all and the rest are $250+ per night. Does anyone know a better way to do this or some nice B&B that might have room? I don't have to be in the center of town but I don't want to have to drive too far from the Hyatt where the wedding is.

I don't normally use Priceline because of the uncertainty involved in bidding for hotels without being knowing which properties are included. However, if you bid on Newport-Goat Island there is only one property - the Hyatt. Current winning bids for August are around $60 for a weeknight.
3 Star property is very well maintained.

LInda, I used to live in RI.. Newport is great but expensive. Two suggestions - first think of looking into nearby towns for B and Bs either Portsmouth or Bristol or Jamestown. You would still be under 30 minutes ( with traffic) from Newport, they are cute towns on the water but you might find a better deal. Secondly, check out a AAA book or search B& Bs in RI on the web... then call them directly. I think you will find much more to choose from. Sorry, I can't think of any specific names to call but there should be quite a few fairly nice properties. Good luck

Newport is a great little town, the whole area is nice. Try www.gonewport.com, and check out Attwater Villa.

We just returned from a stay at the Marshall Slocum guest House (B&B). It was VERY nice and less expensive than some. Gourmet breakfast served everyday.I would highly recomend it! Check out there website at
www.marshallslocuminn.com

Linda,
Try looking for lodging in Middletown, which is the next town over from Newport. You may be able to find some reasonably priced motels & moter inns. Try "oso.com".

IN NEWPORT RI TRY THE JAILHOUSE INN / HOTEL IT IS RIGHT IN TOWN WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE TO THE SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS . OFF SEASON WE PAID $70.00 A NIGHT BUT IN THE SUMMER IT IS MUCH MORE. IT HAS A COUPLE OF FLOORS .
IT USED TO BE A JAIL / SOME OF THE BARS ARE STILL ON THE DOORS AND WINDOWS.
THERE IS A LITTLE ROOM WHERE YOU CAN HELP YOURSELF TO TEA / COFFEE AND MUFFINS AND COOKIES 24 HOURS.
PEOPLE WERE NICE. FREE PARKING ALSO

When we go to Newport (and we go often) we usually stay at the Hyatt. We never pay more than $95/night and are usually upgraded to very nice rooms.

Newport can be expensive. I agree with the above posts to look into other areas that are close. Portsmouth, Jamestown, Wickford, Narragansett.

We stayed at the Francis Malbone house. It's been three years so I don't know if their prices are within your desired one. It's worth it though!

PLEASE NOTE: This post is from August 2002, asking about October 2002.

(I was wondering at first why someone would have trouble in February getting a room for October...)

Hey NYER good catch. This has happened before with these RI people. They either don't bother to look at the date or they top old posts because there have not been any new questions about RI for a while.