judyaherbert

Hi
I would appreciate some suggestions on where to stay in Rhode Island for one night. We will be in Essex Connecticut during the day and will be driving up to RI just for the night to then continue on to Vermont the next day. We know we are going out of our way to head to RI, but we want to stay the night there. Is there a good place to stay right on the border of Connecticut and Rhode Island?

Thanks so much.

tchoiniere

Don't really understand why you are going way out of your way to go to RI like this. Sounds like a checklist to say you have been in RI. It will be a long drive the next day to get back going the right direction towards Vermont.

Look at the Westerly and Misquamicut areas. Then backtrack to 395 to head towards the MassPike.

Fra_Diavolo

You could try the Shelter Harbor Inn http://www.shelterharborinn.com/. It's about twenty minutes over the border. There aren't many hotels on the RI side, just a few motels on Rte 1, and none are appreciably closer than the above inn. Depending on when you're going, Watch Hill RI is the major exception. It's a popular resort town just over the border, but shuts down in the off season. The Ocean House http://www.oceanhouseri.com/ is scheduled to open on May 17, for its first season. It's a recreation of the original, on the same location, from the Victorian era.

Newport is another hour on, and puts you even further off your course for Vermont.

judyaherbert

Thanks for both your responses. Yes, we are checking RI off our list, and the only way to do it is in the beginning of our trip. I feel in the long run, it will be worth the extra driving time.

Is Providence a city that is easy to drive around in? Any hotel recommendations there? Then we could shoot up RT 146 to catch 395 into Vermont.

tchoiniere

What day of week would this be?

judyaherbert

We are going to head to RI on Wed August 4th.

tchoiniere

Providence is a small city but its not easy to drive in as its set up in circles. I go to Providence as day trips so can't help with hotels. There are a bunch. The drive from Essex to Providence may be a lot longer than you would like on Wed night but the drive on Thursday may actually be shorter taking 146 to the Mass Pike to get to either 495 into NH then to proceed into Vermont or to head to 91 to go into Vermont, depending on where in VT you are heading.

emalloy

If you want to be near the ocean, there are places in towns like Naragansett, Watch Hill, and Point Judith that have lodging. Then of course there is Newport with the mansions and lots of short term places to stay.

From Essex, just get on i-95 head east (north) and then look at the areas you are interested in visiting and use state roads to get over to them. Route 1A goes close to the coast in many places and is accessed from route 1,I would take it once I was over the RI line (some roads are still out due to flooding so check before you go) route 38 takes you to Newport from either 95, 1 or 1A.

dfrostnh

Providence hotels tend to be expensive like any city hotels. I used Hotwire once and was pleased with the result because I needed to stay at the Westin for an event. Others I know prefer to stay in Seekonk or Warwick for less expensive motels. Providence has some nice restaurants including Federal Hill (Italian section). Providence to Concord NH is about 2 hours via Rt 95 to 495 to rt 3 to rt 293/93 then an hour to VT via Rt 89 if you're heading to the Norwich or Woodstock area.

judyaherbert

Sorry so delayed in responding back - but thanks for all the input it's all very helpful!

Woyzeck

On the border of Conn/RI, your best bet would be a B&B in Westerly, RI and a stroll around the Downtown. You could then head back to I-395 in Conn and head north to Vermont. Check out Watch Hill and Misquamicut or maybe some of the inns along Route 1.

I mean, you could go to Providence, too, but it seems a tad out of the way. Westerly would be convenient for your purposes. I don't think a drive around Providence would really be worth your while.

Ackislander

If you stay in Westerly, be sure to visit Watch Hill. It is like the ultimate Old Yankee resort. All you need to do is drive through, but if the carousel and the tearoom across the street are open, it is well worth a stop.