Home of the famous Bellevue mansions, the Tennis Hall of Fame and the America’s Cup, Newport has always been an exclusive enclave for the rich and famous. And any city with that kind of pedigree is definitely fit for a weekend getaway—especially during the holidays! Find out where you should go, stay and dine in Newport this holiday season!

Where to Stay

As you all know, we love Lark Hotels. They are funky, stylish and unique. We recently tried the Attwater, which is located in downtown Newport and absolutely loved it! In typical Lark style, the hotel is housed in a fully updated historic home. The furnishings, the service and the amenities (ahem, the small plates breakfast) are just what you would expect from a Lark property—a delight!

The King Suites are spacious with a separate bedroom and living room, complete with a fireplace.

And when you wake up each morning you are greeted by the best part of a Lark stay, the breakfast. The chic small plates format is tasty, healthy and imaginative. No Lark breakfast is the same, they all offer a fabulous combination of pastries, fruit, hot dishes, overnight oats, and more!

What to Do

Newport is the quintessential New England town, a cozy downtown, beautiful waterfront views and plenty of history to go round.

Speaking of all that history, if this is your first time in Newport, you have to head to the mansions. While they were designed to be used as summer homes, they are the most magical during the holidays, trust me a mansion decked to the nines is something you just have to see to believe.

And after you have had your fill of exploring the glamourous homes on Bellevue, why not take a cue from the Gilded Age owners of those homes and luxuriate a little bit. Head to the spa! A great choice is Spa Fjor, inside the historic Hotel Viking.

Offering up dozens of amazing experiences to choose from, you really can’t go wrong at Spa Fjor. Whether you feel like a couple’s massage or a facial, they will take good care of you here. We were fortunate enough to try the Balinese Couple’s Massage on our recent trip and it was the perfect way to unwind for the weekend.

And once you are feeling nice and relaxed, head to Newport Vineyards for a tour and a tasting of some local wines. A full service winery and vineyard, you get to experience the whole operation, from the vines themselves, to the wine making to the bottling processes, you see it all on the tour. And then once you’re done, you head to the tasting room to check out some of the local flavors.

And after your tasting, if you have some time to kill before dinner, why not check out the lovely downtown or the famous Cliff Walk, where you get a beautiful view of all the fabulous mansions.

Where to Eat

Newport is filled with high end eateries and alfresco oyster bars (in the summertime), in the cooler months, I tend to go for cozy eateries. Here are 2 that you have to check out!

Scarpetta at Gurneys –

Bringing the class of Manhattan to Newport, Scarpetta is the place to go in town for Italian cuisine. Pasta and seafood are the way to go at Scarpetta. We always like starting with something raw, so we just had to try the yellowtail and the tuna. They were certainly a refreshing way to start the meal. Next up, we knew we had to try some pasta, we went with the luxurious Lobster Tagliatelle and the Duck and Foie Gras Ravioli. Both extremely delicious and well prepared, they certainly lived up to the name Scarpetta.

And from there, as seafood lovers, in Newport, it was an easy decision. The scallops and the halibut jumped off the menu.

Finally, there is always room for dessert, and boy what a treat! The plating and the flavors were the perfect way to wrap up an amazing meal.

One Bellevue –

For a traditional Newport experience, you have to head to One Bellevue at the Hotel Viking. Housed in a beautiful dining room, the restaurant is just the place to cozy up with a glass of wine on a chilly winter night.

The appetizers are all fresh takes on comfort classics, the lobster nachos and the tuna tartare are both great choices. Oh and be sure to ask what the flatbread of the day is as well!

Then from there, this just seems like the type of place to get a nice cut of meat and linger for the evening. So try the New York Strip. And as a finale, get anything with their small batch ice cream, if you can go for the sesame ice cream, it is amazing!

Getting There

Newport is about an hour and a half drive from Boston and less than an hour from Providence, so it is the perfect choice for a quick getaway this holiday season. For more visitor information on Newport, head to the Discover Newport.