Versailles, eat your heart out: Newport's luxury boutique hotel The Chanler brings European elegance to New England the likes of which you are unlikely to find anywhere else! If you want to be treated like Royalty and escape reality for just a few moments, then you won't regret your stay here.
Last week I decided to take my Mum on a little Newport trip. Let me preface this piece by explaining just how picky and discerning a traveler she is...I travel with her a lot and she has never been fully satisfied with any hotel experience: if it's not the bed linens or the food, there's always something that's not quite perfect. So, you can imagine wha a compliment it is for her to rave about a place!
We arrived at noon at the Newport Transportation Center and got picked up by The Chanler's shuttle service: a luxury S.U.V. complete with uniformed driver ready to drive you anywhere you need to go in Newport throughout your stay: already things were looking up! I felt like we had just accessed the famous Platform 9 & 3/4 from Harry Potter and were being shuttled to a magical place.
As soon as we arrived we were offered a glass of champagne and shown to our room, which in this case was The Louis XVI Signature Room. It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful rooms in New England and beyond. The four poster bed will make you feel like a real princess or rather a Queen! Everything from the chandeliers everywhere, the fireplace, the paintings to the perfect French Rococco bathroom will transport you to an alternate universe. But the most extraordinary feature was the wrap around balcony with ocean view- simply breathtaking!
We went for a stroll along Newport's famous cliff walk, literally two steps away from the hotel, which overlooks the ocean on one side and Newport's famous Golden Age mansions on the other and for the first time I felt as if Lady Astor and the Vanderbilt's weren't relics of a bygone era that I couldn't relate to, but rather vibrant neigbours who might stop over for afternoon tea...this is how a stay at The Chanler will alter your perception of the world...
Here are a few pictures, it doesn't get any better than this...
Everything from the perfectly manicured lawns to the exquisite bed linens was memorable. Most memorable of course was our dinner at The Chanler's restaurant: The Spiced Pear (please refer to the seperate blog entry entitled "The Spiced Pear")
Needless to say my Mum adored The Chanler, from now on it is the only hotel in Newport she will stay in! For her, and for me, this was hotel nirvana...I cannot think of a single thing that could be improved upon...
For all your special occasions: weddings, anniversaries this is THE perfect spot. I know how hard it is to splurge on a fancy suite and I would never give you all the green light unless I was 100% sure this was the best. So, if you have a honeymoon, anniversary or birthday I recommend the Louis XVI Suite...in fact, don't even wait for that special occasion...if you can, book it now because every girl deserves her princess fantasy to come true...even if it's just for a day...
Last week I decided to take my Mum on a little Newport trip. Let me preface this piece by explaining just how picky and discerning a traveler she is...I travel with her a lot and she has never been fully satisfied with any hotel experience: if it's not the bed linens or the food, there's always something that's not quite perfect. So, you can imagine wha a compliment it is for her to rave about a place!
We arrived at noon at the Newport Transportation Center and got picked up by The Chanler's shuttle service: a luxury S.U.V. complete with uniformed driver ready to drive you anywhere you need to go in Newport throughout your stay: already things were looking up! I felt like we had just accessed the famous Platform 9 & 3/4 from Harry Potter and were being shuttled to a magical place.
As soon as we arrived we were offered a glass of champagne and shown to our room, which in this case was The Louis XVI Signature Room. It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful rooms in New England and beyond. The four poster bed will make you feel like a real princess or rather a Queen! Everything from the chandeliers everywhere, the fireplace, the paintings to the perfect French Rococco bathroom will transport you to an alternate universe. But the most extraordinary feature was the wrap around balcony with ocean view- simply breathtaking!
We went for a stroll along Newport's famous cliff walk, literally two steps away from the hotel, which overlooks the ocean on one side and Newport's famous Golden Age mansions on the other and for the first time I felt as if Lady Astor and the Vanderbilt's weren't relics of a bygone era that I couldn't relate to, but rather vibrant neigbours who might stop over for afternoon tea...this is how a stay at The Chanler will alter your perception of the world...
Here are a few pictures, it doesn't get any better than this...
The entrance to The Chanler from Newport's famous Cliff Walk...the gardens are perfectly manicured, the hushed whisper of nature at its grandest...here, French poet Baudelaire's words echo throughout "La, tout n'est luxe, calme et volupte" (Translation: Here, all is luxury, tranquility and beauty)
The Chanler lit up in the early evening...yes, it really looks this gorgeous in the flesh...it's a fairy tale come to life.
The Lobby
The Louis XVI Signature Suite...the most beautiful room I have ever experienced! Time stood still for a moment...
The sitting area in my room...
The Balcony with ocean view...
The view...
Everything from the perfectly manicured lawns to the exquisite bed linens was memorable. Most memorable of course was our dinner at The Chanler's restaurant: The Spiced Pear (please refer to the seperate blog entry entitled "The Spiced Pear")
Needless to say my Mum adored The Chanler, from now on it is the only hotel in Newport she will stay in! For her, and for me, this was hotel nirvana...I cannot think of a single thing that could be improved upon...
For all your special occasions: weddings, anniversaries this is THE perfect spot. I know how hard it is to splurge on a fancy suite and I would never give you all the green light unless I was 100% sure this was the best. So, if you have a honeymoon, anniversary or birthday I recommend the Louis XVI Suite...in fact, don't even wait for that special occasion...if you can, book it now because every girl deserves her princess fantasy to come true...even if it's just for a day...
