Why stay anywhere else on holiday when you can call a castle home? Castle Hill Inn was a modern day dream come true for this little princess (see the photo slideshow at the end of this post). Living the seacoast life, I was able to frolic all day on my own private peninsula complete with panoramic ocean views. And that’s only the beginning.
Castle Hill Inn’s mansion is perched upon the hill in Narragansett Bay and it felt like home from the minute the valet opened my door and said hello. Everyone personally greeted me by name and attended to my every whim and need. I could play on the beach, explore the forty acres and have a land or water adventure. For our visit, we called the Agassiz Mansion home and it was as if it was custom designed for my wishes.
I took residence in the Lighthouse Suite. It was fancy just like me. It has a fancy bedroom and sitting area separated by fun, sliding French doors. The doors led to a wood-paneled room that looked like my own stately tree house. Inside, there was a big arm chair to snuggle up in to read books and a giant bed just for me. It was super cozy and warm. And the team must have really liked me because they left stuffed animal bunnies on the bed for me and my baby sister that looked just like the ones on the grounds and yummy chocolates on my pillow each night. Everything was just right.
While I loved my room, I could not spend enough time outside exploring. My first stop? The private beach. The rocky coastline, playful waves and beach toy cabana wowed kids of all ages. I personally had a blast jumping in the waves and swimming like a mermaid. And I could build my own sandcastle inspired by the one on the hill.
My next stop was the Lawn. On the Lawn there were countless Adirondack chairs that welcome you to sit. I think I tried them one and all. Mommy and Daddy stayed in their seats and drank pretty drinks with icky adult stuff in them while I had a smoothie. Yum! They enjoyed the 360-degree ocean views while watching me and baby run and play around on the lawn. And when we did (eventually) tire, we got comfortable on the Inn’s plush lawn blankets to daydream and watch the sailboats leisurely pass by us.
When I wanted to be a land rover, there were bikes to call my own for exploring the property and we followed one of the many nature trails and pedaled over to the restored light house for a picnic. I re-energized with a short stroll to the ocean front Brenton State Park known for flying kites. It looked there must have been hundreds of kites flying. Daddy got me the Elsa one I wanted and within minutes it was flying. I did it all by myself (and it only got stuck in a tree twice).
The perfect end to the day came with dinner in the dining room followed by Beach Bonfires & Stargazing on the private beach front. I got cozy up next to the fire and made my own lip-smacking good s’mores. And storytelling and stargazing were an added bonus.
We also got to travel to downtown Newport aboard the M/V Mistress, Castle Hill’s own motor launch. I admired views of the mansions and harbor the whole way. I didn’t even ask “are we there yet?” Once we were “land ahoy!” the beachfront Exploration Center & Aquarium got me up close and personal with creatures from the Narragansett Bay. We continued our sunny day on Easton’s Beach, and went merrily around on the historic Carousel at Easton’s Beach. Then you could walk along the beach over to the Cliff Walk (complete with a stroller-friendly patch and spots easily navigated for the littlest of legs). And you can stop at the Breakers or Elms for a kid-friendly audio tour as everyone oohs and aahs and plays house in the ostentatious mansions. But beware-they really don’t let you touch anything. We window-shopped along Bellevue Avenue (whatever that means?) and strolled past even more mansions and had fun discovering Newport up and down Thames Street.
For a unique and one-of-a-kind opportunity, make sure to experience glassblowing at Thames Glass. It is a husband and wife-owned studio and gallery where you not only can you watch the expert glassblowers shape molten glass into intricate creations but kids can take a lesson and make an ornament, paper weight or vase all by themselves (well almost). Families can make their own ornament or paperweight with the help of their expert glass blowers. Sam Westman was the expert who gave us our glassblowing lesson and Taryn Nycek photo-documented everything we needed to know in about 10 minutes (just the right amount of time for little ‘ol me!). With my help and Mr. Sam’s expertise, Mommy gave it a whirl. Mr. Sam let us select the glass colors and design together and then he helped us through each and every step from heating and shaping the molten glass to using the tools to perfect it into our one-of-a-kind ornament. After about ten minutes of careful turning, heating, blowing, and shaping, it was voila! We had our own handmade, glass blown keepsake. And Daddy and my baby sister cheered Mommy on from the special viewing window. It was an incredible experience.
After a fun day exploring town, we (finally) made our way back to the wharf to climb the larger- than-life size anchor and count the sailboats. I ate some yummy fishies at 22 Bowen’s. And I was so good that Mommy let me have a cookie at the Cookie Jar and ice cream at Sprinkles before we sailed back home to our castle for more adventures.
It was smooth sailing and a wonderful holiday filled with memories to last a lifetime at Castle Hill in Newport. I can’t wait to return to my castle next time –this is going to be a wonderful family tradition.
To learn more, visit castlehillinn.com!
Elle Belle is an adorable preschooler who lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan with her magnificent mommy, dapper dad, and baby sister. She can be reached at ellebellenyc@gmail.com or like at facebook.com/ElleBelleNYC.
