Travel + Leisure Magazine just released their list of the Top 100 Hotels in the World and two Rhode Island Hotels made the Top 20!
#18 – The Chanler at Cliff Walk
117 Memorial Blvd., Newport, RI 02840 | 866/793-5664
There are only twenty rooms at the Chanler, built in 1873 as a private summer home. Each guest room is individually named and designed–some reflect a French Provincial style, others have Greek revival details–though all are luxuriously appointed with heated bathroom floors, wet bars, and antique prints or original oil paintings. Reservations are strongly recommended at the Chanler’s well-regarded restaurant, Spiced Pear. T he kitchen opens up to an elegant dining room with Atlantic Ocean views; organic, seasonal New England fare includes zinfandel-poached pear and Maine diver scallops served with a sunchoke puree.
#19 – Ocean House
1 Bluff Ave., Watch Hill, RI 02891 | 401/584-7000
Built in 1868 on a windswept bluff with views of the Atlantic, the Victorian hotel once catered to moneyed aristocrats but was eventually torn down. Redone to the tune of $146 million, the property is as grand as ever: expansive decks and manicured croquet lawns are a nod to old-world glamour, while the light-filled 49 guest rooms and 39 suites have modern bathrooms (oversize soaking tubs; marble tiles) and custom-made dark wood furnishings. On the ground floor there’s the farm-to-table Seasons restaurant, with a veranda overlooking a private white-sand beach-the perfect spot to idle away an afternoon, cocktail in hand. What more could you want for a summer getaway?
See the rest of the Worlds Best Hotels
In the World’s Best Hotels survey, respondents are asked to rate hotels on room quality and facilities, location, service standards, restaurants and food, and overall value, plus optional characteristics for business and family travelers, for romance, for bars and nightlife and for design.