In short… Castle Hill Inn is an all-American summer postcard come to life, situated on some of the most desirable real estate Newport has to offer.
The surroundings… The resort sits on a 40-acre peninsula perched at Newport’s Southwestern tip, overlooking Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, about a 15-minute drive from downtown. Its set piece—you’ve seen it on Instagram—is the Victorian Agassiz Mansion on the hill’s peak, and the sweeping lawn filled with white Adirondack chairs that flows before it. Accommodations are split between the mansion and standalone houses and cottages clustered around the small, private beach at the northern tip of the property, as well as its “harbor house” (where Grace Kelly once stayed) and “chalet” buildings facing Narragansett Bay.
The backstory… The Agassiz Mansion was built as a private residence in 1875 by Alexander Agassiz, a Harvard professor and marine biologist who’d struck it rich by investing in a Michigan copper mine. It remained in the family before being used to billet U.S. naval officers during WWII and was converted into a hotel and resort in the years following.
Much of the mansion’s charming interior remains original to Agassiz’s time. The building suffered a serious fire in February 2026, originating from a wood-burning fireplace. While its shingled roof had to be replaced and its upstairs guest rooms were significantly damaged, no one was injured and the building itself was saved. The resort reopened to the public in May.
The vibe… Castle Hill feels very different depending on where you are. While lounging about our beach cottage, the days were quiet and laid back. The lawn, which is open to the public, feels like a summer garden party in full-swing: big groups of girls in sundresses and American flag sweaters posing for group photos, polo shirted-kids being chased around by mom and dad, and roving packs of groomsmen starting their pre-game before the night’s festivities (you will not be surprised to hear that Castle Hill is a popular wedding venue; we witnessed two ceremonies in the near distance while lazing about the lawn).
Find yourself an unoccupied Adirondack chair, wait for one of the servers to come take your drink order (I enjoyed their Mansion gin & tonic, made with a proprietary gin), and sip your beverage slowly as you watch every manner of boat float by the bay. New England summer really doesn’t get better than that.
The rooms… We stayed in one of its Beach Cottage rooms, which was spacious and charming with a king bed and a pull-out sofa bed (our son took the latter). It was all light woods and delightfully airy with screen doors that opened to a wooden deck with a four-top table where we took breakfast each morning, and a set of chairs below that facing the beach. We could view—and hear—the Atlantic from within the room and delighted in walking to the beach each morning just a few feet down a rocky path.
While the entrance to the deck featured an outdoor shower, it was inevitable that sand got tracked into the room. So, we were very impressed that housekeeping mopped and showered the floor without our asking, resetting it to a sans-sand state until our next beach excursion.
The wellness… There was a 9am yoga class on the beach—which I witnessed from my deck while enjoying a coffee in my robe. There is also a spa in the mansion, though chasing around our son precluded my wife and I from making the most of it.
The food & drink… Castle Hill is a veritable dining destination unto itself, most notably through the presence of Aurelia, its six-course tasting menu situated in the mansion’s interior. However, without a babysitter lined up it just wasn’t practical for our family, though I did spy many pleased-looking diners from its windows and have vowed to return one day.
Instead, we dined each evening at the Lawn Terrace, its outdoor restaurant overlooking the lawn and the bay. Curiously, it closes for dinner service at six (its bar component, meanwhile, continues until nine), though our 5:30pm seatings never felt rushed and gave us the added bonus of watching the sun start to dip from our seats. The whole steamed lobster was a real treat, and exactly the sort of fare you want to enjoy in its environs. We noticed the fish tacos on many tables, which also did not disappoint. On the turf side of the ledger, we enjoyed both the steak frites and the more aggressive 12oz prime sirloin I ordered (but failed to finish) on our last night. The coffee Negroni, sequestered to the dessert portion of the menu, was a welcome digestif each evening, but something I’d have happily begun the meal with, too. Inside, the wood-paneled Mansion Bar proved a fine place to take in an after-dinner Manhattan and meet folks visiting from town or staying the weekend for a wedding.
Room service breakfast was included in our stay, which proved delightful. Starting the day on the deck with a hot pot of coffee, eggs Benedict or steel cut oatmeal with apple compote was tough to beat. Whatever your breakfast of choice, make sure to order a side of housemade sausage on the side.
Is it kid friendly? Very! The famous lawn provided plenty of space for my three-year-old son to run around (although I did have to sprint after him to ensure he didn’t run straight off the cliff a few times), and he delighted in watching the boats go by. As one would expect, the beach was particularly kid-friendly, with a communal chest of toys he delighted in picking through. He and I passed the mornings and afternoons building sandcastles, soaking up waves and playing beach pickle ball poorly (on both of our counts). Just note that children under 12 are not permitted to stay in the mansion rooms, and children below 10 are not permitted in Aurelia.
The Lawn Terrace caters to little ones with a children’s menu including basics like cheeseburgers and grilled cheese, and on both nights that we dined there many other children were present.
Extra tip goes to… Captain Robin! The veteran sailor responsible for piloting the property’s water taxi looks straight out of central casting with his gray beard and sun-weathered face, but was anything but salty. During our pleasant, forty-minute voyage to Newport, he dispensed all manner of fun facts about waterfront properties, Newport history and sailing minutia. While we’d come aboard just to get downtown, we came away feeling like we’d gotten a tour of Newport itself.
Be sure to… Take advantage of the complimentary afternoon tea, which brought a pot of choice along with finger sandwiches and sweet treats, which were similarly consumed with an ocean view on our deck.
Parting words… The New England summer of your dreams is real, and it happens every day at Castle Hill.
Dates of stay… June 5-7th, 2026
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