Rhode Island: Visiting Chateau sur Mer Newport

Chateau sur Mer is that very rare creature, a mansion without a gift shop, a shocking statement but true. If any of the houses could be said to feel like a cottage, Chateau Sur Mer has perhaps the most livable atmosphere. This is a house where you can almost imagine yourself residing. It has a warm and lived in feel that is very obviously missing in the other mansions.

The Wetmore family, who built this home, can trace their hometown roots to my hometown. A street called Wetmore Place is located in Middletown, Conn. and the genealogy chart on the wall of the waiting area makes the connection between the two families very clear.

Chateau Sur Mer (House on the Sea) must be visited on a guided tour. My husband and I, along with another couple, made up the tour with Barbara Caldwell as guide. Seth Bradford built the original house between 1851-52 for William Wetmore. Mr. Wetmore made his money in the China trade. Constructed of granite from Fall River, Mass., in the Italianate style, it was the grandest house in Newport. In 1856, he hosted a grand party, 3,000 were invited and the President of the United States received one of the invitations.

George Peabody Wetmore hired architect Richard Hunt to update the mansion and the High Victorian French Chateau design was created. The Wetmores took a decade-long European honeymoon while the update was going on. Hunt experimented on this home using Eastlake Style for the Great Hall and Arts and Crafts Style in the tiles of the fireplaces. In the gentlemen’s library, the ceiling is coffered and the fireplace is carved wood done in the Renaissance Style. 

Never has such a mixture of styles made such a lovely whole. The stunning stairway is one of the finest Hunt ever created and he played visual tricks to make the 45-foot central hall appear taller. Until 1894, it was year-round home.

Most of the furniture is not original to the house but the library table is. It now belongs to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and is on loan at Chateau Sur Mer. Visitors get to enjoy a fine collection of rose medallion china, Amari, rose Canton and rose Mandarin which is on display. William Morris and Eastlake created the wallpaper for Mrs. Wetmore’s bedroom. 

Everything is in a very grand style and yet not overwhelming, okay I personally do not have a Carrera Marble fireplaces but I would like to have one.

Unfortunately, the Wetmore daughters did an update of their own and a great deal of the wonderful design was covered by oil-based paint. The Preservation Society of Newport County has made it their purpose to restore these areas to the 1870s. The house remained in the family into the 1960s and most of the fine paintings were bequeathed to Yale University.

This is not one of the grandest of the Newport mansions, but it is one of the most interesting. Chateau sur Mer in Newport became a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Tickets for the mansion can be purchased from the Preservation Society, in combination with other mansions or a single ticket is available at the entrance.

If you plan to stay the night, I recommend the Hotel Viking, it is one of our favorites. 

Pennsylvania: Hiking Bushkill Falls

Bushkill Falls is known as “The Niagara of Pennsylvania” and while this may be a bit of an overstatement, it in no way diminishes the beauty and the appeal of this area. The drive to get there along the Delaware Water Gap is quite scenic.
Bushkill is a beautiful place to spend a relaxing day communing with nature. 

Communing does not come cheap, however, the entrance fee is $16.50 for adults and $8.50 for children 4-12. Some additional charges may apply depending on what you want to do while you are there. The official tour guide is $3.

You enter through a small museum, which tells you about the wildlife in the area. You go through displays of stuffed animals, flora and fauna. It’s a warm-up for what is to come.

The area is divided into colored hiking trails that offer varying degrees of difficulty. The most popular trail takes 45 minutes to hike and leads you past the Main Falls. 

The problem the day we were there was that a tree had fallen and blocked that path right past the falls, we walked to the falls on that trail and then had to backtrack to change to another trail. The trails that we took (green to yellow then red) are also the easiest route but be warned, going this way involves climbing many steep wooden stairs. If you want to see the falls, this is the only way.  

I have arthritic knees but I was able to navigate the area with a minimal amount of pain. The view at the falls certainly made it worthwhile. Don’t be fooled, however, Niagara Falls this isn’t. But the wonderful sylvan setting and the lack of immense crowds certainly made up for the lack of water volume.

If you are up for a more strenuous hike, take the blue or red trail to Bridal Veil Falls.

We spent about two hours wandering with the kids through the woods and along the streams. It was relaxing and enervating at the same time. Be warned, mid-week this place is quiet, on a weekend and especially a holiday weekend, you will not be able to find parking or even get into the park.

The roads in this area cannot accommodate the amount of traffic that this attraction generates and you can be stuck in traffic jams that will make you think you are still in the big city. Bushkill Falls is a very popular place with residents and visitors and I am confident you will enjoy it as well.

Hotel Review: Charming Red Lion in Long Compton, Warwickshire

Long Compton is a village that has little to offer a visitor other than the Rollright Stones. I chose to stay at the Red Lion in Long Compton because I was enticed by a fantastic website. Risky business that but the food just looked so good at this pub that I risked repeating an unhappy pub stay. The last time I had tried this we were kept up until 1 a.m. by rowdy clientele. It doesn't matter how comfortable your room is if you can sleep because of the noise.

Noise was not an issue at all at the Red Lion. Our room had very thick walls and we never heard a sound. This is a small inn with only five rooms. Keep in mind that a pub is a little different than a B&B or hotel when it comes to checking in. They usually close after lunch and don't reopen until close to dinner time. You will need to time your arrival perfectly. We didn't but the hour wait was not too difficult since it was quite a lovely January day.

Our room was on the first floor and our friend was on the second floor. We had to walk up a set of stairs with the luggage so keep it light and our friend had two sets. Our room was very close to the stairs. It was a very cozy room, small with a large bed. We had everything we could possibly want. A nice coffee/tea set up, a small closet, a window seat, a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall and one of the largest bathrooms we have ever had anywhere. It had a large tub and a window seat.
Our friend's room was the one that you see on the website with two beds and the red and white checked bedspreads.

Breakfast is included in the rate. You will find a menu on your bed and you just leave it with them at the bar when you are ordering your dinner. You will want to have dinner there at least one night. We chose to eat there every night of our three-night stay, it was that good.

We loved our breakfast. You tell them when you would like it ready and when we came down our table was set and waiting for us. We enjoy the full English breakfast with fresh juice and coffee. There are daily dinner specials in the pub and they offer everything from soups to delicious pasta dishes, Steaks, chicken and luscious desserts are all available.

This is not your old-time pub, this is a modern gastropub where cuisine is served not pub grub.

Everyone we met here was concerned with the quality of our service. We never wanted for anything. I can't recommend Red Lion in Long Compton highly enough. Good food, comfortable rooms and excellent service guarantee a pleasant stay.

The Red Lion is within an easy drive of Oxford, Blenheim, Chipping Norton and Moreton in the Marsh. For a Cotswolds visit, it is close to ideal.

The Historic DuPont Mansion Bed and Breakfast in Louisville, Kentucky

#dupontmansionbedandbreakfast

The DuPont Mansion in Louisville Kentucky was built late in the 19th century. This magnificent house has seen many incarnations from a family home to an apartment house. It became a labor of love for the current owners and it is evident in the bed and breakfast that they have created.

Today the DuPont Mansion Inn has six rooms and two suites and they are all stunningly beautiful and have every amenity to guarantee your comfort. Both the owners and the innkeeper love this house and are very willing to give you any additional information that you might like about the history of the mansion.

The Innkeeper will be there to greet you when you arrived and to take you on a tour of the public rooms. Mary is so much more than just the innkeeper, she will make your stay very special with her care and attention to detail not to mention those yummy breakfasts.



A favorite room is the Grover Cleveland. It has a king size bed flanked by two huge windows. The ceilings are tall, fifteen on the first floor and 12 and 14 on the second and third. This room has a two-sided fireplace. One side is in the bathroom. It is electric not wood or gas but it certainly does add wonderful ambiance. The tubs in all the rooms are jetted. The Carnegie Suite has a huge two person tub.

All of the rooms are beautifully decorated. The least expensive of the rooms is the JP Morgan and you will find that even though it may be a bit smaller there was nothing to complain about, it has all the luxury and amenities of the more expensive rooms. The website gives a very accurate picture of what the rooms look like.

Grover Cleveland is on the third floor. There is no elevator and those wonderful high ceilings mean that the stairs are long, very long; this isn't the place to carry in five large pieces of luggage. Consolidate your bags before you arrive, or use two small bags, you will be glad you did. There are no closets in the rooms but there are large armoires.

Somewhere in all the bedrooms, there will be a bowl of chocolate. You will find bowls of chocolate all over the house and they are not all the same kind of chocolate, it is a chocoholics dream. As a matter of fact, The DuPont Mansion Inn has a kitchen located on each of the floors. You will find a coffee maker, drinks in the fridge, snacks on the counter and fresh baked cookies. Yes, it is like being in the most perfect place you can imagine. If there is anything that you are missing the Innkeeper is right there to take care of it. The entire house is Wi-Fi and there is a TV in all the bedrooms.

The parlor downstairs is lovely. There is a player piano and sofas and chairs. Like most of the rooms in the house, it has a fireplace. The attention to detail is what you will notice both in the décor and just in the placement of the items, everything is thoughtfully done.

There are two dining rooms, one has a table that seats 8 and the other has tables that seat two. No matter which room you walk into you will be dazzled by the architecture, the décor, and the atmosphere. Everyone is more gracious and beautiful as the other. Even the halls on each floor are gorgeous.

Breakfast at the Inn is served at your pleasure anytime between 8am and 10am. Your day may begin with fresh fruit with yogurt and a sprinkle of granola. The second course could be mini banana nut muffins followed by a Mexican egg casserole served with salsa. This along with coffee, decaf¸ hot tea, and orange or cranberry juice make for a very satisfactory start to the day.

If you are coming to Louisville Kentucky for any reason, business or pleasure, the DuPont Mansion is a wonderful place to stay. It will certainly become your home away from home or at least the home you wished you lived in. If the DuPont Mansion Inn is unavailable you can always check out their sister inn, The Inn on the Park which is just about a block away.

Hotel Review: The Alexander Inn Philadelphia, PA

#alexanderinn

The Alexander Inn in Philadelphia was built as a luxury hotel in the 1890s. It was called the Flanders Hotel and was a home away from home for many famous people in its heyday. Reminiscent of the luxury cruise ships of the 1940s, the hotel has 48 recently renovated rooms.

There aren’t enough adjectives to describe how much we loved this hotel. We were welcomed with a smile at 11 a.m. People were in the midst of checking out as we were checking in. If our room wasn’t ready, we were told that they would be more than happy to store our luggage. This is where we met Stephan, who we saw every day thereafter. He is Belgian and always made helping seem like a pleasure. He called a cab for us on several occasions and stored our luggage for us on Sunday. What is most amazing is that every other employee that we met was just as amusing, helpful, and friendly. Everyone seemed to be proud of their hotel and happy to be working there.



We had a double/double room on the 7th floor. I would describe the room size as European. It was compact but very comfortable. There were two upholstered chairs and a table in front of the bay windows. We had an Art Deco dresser and a very pretty mirror. One night stand is between the beds. The closet is open, and it is outside the bathroom door.

The bathroom is also petite. It has a tub and shower combination and a pedestal sink with a mirror. The window is recessed, so it makes a shelf, and there is a glass shelf with amenities on the wall. There is no waste of space. The walls and the floor are tiled with a neutral color. Everything was immaculate.

Breakfast is included in the rate. It is a nice continental breakfast with coffee and tea, cereal, Danish, croissant, English muffins, waffles, fresh bagels, and whole fruit. It is served in the parlor off the lobby. Fruit is available all day if you need a snack.

A small gym and machines for ice, drinks, and snacks as well, as a big rack of travel brochures are located in the basement.

Architectural touches are evident throughout the building. From the fireplace in the lobby with stained-glass transoms to the beautiful brick exterior, it is visually pleasing. Every effort was made to preserve the original Art Deco beauty.

This is also a gay-friendly hotel in a gay-friendly neighborhood. Not that everyone here was gay - there were plenty of mature married couples and people from all over the world. One thing I didn’t see was any children but there was nothing child unfriendly about the hotel. I would come here again in a heartbeat and I highly recommend it.

Fairfield Inn Williamsburg, Virginia

Located on Richmond Road, the Fairfield Inn has an excellent location. Within about 5 minutes you can be in Colonial Williamsburg which is just a little over a mile away. It is equally convenient to Bypass Road and from there to the Colonial Parkway.

The hotel itself is big, it may be one of the biggest Fairfield Inns this writer has ever seen. It is two buildings that connect at the breakfast room and recreation area. One thing that is very good is that the breakfast room is appropriately sized for such a large hotel and can handle the number of customers it needs to even on the weekends.

The Fairfield Inn has regular rooms, studios and suites. The studio consists of two rooms, a parlor with a TV and a sleeper sofa and a bedroom with a TV and King bed but there is no door between so it may seem like dueling TVs at times. The suites include two bathrooms and two double beds and a sleeper sofa.

The room is spacious, in addition to the TV and sofa the living room has a desk, chair and coffee table. The bedroom is not as spacious but has a large closet and two nightstands. A bench serves as one suitcase holder and there is another suitcase rack in the closet which fits in the room on the window side of the TV stand.

Near the entrance to the room, are a small fridge, coffee pot and microwave.

The bathroom has a large granite counter top and a two-piece tub/shower. The shower pressure was very good and four large plush bath towels guarantee that you will not have a problem drying off.

The room was very clean and in good repair. Two large windows overlook the parking lot and the pizza restaurant across the way.

Breakfast is included and offers the usual items, yogurt, fruit juice, fresh fruit both cut up and whole, cold cereal and oatmeal, bread, bagels, muffins and Danish. Hot food is also offered scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage and make your own waffles. Cold boiled eggs are also offered. The coffee and tea bar is open 24/7 and has lots of good tea selections.

The gym is not large but offers several different machines. The pool area is quite nice as well. The pool is heated to 85 degrees and was very clean. The hot tub has no jets which are disappointing but it was pleasantly warm at 101 degrees.

The lobby has a new updated look and the staff, especially Kahlid, were so friendly and welcomed us as we came and went. We had a great 5-day stay and I feel very confidently highly recommending this location. The General Manager was very hands on and we got to know her long before we knew she was the general manager.

If you are going to Williamsburg, I highly recommend the Fairfield Inn for location, price and amenities.

Touring Yorktown Battlefield

#yorktownbattlefield

Yorktown Battlefield is operated by the National Park Service. Entrance is free if you have a Golden Pass or an active military pass. As you enter the Visitor Center, check the wall to the right, it has which houses are open and the times for the ranger tours of the battlefield. It makes planning a visit easier.

After getting a ticket, head to the theater to see the 16-minute film. Knowing that the film is a minute too long, rangers wait to begin the tour of the battlefield until the film ends. In order to enjoy the tour outside visitors need to be able to stand for long periods and walk over uneven ground.

The tour begins in an area where benches are provided and also shade if it is a particularly sunny warm day. Our ranger Jenny was very knowledgeable about the subject of the battle and what happened both before and after. The first thing that needs to be understood is that Yorktown was a siege, not a regular battle. The British were trapped here and pounded with artillery for eight days and nights without ceasing.

To save his men, General Cornwallis has no option other than surrender. The British were outmanned two to one and in a hopeless position. The terms were negotiated by a team from both sides at which neither Washington nor Cornwallis was present. The house where the agreement was reached still exists but was closed when we visited in November.

While Yorktown was the last significant battle of the war, it was another two years before the Peace Treaty of Paris was signed and the United States became a free nation.

Back inside the Visitor Center, there is a small museum to visit. While it is not large, it does hold some real treasures. There are two tents that belonged to and were used by George Washington. The condition of these tents is outstanding considering their age. They were purchased at auction after Martha Washington’s death by her grandson and came into the possession of Robert E Lee and his wife since she is a descendant. 

The tents were stored in the Custis Lee Mansion at Arlington during the Civil War. One of the servants there knew their value and informed the Union Army who was occupying the house thus guaranteeing their safety and preservation. Today, they are on display for visitors to see and appreciate.

Visitors can also walk inside a boat that has been built into the visitor center. The battle which took place in the Chesapeake Bay was crucial to the success of the Battle of Yorktown.

A driving tour is offered that you can take around the battlefield site. The monument to the Battle of Yorktown is nearby as well just outside of downtown.

While not nearly as showy as the Yorktown Victory Center, what Yorktown Battlefield has is the authentic location and that makes for a very enjoyable visit.

#yorktownbattlefield