Oceancliff I & II

Our main objective for this trip was to visit the mansions, so being downtown on the harbor wasn't a priority. I know most people want to be in walking distance to Newport shops and restaurants, but if a peaceful location with stellar water views appeals to you, consider this resort. The exterior of the building is weathered and needs maintenance, but the units are large and in decent condition. We were assigned unit P07. It was located near the check-in area and was a spacious one bedroom two bath unit on the first floor. Typical of Newport condo resorts, it had a partial rather than full kitchen. There was a two-burner cooktop, full size refrigerator, and a toaster oven in addition to microwave, toaster etc. There were adequate pots and pans and utensils to cook the basics. We had a great view of the bay and enjoyed watching ships and sailboats pass by. One evening as we were sitting in front of the picture window, a huge ship came into view, which turned out to be the Queen Mary 2. We and several of our neighbors raced out onto the sweeping lawn that goes down toward the cliff and took photos. The resort next door has a restaurant, but it's only open for lunch and dinner Thursday through Sunday. We ate there three times and enjoyed our meals. They host wedding parties and similar events, therefore most of their business is on weekends. Oceancliff is minutes away from Brenton State Park, which is free and has great views, picnic tables, kite sales and a food truck during mealtimes. We took our folding chairs over there and spent a few hours enjoying the view. It's also super close to Fort Adams. Outside the fort you'll find a park with picnic tables and fabulous views. You can take the hop-on-hop-off Newport Harbor Ferry from this area. (Currently $18.00/per person per day). It makes a few stops along the harbor including Goat Island and Bowen's Wharf. Oceancliff has a sporadic free shuttle to downtown. The schedule keeps changing, apparently due to lack of staff to drive the shuttle. Based on prior reviews it ran daily except for Friday. When we arrived that had changed to Friday evenings, a few hours on Sunday, and a few hours on Thursday. The days/times didn't work for us, so we never used it. If they ran every day and for longer hours, it would have been a huge help. We had an issue with one kitchen burner not working well, and maintenance ran over and replaced it in a jiffy. Everyone we encountered from the front desk to maintenance was very cheerful and welcoming. While the distance from shops and restaurants may bother some vacationers, we found it a good tradeoff for a quiet, private location with a fabulous view.