RI Providence Fairfield Inn at the Harbor Newport

[beachlover]

We stayed at the Fairfield Inn at the Harbor this past weekend (June 3-5). We had gotten this on Hotwire for $166 a night.

This resort was in a PERFECT location in Newport-right off of a main street full of shops and right on the harbor. It was in walking distance to all of the wharfs and main shopping and eating district. There were about 50-60 condos in the building and a very nice bar on the bottom level that often had a live musician performing and had seating out on the deck overlooking the harbor. Parking was sufficient-a little tight in the basement parking garage, but they also let you park outside near the lobby if you were willing to either 1) move your car when needed or 2) park in a back space and leave your car there during your stay.

The room was a condo and when you entered the room you walked directly into the bedroom and then into the hallway that had a bathroom and kitchen and then directly straight into the living room. Window was in the living room only but had a direct harbor view. The room had dishes, a microwave, full sized refridgerator, and stovetop. There was a pull out sofabed in the living room. The bathroom had a separate vanity room and the shower (although very dark due to no windows) was fabulous!

The front desk people were wonderful and extremely helpful throughout our stay. There was a small bag provided by the resort in our room that held samples of mints, body wash, shampoos, coupons, etc., which I thought was a nice touch.

There were a few problems, however, with our stay. First of all, hotwire had promised a pool and fitness center on the property as party of our booking ameneties and this resort had neither. I believe that they were offering passes to the YMCA for those who wanted it, but we didn't take them up on that. Still, the false advertising where that was concerned was disappointing. The other thing that bothered us was that the resort was located next to a very large nightclub with an outdoor stage and nightly live band performances with very loud amplifiers. The first night that we were there there was a drunken karaoke contest going on at full volume. The noise went right through our closed windows, through the living room, and all the way into the closed doors of the bedroom and didn't stop until midnight. We inquired about this with the front desk and they stated that the bar is closing and that it has gotten a lot worse during their "final" weeks. I realize that this is not the resort's fault so there was nothing that could really be done about it. It was just an unfortunate location where that was concerned. It's a good thing we are young-my 80-something year old grandmother would have been miserable!

All in all, we would definately recommend this resort for people looking for a fabulous location and extremely friendly staff. However, for those who are looking for something more quiet and low-key, or something more family friendly with a pool and other activities, this is probably not the place for you. For us, it suited our purposes perfectly. :)

[beachlover]

Update: I decided to email hotwire regarding the lack of a pool at their facility (despite listing it as an amenity). I forgot to mention the lack of a fitness facility. I heard back within four hours of my original email stating that they called the hotel and confirmed that they do not have a pool and are sorry for the inconvenience. And then they credited my account with the price of half of my trip!!! I was stunned!!! Way to go hotwire-that is amazing customer service!!!

They will be taking the pool amenity off of their listing. I don't know if when they talked to the hotel they inquired about a lack of fitness center, so I'm not sure if they will take that one off or not, but the listing will change as a result of my email.

Just wanted to let everyone know...