Castle Hill Inn – This 19th-Century Newport Estate Comes With Its Own Private Beach

When Grace Kelly was in Newport filming High Society, her favorite place to hide out was a small private beach below Castle Hill Inn. That beach still carries her name, and the inn above it is still one of the most romantic places to stay in New England.

Castle Hill sits on its own 40-acre peninsula at the tip of Aquidneck Island, right where Narragansett Bay kisses the Atlantic, and where sailboats drift past all day. True to its name, the inn's main house sits at the top of the hill. Known as the Agassiz Mansion, it was built in 1874 as a summer "cottage" for Alexander Agassiz, a Harvard marine biologist who made his fortune in copper mining. Below the mansion, a massive lawn dotted with white Adirondack chairs rolls down to the water, and it is the most photographed spot on the property (and perhaps in all of Newport). Although it sounds secluded, downtown is only three miles away, making it close enough to explore at any time but far enough to escape the crowds.

Newport has been drawing big names for well over a century. The Vanderbilts and Astors built their 70-room summer "cottages" along Bellevue Avenue in the late 1800s, the America's Cup was raced off its coast for more than 50 years, and John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier at St. Mary's Church in 1953.

Castle Hill has a few chapters of its own. After Agassiz, the mansion housed U.S. naval officers during World War II, then reopened as an inn that drew industrialists and Hollywood stars for summers on the water. In 2008, it became the first property in Rhode Island to join Relais & Châteaux, and today it holds two Michelin Keys.

The property is spread across the peninsula, with rooms divided among a handful of buildings that all face the water, just from slightly different angles. The Agassiz Mansion is at the top of the hill, and that's where guests check in, sit down for dinner at Aurelia, order a drink at the bar, or enjoy a treatment at the spa. From there, the lawn slopes down toward the bay, with the Harbor House rooms just below and the Beach Houses and Beach Cottages lining the private beach.

The mansion is the most classic part of the property, with rich wood paneling, warm fireplaces, and curved walls of windows that frame the bay. As some might notice, there are also Asian-inspired details Agassiz picked up on his travels. One of the cutest touches is at dinner, where every table at Aurelia has little glass jellyfish accents, which are a nod to Agassiz and his life's work. Down by the water, the rooms swap the dark wood for bright whites, soft blues, and great ocean views.

I stayed in Beach House 31, a shingled cottage right by the water, and I would book it again without looking at another option. It’s spacious, the decor is coastal but elevated, and a short flight of steps out back leads straight down to the sand. On a cool October evening, the gas fireplace and the big bathtub were great perks.

If you are deciding where to book, the Beach Houses like mine are the roomiest, with ocean views, king beds, living areas with pullout sofas, and French doors. The Beach Cottages are cozier and right on the dunes above the private beach, while the Harbor House rooms overlook Grace Kelly Beach from semi-private porches facing the Newport Bridge. For families or friends traveling together, the Chalet Suite connects to a second bedroom.

The seven rooms inside the mansion each have their own personality, from the wood-paneled Rose Room to the bi-level Turret Suite with its spiral staircase. Most of them are closed for restoration after a fire this past February and will reopen in early 2027, so for now, the Rose Room is the only mansion room you can book.

Castle Hill has long been as much a dining destination as a hotel, and Aurelia is the main reason why. Set inside the mansion, the resta Set inside the mansion, the restaurant serves a six-course tasting menu of contemporary New England cooking from French-trained chef de cuisine Quentin Diez, and dinner runs about two and a half hours at $185 per person. The seafood comes from the waters around Aquidneck Island, much of the produce is grown in the inn's own gardens and greenhouses, and the wine list runs to more than 800 bottles, with house-made nonalcoholic pairings for anyone skipping the wine. As for the name, it comes from the moon jellyfish, which Agassiz studied.

My late-October dinner was all about the season. It started with fennel, moved on to an artichoke barigoule, and then came quail with Concord grape and cauliflower. Two courses came with a choice, and I went with the lobster (of course) and the beef. The lobster, served with melon and verbena milk, was my favorite dish of the night. Dessert is either a pear with French meringue and chamomile or a peach tartlet with lavender caramel. One tip: Aurelia only serves Thursday through Monday and doesn't seat kids under 10.

For something more casual, the Lawn Terrace serves exactly what you want to eat outdoors in New England, from Maine lobster rolls to clam chowder and fresh oysters. From Memorial Day through Columbus Day, locals and visitors gather on the lawn for drinks, and summer weekends feel like one long garden party. Order the Mansion gin and tonic, made with the inn's own gin, and claim an Adirondack chair before the sun sets over the bay. When the evening winds down, the wood-paneled Mansion Bar is the spot for a nightcap, and in the morning, the lobster has a must. 

The best amenity here is the setting, so plan to spend plenty of time outside. The inn's private beaches, including Grace Kelly Beach, are just steps from the waterfront rooms, and a nature trail leads out to the Castle Hill Lighthouse, built in 1890 to guide ships through Narragansett Bay. The Retreat, an intimate spa run by Rhode Island skincare brand Farmaesthetics, sits inside the mansion, where treatments come with a fireplace and ocean views. Stays include a cooked-to-order breakfast and afternoon tea, and there are complimentary bikes, beach yoga in season, and a water taxi that takes guests across the bay to downtown.

Castle Hill sits right on Ocean Drive, the ten-mile loop along Newport's southern coast, and it's one of the prettiest drives in New England. One evening, I left just before sunset and drove the whole loop before dinner. It's an easy drive past rocky coves, stunning (!) shingled estates, and Brenton Point State Park, and the sunset over the water was one of the highlights of my trip.

For things to do, downtown Newport is only three miles away. Tour a mansion, from The Breakers to Rosecliff, or walk part of the 3.5-mile Cliff Walk, which runs along the back lawns of some of the mansions. Thames Street and Bowen's Wharf are great for shopping and oysters, and history buffs can stop by St. Mary's Church, where the Kennedys got married, or Touro Synagogue, the oldest synagogue building in the country.

Newport's Gilded Age families built their summer homes along Bellevue Avenue and the Cliff Walk, competing over who had the most marble and the grandest ballroom. Agassiz went a different way, building his house out at the tip of the peninsula, where the bay meets the open ocean. The Vanderbilts and Astors had their marble mansions, but Agassiz picked the spot with the best view, and more than 150 years later, it still has it.

Location: Ocean Drive, Newport, Rhode Island

Vibe: Classic New England seaside estate

Rating: Five-star

Room Count: 33 

Pricing: From around $800 per night

Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The old-school vibe and incredible location

Dining: Aurelia, a six-course tasting menu in the mansion; the Lawn Terrace and Terrace Bar; and the Mansion Bar

Amenities: Private beaches, The Retreat at Castle Hill by Farmaesthetics spa, nature trail to the lighthouse, complimentary bikes, beach yoga, and a water taxi to downtown

Nearby Attractions: Ocean Drive, the Cliff Walk and the Gilded Age mansions, plus downtown's Thames Street, Bowen's Wharf

Airport: Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD); Boston Logan (BOS)