Nesting in Newport

The Chanler hotel in Newport, Rhode Island.

The summer “cottages” -- expansive estates built by the Vanderbilts, the Astors and other aristocratic families -- in Newport, Rhode Island, are legendary. Each June, the compact coastal city welcomes tourists to the gilded halls and rolling lawns of the mansions that loom over the Atlantic Ocean. All are spectacular and each is unique, but only one on the city’s legendary Cliff Walk allows visitors to spend the night.

Set high above the water at the entry to Cliff Walk, the twenty-room Chanler retains all the glamour from its earliest days as a 19th-century congressman’s vacation home. Under the direction of the hotel’s current owners, John and Jeanie Shufelt, the Chanler recently received a loving face-lift. Jeanie designed each room individually to evoke a specific time or place—Colonial America, of French provincial, say —but certain features, such as antique Persian rugs, original oil paintings, floors constructed from reclaimed woods and 400-thread-count Fili D’oro linens (not to mention modern amenities, like flat-screen televisions in the bedrooms and bathrooms), are standard. Two of our favorites: the light-filled square-foot Renaissance Room, which is outfitted with both vintage and custom-made furniture and has a sitting area lit by crystal chandeliers; and the more intimate Martha’s Vineyard Ocean Villa, dominated by a canopied king-size bed with beach views and a secluded hot tub in the villa’s private courtyard.

The room service is perfectly executed and presented, but don’t be tempted to dine in your suite or villa every night. Save one evening for hotel’s Spiced Pear restaurant, where Executive Chef Kyle Ketchum treats guests to Continental and American cuisine in a formal dining room with a subdued color palette and panoramic waterfront views. Guests can sample dishes like Nova Scotia halibut in a citrus emulsion, Kobe beef prepared three ways or a mushroom ravioli so satisfying that one visitor had it for dinner every night of her stay. And save room for dessert: Pastry Chef Laurent Vals’ creative concoctions might include his signature spiced pear with fruit soaked in Grand Marnier and served with orange ice cream and a caramel mousse, or the outrageous summer trio, which features pistachio crème, pineapple crudo and port wine-marinated strawberries.

The service at the Chanler is easily among the best in Rhode Island, even if some of the rooms lean more toward cozy than palatial. It’s the sort of place where the staff greets you by name even before you check in, offering you a seat in the marbled lobby and a glass of champagne. They are always on hand to fulfill any request, be it coveted tickets to the jazz festival or a sailing excursion on a power yacht. Perhaps because of the combination of immaculate design and intuitive service, guests tend to spend much of their time ensconced in their rooms, but when they do venture out, Easton’s beach is just a few steps away.

Rooms from $275. Villas from $375. 401-847-1300; thechanler.com.