Stay in town
by Vigg about Hotel Viking
Charming Historic Hotel (c. 1926), close to town, large enough to hold a wedding, yet you wouldn't know it. Very personable service. Chilly this time of year to have tried the pool, but it is fabulously charming. A French market across the street, and a wine bistro. Walk to the pier for fabulous coffee at the dock, or dine at The Black Pearl. Plenty of small shops.
Would never go back
by TripAdvisor Member aubrey75
I was very excited to stay at the Hotel Viking for my first anniversary. But, I was very dissapointed. It was just an overpriced small hotel room. Certainly not romantic or worth the money. It was just a "holiday inn" claiming to be "romantic". It was absolutely not worth the money.
Spa so-so
by A TripAdvisor Member
This past February, as part of our Valentine's weekend escape to Newport, my husband booked us some spa treatments at the Hotel Viking and I was eagerly looking forward to being pampered.
The body wrap treatment I had was very nice, though the room should have been warmer. When I mentioned that I was a bit chilled I was told "it will warm up soon"; unfortunately it never did. The massage my husband had was much to his liking. Neither one of us was overly impressed with the spa facility itself. What bothered me was that the spa is located in the bowels of the hotel and right next to the indoor pool; not very spa like (i.e. quiet) in my opinion. The ladies locker is incredibly small so be prepared to not have much personal space.
Personally, the Stillwater spa over at the Hyatt is much better for both the location of the facility as well as the treatments that are afforded.
A Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde Experience
by A TripAdvisor Member
Recently my family and I had stayed at the Hotel Viking, it was to say the least quite an experience. Although we were quite taken by the beauty of the facilities and the pleasant and accommodating staff (excluding our dining experience), our stay was quickly neutralized by the following experiences. The comments stated here are the same comments sent to the Hotel Viking as a summary of my stay.
1. We originally booked a non-smoking room, but it was evident that the room had a smoker in it. We reported it to the front desk and it was handled promptly, and our room was changed. Bravo!
2. The climate control in our room was not operating properly. We are use to sleeping with the temperature at 65 degrees. The air conditioning unit did not turn on so as to lower the room temperature. We eventually had to regulate the heat manually by opening the windows and progressively lowering the windows as the room cooled off. This resulted in the worst night's sleep we had ever had in a hotel. The room was simply too stifleing.
3. The following morning we went to breakfast and although the food was quite delicious the service was terrible. We had to wait quite a bit of time for our order to be taken, our coffee, and eventually our food. The order was delivered incomplete. I did not recieve my fruit or my cereal with my continental breakfast. My wife did not recieve her order of an english muffin with her eggs, and she never got her ketchup for her potatoes. Even though she asked for it twice. We had to wait a number of times for a refill of coffee. So much so that twice I let my wife finish my coffee, thereby only having one cup of coffee for myself for the entire meal. Upon being totally frustrated we wanted to leave but nobody would bring us our bill. It was a terrible experience.
We had a great experience
by TripAdvisor Member hdp626
I usually am the one that reads reviews, not writes them. I booked the Hotel Viking for our 2 year anniversary. Being a good travel consumer I checked out Trip Advisor to get others' opinions beforehand. I was very nervous after reading all of the negative comments, but that won't make me change my trip.
My husband & I booked the Breakfast on Bellevue package for $169. Our room was smaller than most hotel rooms, yet very adequate. We were only there for one night. My only concern would be the size of the bathroom/shower. It was very small. Other than that, the bed was exceptionally comfortable. We had one of the best nights of sleep in our whole life. Not sure if it was the bed, or just being able to relax away from home. As others mentioned, you could hear other people talking if they were out in the hallway. But it wasn't a big deal.
We used the valet service as it was included in the package and were happy with the service. The location is away from the downtown waterfront but it is still in walking distance if you are feeling adventurous. We were, but it started to rain so we needed the car.
The highlight of our trip was the couples spa treatment we had at Spa Terre. I found the spa environment to be very relaxing and the therapists were excellent. We had the 80 minute volcanic clay treatment and had absolutely no complaints. We also took advantage of the jacuzzi and pool and enjoyed both.
Finally, we had the included breakfast before we left. The buffets are only on the weekend, so we were able to choose anything we wanted off of the menu, as well as drinks and coffee. It was very good.
To make a long story short, we had a great time. I'm not sure if we are just too easy to please or I am just not seeing what others may have experienced.
Forum Posts
Newport for Thanksgiving -- suggestions please
by sharbev
Hi...my family is thinking about spending Thanksgiving in Newport. We've never been and always enjoy checking out places "out of season". My husband and I are mid-late 30's and our 2 boys are 1 and 3. We'd also like to bring our small dog. We need suggestions for all the details.
We plan to arrive Wed and leave Sat.
Lodging: So far, considering Hotel Viking and Hyatt Regency. Are these good/wise choices? Differences between them? Others I should consider?
Dining: Main concern is Thanksgiving. We'd like something traditional, fun, etc. Should we travel out of Newport or is there someplace good in town? Other fun kid-friendly options for the rest of the trip?
Activity: We'd like a hotel with an indoor pool. I understand the outdoor Ice Skating Rink opens that weekend. Would be nice to see the Mansions or maybe just Astors Beechwood. Carriage rides available? Also would consider visiting a tree farm...I know some in New England will ship, but that may be more in VT, NH, etc. Suggestions for things to do with the kids?
Babysitting: Any hotels/services that provide good child care for an evening out?
Okay, please feel free to add anything you feel would be helpful. Forgive my naivete, as I mentioned, we've not been before.
Also, we are considering (to avoid holiday traffic a bit) breaking the trip up and staying in the Darien/Bridgeport/Stamford area on Tues night before arrival and Saturday night on the way home. Any recommendations for affordable hotels?
Thanks,
Shari