Shannon's Adventures: Staying at Neptune, an Ash Hotel in Providence Rhode Island

My trip to Providence was very last minute- and when we looked up places to stay in New England- this hotel looked charming, relatively close to places we wanted to get to (at least I thought it was- I'll get to that in a little bit) and the price was pretty great on Expedia. Plus- for the most part- my boyfriend and I have stayed at smaller hotels instead of big name hotels like Hilton and Sheraton... and while I like those hotel chains as well- it's nice to stay somewhere a little more unique.

The room we stayed in was small- it might have been the smallest room we've stayed at together... It might have been bigger than The Cabot Lodge in Beverly which we've stayed at before. It felt bigger than The Cabot Lodge either way.... and it was very comfortable. The bed was nice and big, the shower and bathroom was big... overall the room itself was really great.

The hotel staff was very friendly also- right when we arrived they asked us where we were from, why we went to providence and suggested places to go... We didn't ask them suggestions for food- but they did have some suggestions for food- they also recommended that we go to the RISD museum- which we did go to and ended up loving... I will post about that another time.

The hotel was also very close to the train station- so it was very easy to get to and from our hotel to other places. Rhode Island also has a good Bus station- but you can't buy tickets on the bus- you need to download an app for it before you go on unless you have a pass already I think? Or something like that it was a little confusing- the bus drivers were very kind and patient with us... but download the app and look these things up before jumping on a bus I suppose.

Ohhh I remember what happened- my boyfriend had downloaded the app and put money on it and was just going to use the app for me also- but because the app is technically a Bus Pass you need to download them individually... unlike the Metro Card- which you can just put money on and use multiple times. We don't typically use busses- so we're not sure if this is unique to Rhode Island or if that's just how it is everywhere... it's still probably a good idea for everyone boarding the bus to get a pass just in case.

Anyway it was also within walking distance of a lot of great food, the Providence Place Mall (which has a Pop Mart)- was right there, the train station was nearby, the RISD museum was nearby, a theater that shows broadway tours was right nearby... and there were a lot of tours we could take that were near the hotel- but we didn't take those tours. We also thought the Ferry to Block Island was right nearby also- however I don't know if it went directly to Block Island or if it wasn't running while we were there... or if it was all booked up already or something. For some reason the day we went to Block Island- we couldn't use that ferry and we had to go to Newport Rhode Island to get that ferry. That wasn't too far of a bus ride either- so it was not bad getting around from this hotel.

Overall I really enjoyed my stay at this hotel. The Lobby was also very big and beautiful- they usually have a coffee place there but it's been closed for a long time- I believe they're renovating. There are a ton of coffee places nearby- and I have to say... I did not really like any of the coffee I drank while there... but that could have just been my ordering.

I would stay at this hotel again- it's a good way to get around New England- especially since it is so close to the train station its very easy to get to other states in the area for a quicker visit if you'd like. Really fun stay! The one thing we had a little bit of an issue with is that it is a pet friendly hotel and the rooms are very close. There was a dog in the hotel across from us and it was barking non stop for like an hour or so. I've had very noisy dogs- so it didn't bother me that much... but it wasn't really ideal for us when we really just wanted to relax and not leave the hotel. You will most likely be able to hear your neighbors... and they can likely hear you as well... so just be mindful and enjoy your stay!

Bye!

-Shannon