The Ale House Inn is a boutique hotel located in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. James and I were celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary and this made the perfect romantic escape. With only 10 rooms and no children allowed, you can expect a quiet time to reconnect.
The Ale House Inn has a warm and cozy feel to it. In the lobby, there is coffee on tap. There is a fireplace, comfy couches and a basket of snacks on the coffee table. It feels like you just popped over to your bestie’s house to watch the latest episode of Friends. (Ok, I’m old.)
Our room had a nice view of the harbor and lush bedding that I had to be dragged out of the next morning. The parking was free and easy, which is an important detail in a city location.
My favorite part about the hotel was the downtown location. We could just walk out the door and be surrounded by a bevy of shops and restaurants. There are also bikes that you can use to explore the area. I really appreciated that we were given a map of the area with their suggested attractions and eateries listed on it.
Upon check-in, we were asked if we would be more likely to enjoy a beer or an ice cream. Of course, my husband’s answer was beer. We were each given a free beer ticket that we could redeem at the Portsmouth Brewing Company. We made a bee line for the brewery and had a great lunch there. Try the dirty blonde beer. Yum. If you like craft beer, you are in the right place. Throw a stone and you will hit a hip new brewery.
If you aren’t familiar with an area, a fun way to explore is to do the Ale House Inn’s Instagram Scavenger Hunt. This list will lead you around the city to see some unique, historical or just plain fun sites.
The Ale House Inn is a Lark Property, which is a small chain of boutique hotels throughout New England, New York and California. They are experts at picking the best locations, so you really can’t go wrong with any of their properties. Their hotels are nothing short of drool-worthy. I could easily print the list of Lark properties and make it my bucket list. You can trust the quality, stellar guest service and prime locations of this chain.
Portsmouth is only an hour drive north of Boston. It is such a an amazing place to explore and the Ale House Inn makes a great home base. If you are looking for a more family friendly option, but don’t want to compromise on style, check out the nearby Hotel Portsmouth which is also owned by Lark Properties.
For a list of the most romantic things to do on a couples getaway in Portsmouth, click here.