Your Weekend Getaway in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

If you are looking for a quaint New England style city along the east coast, Portsmouth, New Hampshire is the perfect destination.  The winding streets, waterfront views, cafes, restaurants, boutiques and street performers are just a few of the features that make Portsmouth so worth the visit. 

We visited Portsmouth after our time in Maine at Great Diamond Island, which you can read more about here. Portsmouth is only an hour drive from Portland, and this wasn’t our first time visiting the city along a road trip to Maine. It definitely is worth the stop if passing through or as your New England destination! 

Hotel Highlight: 

Residence Inn Portsmouth Waterfront/Downtown

Our family was welcomed at the Residence Inn Portsmouth Waterfront/Downtown with adorable rubber duck characters from the front desk receptionist and a welcome box of Portsmouth novelties in our suite. Yes, that’s right, the new style of hotel stay that the Residence Inn Portsmouth emulates so well, the feeling of “home” in their all-suite, extended stay hotel. 

Things we loved about the Residence Inn Portsmouth

There are so many great features found at the Residence Inn Portsmouth, but here are a few of our favorite things:

Suite style rooms- Our suite included a full kitchen, living area with a pull out couch, separate bedroom with a king sized bed, and full bathroom attached.  Having a two separate room suite is the main thing we look for when booking a hotel because it’s nice to be able to stay up later than our kids without waking them up.

I especially loved our suite at Portsmouth because I loved looking out our window and seeing the old buildings with cedar roofs and the water in the distance.  It definitely felt very “New England” to me and I just love the charm! 

 

Location: The Residence Inn Portsmouth is walking distance to everything you could possibly need, such as shops, restaurants, cafes, the waterfront, etc.  I love not having to get in our car to get to the “main attraction” and being active, really getting a feel for the city we are visiting, exploring by foot is so great. 

Amenities: 

Breakfast buffet: Breakfast included in our hotel stay is a huge draw for Matt and me now that we have kids. There is nothing worse than trying to find a restaurant that serves breakfast with a hangry toddler in the morning. Being fed breakfast at the hotel buffet saves us those stressors and makes for a smooth family morning. 

Indoor pool: Picking a hotel with an indoor pool is almost always a must on our checklist because it’s the perfect activity to get our kids’ energy out and something to do if we run into bad weather on vacation.

A Night to Remember: 

Dinner at Rooftop at the Envio 

 

A short walk from Residence Inn Portsmouth Waterfront/Downtown, is AC Hotel by Marriott, with the best rooftop bar and restaurant: Rooftop at the Envio.  We had the privilege to eat there as a family and it completely exceeded our expectations. Everything was spectacular: the view, ambiance, and of course, the food.  We tried the baked brie, hummus platter, flat breads, salmon, and tuna & pork belly. This was honestly, the best meal we’ve had all summer, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. It was the kind of meal you feel healthy about eating and don’t get “gross full” after. I couldn’t say a single negative thing about our experience. It was the perfect night. 

A City Worth Comparing 

That night as we roamed around the vibrant city, my husband, Matt, wishingly compared Portsmouth to the little village we live in, not far from Buffalo, NY. Jokingly, we pretended little restaurants and shops we were passing were the equivalent of the ones we pass each day near our home.  Portsmouth is MUCH bigger than our little village, I mean, we only get one main street of restaurants and foot traffic, but I know what Matt was getting at… the feel of Portsmouth; it truly is a darling area to roam around while sipping a latte of licking an ice cream cone and window shopping all the adorable boutiques there are to offer.  

We’ve always used Portsmouth as a stopping place on our trips to Maine, but I see an extended stay in Portsmouth in our future soon!