On A Lark: The Hotel Portsmouth
Two weekends ago, Dan and I had a mini babymoon in Portsmouth, NH with an overnight stay at The Hotel Portsmouth (thank you Lark Hotels!). I was really excited for this stay for two reasons: (1) After staying at my first Lark Hotel in Salem (see post here), I couldn’t wait to check out this property and (2) It’s been a few years since we have visited Portsmouth and I was looking to re-explore the downtown area. As I suspected, I absolutely adored the property and Portsmouth is still as adorable as I remembered. Let me give you a virtual tour of the hotel and a look at what we did during our stay.
The room we stayed in was very spacious and simply decorated. I adored the pops of color here and there. I loved that there was a chandelier in the room - the perfect touch!
There’s even a little seating area right by the fireplace. Not sure if the fireplace worked but it was so nice out that even if it did work, we wouldn’t have needed it! A cozy little spot to kick up my feet.
The bathroom was on the smaller side but did include this beautiful bath tub! Look closely - can you see the rainbow? It’s the effect of the beautiful stained glass window behind me.
Caught some ZZZ’s in this comfy and cozy bed.
Off the main entrance to the hotel was this beautiful blue study, one of a few spots at the hotel guests can relax in. This study was filed with books and some games.
Opposite the blue study is another seating area for guests. It’s conveniently located off of the kitchen, which is always stocked with water, coffee, tea and some snacks. I love that there are chandeliers everywhere and this one is a beauty!
I’m a huge wallpaper fan and fell in love with this one, which is found in the dining area. The details throughout the hotel is incredible.
Here’s what the hotel looks like from the outside. It’s located just a few minutes from the center of downtown. Dan and I were able to walk everywhere - we didn’t even need our car at all until it was time to leave.
EATS & DRINKS
One of our good friends moved to Portsmouth recently, so we met up with him for drinks (well, the drinks part were left to the boys) at The River House. The outdoor bar is right on the river. In fact, there’s a whole row of outdoor bars all connected by the back deck. We got there in time to see the sunset. What a treat!
At our friend’s recommendation, we grabbed reservations at Cure. I would describe it as new American style food. The space was cozy and had outdoor seating as well. It was a bit cool at night so we dined inside. We loved everything we got. This french onion soup was amazing, which was followed by a heaping pile of lobster mac. We were just too full for dessert.
We ended with a nightcap at The Wilder. They had a short list of mocktails so I was able to partake! It was a pretty cool space and the perfect spot for one last drink.
The next morning, we stopped by La Maison Navarre and grabbed to-go coffees and pastries for our stroll through town. The chocolate (Dan’s) and almond (mine) croissants were flaky, buttery and just full of goodness!
SHOPPING
First stop: Stonewall Kitchen. I always love exploring the store and trying the treats they put out. We also wanted to grab a gift for my MIL, since she was babysitting Bentley for us. Fact (which was not known to me): Stonewall started at a farmer’s market right here in Portsmouth!
Goods is a great gift store full of home goods with a heavy nautical theme. They also carry beauty products such as soaps and lotions. I kinda regret not grabbing a set of loungewear that I left behind….
The last time we visited Portsmouth, Dan had really good luck at Sault. This time was no different. He picked up a few more items and I scored a t-shirt that I’ve added to my football Sunday lineup. Even though there’s one in Boston, he’s never been to that one!
Gus & Ruby Letterpress is one of the prettiest stores I’ve ever been in. Gorgeous prints cover their walls, colorful stationary scattered throughout and beautiful home goods line the tables. I couldn’t leave the store without grabbing a few little goodies for myself :)
On our last morning in Portsmouth, we popped into a few more stores that we didn’t get to the day before. Nahcotta was a very cool spot. It’s part art gallery, part home goods store. A little pricey, but worth a walk through to see all the creative pieces.
JaneGee promotes clean living, carrying clean products ranging from skincare to hair care. They also had the cutest display of baby gifts! If you are into clean products, this would be the place to stop in.
My favorite part of our trip was ending it at the Portsmouth Farmers’ Market. We stocked up on flowers to bring home and cider donuts for the car ride. There were a few stalls that offered breakfast foods. We almost wished that we had waited to grab our AM bites here!
This was the perfect overnight getaway - the last one for a bit while we await baby Rubin’s arrival!
Although my hotel stay was complimentary, the opinions contained in this post are my own.