Carriage House Inn is a good option for someone looking to save some money in Newport and still have a nice place to stay with more charm than a regular hotel. The hotel is just minutes from Newport beach (where the cliff walk starts), and about 5 minutes from Newport port area (and shopping!).

Our room was HUGE, with a king-size bed, fireplace, microwave, and small fridge. That said, the TV was smaller than most, but not horrible - who needs TV on vacation anyway! The staff was nice and helpful, the breakfast your standard continental buffet. Nothing super-special, but it definitely fit our purposes, and we had a nice stay.

I thought this place was pretty clean until I took a shower and there were hairs all over. It was really gross. The towels were also pretty dingy. The people working the counter were not very professional as stated in other reviews, but he was really nice. They have a continental breakfast as well, but we did not try it. There is an IHOP right down the road. Downtown Newport is really cool and just down the road the other direction.

Many problems at this location, many of which could have been avoided:

Very small rooms along with rooms twice the size that cost the same amount. Stubbed my toe on furniture placed too close to bathroom. Had to store suit case on the floor.
Lousy and stale breakfast offerings. Poorly washed coffee cups offered for use to guests.
Staff members placed a large chair in front of an unlocked door that is used to go out to the patio. Next to this door is a locked door that could have had the chair in front of it and no one would have cared. I spilled coffee on the chair as I sqeezed thru the narrow opening. Someone could get hurt.
Elderly staff members working alone are overworked and distracted doing the job that many people should do together, which probably accounts for bad attitude mentioned in other posts. Considering the high room fee they could carry more staff.
Hair dryer didn't work and they could not replace it.

This place was one of a handful still with vacancy for a last-minute Memorial Day weekend trip to Newport. I paid $170 a night (AAA rate) which is pricey but understandable given the holiday weekend.

We showed up at night and my wife immediately noted that it felt like one of the scenes in the movie, "No Country For Old Men." And I had to admit, the quietness and the tacky-antique decor gave the place a haunted-house feeling that she found uncomfortable.

That's obviously very subjective though, and otherwise we found the place clean and comfortable, and we received good service. The location is a few miles from Newport, no problem if you have a car. The included breakfast is very bare-bones, just small pastries and coffee, and we skipped it altogether in favor of restaurants.

Overall, I can't fault the place for anything, other than the eerie ambience, but it wasn't a place that really suited our tastes.