Press Room

THE OCEAN HOUSE CHARMS GUESTS WITH HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES

WATCH HILL, R.I., October 12, 2010 – The Ocean House, a luxury Victorian-era seaside resort, will welcome travelers this holiday season to indulge in an array of festive offerings.  An ideal setting to relax and relish in the company of loved ones, Ocean House guests will experience the golden age of luxury while being warmed by cozy stone fireplaces.  The following is a sampling of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve festivities that will delight those looking for a memorable holiday set in New England.

To kick off the holiday season with high spirits, the Ocean House invites guests to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with a buffet lunch in the Seaside Ballroom or Drawing Room.  Seatings will take place every 30 minutes from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The menu will feature holiday favorites from Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Herbed Buttered Roasted Turkey to Candied Sweet Potatoes and Cornbread Stuff with Caramelized Apples.  Live music will accompany the meal, which will cost $55 per adult and $30 per child.

Guests will also delight in the property’s hallmark farm-to-table cuisine with a sumptuous five-course Thanksgiving Dinner at Seasons Restaurant, with early seatings every hour from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and evening seatings every hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.  The menu, created by Chef de Cuisine Eric Haugen, will bring a New England twist to holiday classics, such as Rhode Island Honey Glazed Celery Root Panna Cotta and Sautéed Connecticut Bombster Scallops.  Dinner will cost $75 per person.

On November 26, the hotel will be transformed into a winter wonderland with lavish Christmas decorations and hayrides for guests throughout the weekend.  A special cabaret performance, featuring Marion Markham, will take place that evening at 9 p.m.  The property will also play host to a Holiday Trunk Show on Saturday and Sunday, offering an array of holiday items for purchase from various vendors.  Saturday evening will be filled with Christmas carols, as the Ocean House’s Christmas tree is lit on the front lawn during the Tree Lighting Ceremony and Community Open House.  Thanksgiving weekend rates start at $355.

Christmas at the Ocean House will bring hot cider, eggnog and fresh cookies to the lobby, carols in the evening and a visit from Santa Claus.  From December 15-26, guests will celebrate the season with the property’s “Twelve Days of Christmas,” which will include daily activities from ornament making and cooking decorating, to an Egg Nog recipe competition, Salt Marsh Opera performance and more.  On Christmas Eve, the property will offer a five-course dinner at Seasons, featuring unique festive options such as Native Oysters on the Half Shell with Green Apple, Olive Oil Jam and Apple Cider and Sweet Butter Poached Stonington Lobster Tail.  The dinner will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is priced at $75 per person.

On December 25, the Ocean House will offer a Christmas Day Brunch from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. as well as a five-course dinner in Seasons from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.  The all-day buffet will feature live music and cost $42 per adult and children over the age of eight, while dinner will once again showcase the property’s farm-to-table cuisine with menu items such as Native Sweet Carrot Salad with Banana, Fennel, Cashew and Young Cilantro and Roasted Breast of Liberty Farms White Peking Duckling with Sunchoke, Brussel Sprouts, Red Pearl Onion and Sauce Perigourdine.  The five-course dinner will cost $75 per person.  Christmas rates start at $355.

Guests can bid farewell to 2010 and ring in the New Year surrounded by family and friends at the property’s black tie New Year’s Eve Holiday House Party.  The Ocean House’s elegant, spacious interiors and spectacular ocean views will provide a unique backdrop for one of the most lavish events of the year.  The harmonies of six-piece band High Definition will set the perfect mood for dancing in the ballroom, while crooner Nicholas King serenades guests upstairs.  An assortment of culinary delights will be served at food stations throughout the lobby for the entire evening before welcoming the New Year with a champagne toast.  The Holiday House Party will cost $150 per person and includes a full open bar, sponsored by MS Walker.  Rates for New Year’s Eve start at $355.

For more information or to make a reservation at the Ocean House, call 401-584-7000 or visit www.oceanhouseri.com.

About The Ocean House
The Ocean House, one of New England’s last grand hotels, re-opened its doors in June 2010 after a $140 million rebuild and restoration.  The 136-year-old property, originally built just after the Civil War, is perched high on the bluffs in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.  Guests enjoy sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Montauk and Block Island from the resort’s 49 guestrooms and 23 private residences.  Farm-to-table casual and fine dining, the 12,000-square-foot OH! Spa and more than 10,000 square feet of event space make the Ocean House ideal for mid-week business retreats, close-to-home family vacations, weekend luxury escapes and destination weddings.  Developed by Bluff Ave., LLC and decorated by Niemitz Design Group, the stately property is a member of Preferred Boutique™, the elite collection of intimate hotels and resorts launched in 2005 by Preferred Hotel Group.  For more information, please visit www.oceanhouseri.com or call 401-584-7000.

Back to Listing