Gracious hospitality is the hallmark of a luxury hotel, and at the Delamar Southport, it begins as you enter the stately white gabled building with black shutters, distinct bright red awnings with the Delamar name written above the entrance in large gold letters. The welcome begins with the offer of a complimentary welcome beverage of a glass of port, sherry, or water as you register at guest services.
Delamar Southport
Elegance abounds at the hotel with its inviting public spaces that are visually stunning with attractive furnishings and interesting art gracing the walls. Orchids on a central table draw the eye, and in cooler months, there is a fire in the fireplace that adds warmth and ambience.
Welcome Drink
Our spacious superior king bedded guestroom was stunning with its richly painted terracotta walls and wide ivory moldings that made the color snap to attention with its crisp perfection. Sumptuous ceiling to floor window treatments graced the three windows giving the room a light and airy feeling, and a sculpture of a horse on a low table added visual style.
An attractive marble foyer and a small kitchen area with a Keurig brewing system and a selection of complimentary coffees and teas, a microwave, a mini refrigerator, dishes, and utensils, added to the attentive and thoughtful appointments.
Delamar Southport – Lobby
The focal point of the room though was the gas fireplace, where with a press of a button, the flame roared behind the glass front. We stayed at the hotel in mid-March 2014, and although technically spring in the northern hemisphere as noted as a date on the calendar, the weather refused to yield to warmer temperatures, so we were especially appreciative of the warmth and the romantic ambience of the glow in the fireplace. Blue and white ginger jars decorated the fireplace mantle, a stunning seascape painting graced the wall over the fireplace, and double sconces on either side of the painting added a touch of old-world elegance.
Superior Guestroom
Directly opposite the fireplace was an inviting dark wood 2-poster king bed opulently dressed with Italian linens, an ivory coverlet, a plethora of bed pillows, and an embroidered decorative pillow. A handsome upholstered bench was thoughtfully placed at the foot of the bed, a nightstand with a large lamp and a telephone flanked one side of the bed, and an attractive round table with a Tivoli Audio system flanked the other side.
There was an inviting sitting area with a large painting gracing the wall, with a round table and two upholstered chairs that was the perfect place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or a cup of tea, or read the daily complimentary newspaper delivered to the room. On the opposite side of the wall, there was a chest of drawers that held a large flatscreen television, and directly opposite the television in the corner of the room there was a comfortable chair with decorative pillow and ottoman and a floor lamp.
A reading lamp graced the large wood desk with inlaid leather adorned with a black leather blotter, cordless telephone, and an interesting assortment of area magazines. Business travelers will especially appreciate the hard-wired and complimentary WI-FI located throughout the hotel to make work on the road easier.
The spacious and well-lit marble tiled and wallpapered bathroom featured a deep-soaking tub with shower combination, toilet, low table, an oval mirror over the large vanity sink graced with a beautiful orchid in a square glass vase and an assortment of luxurious Elemis amenities. A lighted vanity mirror, hairdryer, and Delamar robes on the bathroom door completed the welcoming ambience. Turn-down service includes the time-honored hospitality tradition of chocolate squares on the nightstand and Delamar slippers on the bed.
The hotel has an airy, light-filled state-of-the-art Fitness center, where we started our day with an enjoyable brisk workout, and we also appreciated the extra security measures at the hotel that requires guests to use a key card in the elevator to access guestroom floors.
Fitness Center
During our stay we had an excellent dinner at the Artisan Restaurant, Tavern, and Garden in the elegant main dining room. The room was stunning with its abundant display of stargazer lilies in a large vase on an entrance table, wide plank wood floors, floral mural wall, wall of framed vintage mirrors reflecting character and a rich patina that come with age, and the artistic copper wire basket chandeliers. Sconces on the square columns added glowing ambience, and shapely dark wood upholstered seat chairs flanked tables dressed with sparkling crystal on pristine ivory linens topped with white paper, and adorned with white roses in glass vases, votive candles, and salt and pepper grinders. Low music complemented the ambience without being a distraction.
Artisan Restaurant, Tavern, and Garden
A few of the many highlights of our dinner included homemade salmon gravlax served with warm fingerling potatoes, horseradish cream, and mixed greens, the crusted Nantucket fluke dusted with breadcrumbs, on a bed of cauliflower-creamed spinach, with a delicious concord grape reduction, and the pecan-caramel-ganache tart with citrus butterscotch and paired with Bailey’s ice cream.
Nantucket Fluke
The Artisan Restaurant and Tavern features 18th century classic Scandinavian design with elegant fine dining in the main dining room, and more casual dining in the Tavern, which has a comfortable sitting area with a white tiled corner fireplace as its focal point.
We enjoyed starting our day with the complimentary Continental Breakfast served in the Tavern where fresh fruit and berries, yogurt, cold cereal, hard-boiled eggs, miniature muffins, Danish pastries, sliced tomatoes, hash browns, scrambled eggs, crisp slices of bacon, bagels to toast, orange juice, coffee, and an interesting selection of teas awaited.
Continental Breakfast
Southport, located on the Long Island Sound, settled in 1639, is a charming village with small shops, antique galleries, and more to discover. In warmer months, the hotel offers guests the use of complimentary bicycles. An interesting area to explore is the Southport Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, with its extensive Greek revival, Federal, Georgian, and Victorian architecture.
With its convenient location, the Delamar Southport is a perfect home on the road for the business traveler, and with its proximity to many nearby attractions, it is also attractive to the leisure traveler.
The Delamar Southport also has a sister hotel, the Delamar Greenwich Harbor, located in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Artisan Restaruant, Tavern, and Garden
Read about the Artisan Restaurant, Tavern, and Garden in the Restaurants section, and an interview and recipes from Chef Frederic Kiefer in the Chefs’ Recipes section.
Read about the Delamar Greenwich Harbor in the Hotels and Resorts section.
Delamar Southport
275 Old Post Road
Southport, Connecticut 06890
United States
Telephone: +1-203-583-3835
Toll-Free: +1-888-489-1964
Fax: +1-203-259-2900
Email: guestservices@delamar.com
Website: www.DelamarSouthport.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DelamarSouthport
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