A beautiful building, the owners’ exquisite taste, their warm hospitality and a sumptuous breakfast the next morning all combine to make a night at the Architect’s Inn something to cherish.

We arrived at 6:15 one Wednesday last month and were greeted by co-owner Harlan Tyler with a quick tour, a bounty of information and the offer of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies. After we admired the mansion, immaculate and decorated for the season with carefully chosen Victorian style — it was built in 1873 as the home of George Champlin Mason, an architect who also designed the Newport mansion Chepstow and an addition to the city’s Redwood Library — we drove the few blocks to the waterfront for dinner. Had it been a bit warmer, it would have been an easy stroll.

On our return around 9, we noticed that Harlan and Sheila, as their guests universally call them, had put out glasses and a bottle of sherry as well as the cookies. (The lavishly appointed library and living room, with plenty of sofas and chairs perfect for sitting on while reading one of the books available on nearby shelves, were empty, the innkeepers having retired for the evening.) We gladly tried both the cookies and the wine, and found them as delectable as they looked. For teetotalers, there’s also an assortment of teas and a never-ending pot of hot water as well as coffee, and a fridge full of soda.

The Redwood Room — picked for us by our teenaged children, who had given us the stay as an amazingly generous Hanukkah gift — was huge, with a comfortable queen-sized canopy bed cushioned with seven fluffy pillows and an extra-soft comforter; a fireplace, complete with Duraflame log; and a claw-footed soaking tub, just right for a luxurious bath in the bath salts Harlan and Sheila provided. The canopy and matching bed linens, in a blue print, nicely complemented the simple gray walls in the bedroom, while a Victorian print ran riot in the bathroom, even covering the door.

The inn’s Web site boasts that you can ballroom dance in the bathroom; the room is so spacious that it’s true. Comfy white terrycloth robes complete the feeling of luxury.

A journal in which guests who’d stayed in the room recorded their impressions gave us a glimpse into other lives, as well as several recommendations for restaurants and tourist attractions. For those who prefer to stay in, there’s also a TV and VCR, with a selection of movies down in the library.

After a restful night’s sleep in the quiet inn, we arose to a breakfast the likes of which we’ve not encountered before in many stays at B&Bs.

It began with coffee or a choice of teas and a huge basket of warm scones, croissants, muffins and coffee cake set on the eight-person table in the large dining room. (Little boxes of cereal are also available, but it’s beyond me why anyone would want them when this bounty is available.)

Then Harlan emerged carrying halved grapefruit adorned with maraschino cherries. But he warned us not to fill up on what had been offered so far; Sheila was cooking sausage and a choice of pancakes, plain or made with fresh banana, strawberries or blueberries.

The pancakes were delicious, and Sheila came out of the kitchen to chat with us for a few minutes before the next guests (the inn has five guest rooms) got downstairs. She was as gracious a hostess as her husband was a host.

After we checked out, we headed the few blocks to Bellevue Avenue, where art galleries, the Newport Art Museum and the Redwood Library, with its collection of art (including several Gilbert Stuarts), beckoned. It was a lovely end to a far-too-short stay at the Architect’s Inn.

The Architect’s Inn is at 31 Old Beach Rd. in Newport. Winter rates for the five rooms range from $125 to $150 on weeknights and $145 to $175 on weekends; in summer, they’re $199 to $250 and $225 to $285. Call (888) 834-7081 or go to www.architectsinn.com.

The inn participates in the Convention Bureau Getaway Package program described in the main story; for details, go to www.gonewport.com.

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