Where should I stay on Block Island?

Old Harbor if you want to walk to dinner, the ferry, and the nightlife. New Harbor for the boating scene and sunsets over the Great Salt Pond. Anywhere else for quiet — nothing on a seven-mile island is truly far.

When should I book a summer stay?

The good rooms for July and August go in late winter. If you are choosing between booking in February and booking in May, book in February — you can almost always cancel; you cannot conjure a room in June.

Is Block Island expensive to stay on?

In peak season, yes — small island, short summer, finite beds. The honest workarounds: come midweek, come in June or September, or split a rental with another family. Shoulder season is the best value the island offers.

Where to stay on Block Island, honestly

Here is the thing nobody selling you a room will say plainly: Block Island's hotels are old. Most of the grand ones went up in the 1870s and 1880s, and the island has protected them ever since. That means Victorian porches, water views, and genuine character — and it also means thin walls, small baths, and stairs instead of elevators. Whether that's romance or a problem depends entirely on you, so our guides tell you which is which, room by room.

The geography is simple. Old Harbor is where the ferry lands: hotels, restaurants, and bars in a few walkable blocks. New Harbor wraps the Great Salt Pond: marinas, sunsets, a slightly quieter night. Everything else is countryside — stone walls, ponds, and inns where the loudest thing at night is the foghorn.

The single most useful thing on this page: book absurdly early. Summer weekends sell out by spring, and the rooms that remain in May are the rooms you'd guess. For value, aim for September — the water is at its warmest, the crowds are gone, and the rates drop while the weather doesn't.

The guides

Every hotel, compared

The full rundown — who each hotel is actually for.

Hotels with pools

A short list, because the ocean is the pool here.

Vacation rentals

Houses, cottages, and how to book before March.

Camping

One campground, zero backcountry — the honest version.

Pet-friendly stays

Where the dog is a guest, not a problem.

Hotel & inn profiles

The 1661 Inn

Ocean-view breakfasts on the lawn, rooms with fireplaces and spa tubs, and a resident exotic-animal farm — the 1661 Inn is the island's most character-rich stay.

The Atlantic Inn

A hilltop Victorian on six acres above Old Harbor, with the island's best sunset porch — and back-to-back Most Romantic Spot titles to prove it.

Champlin's Resort & Marina

The Great Salt Pond's all-in-one: 44 renovated rooms, a 140-slip marina, three dockside bars, a waterfront pool — and the 2026 Best Mudslide title.

Hotel Manisses

The redesigned Victorian landmark: boutique rooms, garden grounds, craft cocktails, and seasonal cooking — Block Island's polished-quiet option.

Block Island Beach House

The island's only true beachfront hotel rooms — The Surf on the sand, The Gables across the street, and one of the island's rare pools. Here's who it fits.

The National Hotel

The Victorian landmark facing the ferry: 46 rooms, a porch restaurant over Old Harbor, firepits out back, and the most convenient address on the island.

The Spring House Hotel

The mansard-roofed grande dame on the hill: a veranda with the island's longest view, family rooms and an adults-only inn wing, and The Barn out back.

Latest from Stay

Stay

Where should I stay on Block Island?: Old Harbor if you want to walk to dinner, the ferry, and the nightlife. New Harbor for the boating scene and sunsets over the Great Salt Pond. Anywhere else for quiet — nothing on a seven-mile island is truly far.
When should I book a summer stay?: The good rooms for July and August go in late winter. If you are choosing between booking in February and booking in May, book in February — you can almost always cancel; you cannot conjure a room in June.
Is Block Island expensive to stay on?: In peak season, yes — small island, short summer, finite beds. The honest workarounds: come midweek, come in June or September, or split a rental with another family. Shoulder season is the best value the island offers.