Every island resort town has its grande dame; Block Island’s wears a mansard roof and a cupola and has been photographed from the ferry rail since cameras came in wooden boxes. The Spring House sits up on its hill with a wraparound veranda pointed at the Atlantic, and from those chairs the island’s whole southern sweep — lawn, hills, ocean — arranges itself like it rehearsed.
What it’s like
The property splits by traveler. The main hotel and the Barn Apartments welcome families; The Inn at Spring House runs adults-only (18 and up) for guests who came for the quiet. Everyone shares the veranda, which is the amenity that matters — a drink up there while the light goes long is one of the island’s canonical evenings.
Dinner is a walk across the lawn: The Barn, the hotel’s wood-fired open-kitchen room, finished runner-up for Best Restaurant in the 2026 island voting — a serious kitchen living at your hotel is a luxury worth planning around.
The honest trade-offs
Grand and historic means grand and historic: this is porches-and-lawns luxury, not marble-bathroom luxury, and rates in peak season are top-of-market. The hill also puts town at a walk — lovely going down, a mild cardio decision coming back after dinner.
Who it fits
Special-occasion trips, multi-generation groups who can split between the family and adult wings, and anyone whose island fantasy involves a veranda chair with their name on it. Compare against the harbor-side options in the hotel rundown.