Need to know
Rooms
59, of which 12 are suites. Rooms are distributed across three buildings: the main Surf hotel, plus Gables and Gothic annexes.
Check–Out
11am. Check-in, 4pm. Both are flexible with advance notice, and when availability permits.
More details
Rates are room-only, but you can buy breakfast at Coffee & Cocktails, open 7am–11am daily.
Also
There are three fully ADA-compliant rooms: two in the main Surf building and one in the Gothic annex. Each has button-operated automatic doors and an adapted bathroom.
Hotel closed
The hotel opens seasonally from May to October.
At the hotel
Free WiFi throughout. In rooms: smart TV, air-conditioning, mini fridge, bathrobes, and Lather bath products.
Our favourite rooms
If you favor comfort over character, the more spacious rooms in the Gables and Gothic annexes are for you. But if, like us, you’re the other way inclined, opt for the Surf hotel’s nostalgia-laced seaside elegance: what these rooms lack in size they make up for with whitewashed wood paneling, blown-up Polaroid photo art, bold botanical prints, and decorative vintage surfboards. We’re eyeing the Oceanview King with Balcony for its sweet spot of space, panache and swoonsome sea views.
Poolside
There’s a small outdoor pool beside the Gables annex, open 9am–8pm daily.
Packing tips
There’s something about Block Island Beach House that just cries out for analog pursuits. Crack out the travel-sized board games and tattered paperbacks – this is your cue to get around to desert-island essentials like Robinson Crusoe, Lord of the Flies, or John Fowles’ hallucinatory 1965 classic The Magus.
Also
There has been an inn or hotel operating on and off on this spot since 1876; many of the main building’s exterior features date from this era.
Pet‐friendly
Up to two dogs can stay from $50 a night for each pooch. The hotel has four pet-friendly rooms. See more pet-friendly hotels in Rhode Island.
Children
Sea, sand and stand-up paddleboarding should be entertainment enough for most kids, but it’s likely the free WiFi will be put through its paces too. There are a couple of connecting rooms available in the Gothic and Gables annexes.