Spring House Hotel

You would be really stupid to eat here. Food is over priced I rather save myself a trip and goto Mayunck oyster bar. I gave it a 2 because I didn’t walk out. Ambience is «your on a island» look outside. I regret eating and. Drinking here .
Dear chef, I feel bad this resturant is a part of RI. You suck and this establish is shit. Arigato never coming again.

My wife and I just finished an amazing weekend on Block Island. We stayed at The Inn at Spring House, which is their new building. Kristin and Mike could not have been more accommodating. We’re looking forward to our next visit here!
— John M. Hudson, MA

I am spoiled. I don’t mean this to denote in any way how I was raised; rather to describe how I approach non-​chain hotels… Basically, I don’t stay in non-​chain hotels. Well I did this week and let me say, I am surprised. Merely walking into this place reminds you of days gone long ago… From the period rugs, to the 150 year old woodwork, to the absence of technology; this hotel is truly a step «back in time».
There are a few modern conveniences… Running water, electric lights, air conditioning, a cozy restaurant, and wireless internet in the lobby area… However, when you walk out onto the expansive porch and look around, you can easily imagine what this place was like 100 years ago.
The rooms are small and located in two buildings each with 3 floors. There is no elevator but those who come here normally don’t use an elevator. Each room has two windows with plastic horizontal blinds and will either have an ocean view, a «courtyard» view, or a view of the island’s west side which comprises mostly of the small settlement of shops, restaurants, houses, and pier (but you can only see it from the third floor — even though The SpringHouse Hotel is located on one of the highest hills the island has to offer.)
If you want to get away from it all for a few days and don’t mind a 45 min. ferry ride, you could do worse than staying at the Spring House Hotel.

This review is for brunch at The Barn. We got the eggs benedict, breakfast sandwich, potatoes, cranberry french toast, and coffee. We liked the breakfast sandwich the best. Potatoes were overcooked. The eggs benedict tasted really good but was the tiniest we have ever seen. It was tiny eggs on tiny toast lol. very weird. My friend liked the French toast but I found it really sweet and meh, and this is coming from a sugarholic.
Service was just ok. Our waitress had her friendly moments but it felt kind of disinterested overall. I asked for coffee when we ordered. We got breakfast before any coffee. I told her that I ordered coffee quite a while ago. Instead of apologizing, she said oh you want coffee? as if she didn’t know, though she acknowledged it when I ordered the first time. She also never offered refills. I actually had to ask if they give refills. They were not busy at the time, with only 3 tables occupied.
The décor here is cute but good luck finding the place. Someone outside just happened to tell us it was the first door. You go inside and all you see are white doors, all the way up the stairs. We walked up and came back down confused. The door to the actual restaurant looks like the door to someones apartment. No sign at all telling you that it is the restaurant. It would make sense to keep it open or have a sign. As we were having brunch we also saw people wandering around the yard trying to find out how to get into the restaurant. Having proper signage would seem to me to be the most basic, common sense thing. This place has potential but it needs some work. Now that we know how to get in, maybe we would stop in again to try some other things, after they work out the kinks.

We stayed at the Spring House during their closing weekend. Overall, the food and cocktails were great, though the salmon dish was a little off and the hot toddy I had was a little lackluster. The wine was great and the duck dish I had was delicious.
The hotel itself was lovely. Our room was very cozy and had a great view. We enjoyed having drinks on the gorgeous patio, and woke up early to see an amazing sunrise. Would definitely recommend this hotel!

5 stars for the dining experience on the wrap around porch. Gorgeous view, relaxing, great food, wine, dessert and mmmm… the illy cappuccino, simply heavenly. Skip the chips and salsa (bagged chips, not fresh) and the tapas (tiny, one bite each) and get proper appetizers. Cod entrée was delicious with the edges seared just right, sauce was perfectly citrusy and buttery. Crème brûlée and tiramisu were good. Would likely not stay here based on reviews though.

Very similar experience to the people that left a similar amount of stars. The view is amazing, the guys running the inside bar were extremely friendly and knowledgeable of the island but thats about it for the positive.
For $ 350 a night I would hope not to have about a 3 inch gap between my door and the floor. You can hear just about everything going on on your floor and the one beneath it. Luckily we were on the third floor. Another couple there for the same wedding could hear the bar clear as day on the second floor until closing time. There was no AC but thankfully we had two cool nights. The woman running the out door bar during the day on Sat (tattoos on forearms) was rude when we asked a few questions about the lunch menu.
Seems like this is par for the course on the island with the other inns and doesn’t seem that there is any rush to upgrade. I understand these are old buildings but a lot of minor changes could go a long way.
For anyone planning a trip to BI for a wedding or in any sort of group I would recommend looking into renting a house with other couples and cabbing it to where ever you need to be.

Gorgeous views from the beautiful lawn and plenty of dining options. Grabbed a refreshing mojito on the deck and watched the sun set. Then for dinner we tried the back patio since I got a bit chilly but had to move inside as it was still chilly for me. Our hostess was more than happy to accommodate us although it was martini night and the place was pretty busy.
Got the agave tequila cocktail with jalapeños which was tasty but really really strong. We shared a clam chowder which was the cream based type, good but nothing to write home about. For dinner we opted for the salmon with purple potatoes and (locally caught) sword fish with white beans. Both fish were prepared beautifully and I was pleasantly surprised by the two large sword fish fillets. The seasoning was also wonderful on both plates so was the presentation. We finished our meal with espresso martini sand chocolate molten lava cake with vanilla ice cream.
Bottom line– wonderful ambiance and great food! Would love to come back again.

This place (like many other on block island) has amazing views, ⁵⁄₅.
great covered porch for lunch. sorry didn’t eat here
great lounging couches, ⁵⁄₅
great lawn chairs with a view, ⁵⁄₅
the lobby and inside bar area is nice ³⁄₅ with that old world charm
short walk to town, ⁴⁄₅
the room is okay, this place is probably 100 years old, fiberglass walk in shower stall, generic bathroom fixtures, and a rotary phone on the wall. did i mention my laptop screen is bigger than the TV — who’s here to watch TV — internet is very slow (no chance of streaming netflix), cheesy in room coffee maker, at $ 300 a night i expect more.
i would NEVER NEVER NEVER stay here again, our room was on the 2^nd floor and the band started in the bar at 10pm and wrapped up around 1am, ⁰⁄₅
i strongly suggest staying someplace else small and quaint — then stop by have a drink and enjoy the view.

It’s hard not to compare this hotel to the Atlantic Hotel. That’s because they’re similar in many ways. They both share a similar appearance, similar food, similarly service, and my oh my, they both have beautiful lawns overlooking the Atlantic ocean. The front lawn of the Spring House Hotel is quite the place TO BE on the island when the sun goes down at sunset.
I didn’t stay overnight at the hotel. I ate outside on the deck. And boy do they have a big deck. It doesn’t look very large from the front but it actually wraps around the side and stretches to the back of the hotel. Compared to the Atlantic Hotel the Spring House has a much larger dining area.
My food was OK. The bartender guys were very cool. I wasn’t suppose to order from the bar menu (because it was dinner time) but the lead bartender allowed me to order a couple items from the menu. One note about my bartender… he has worked at the Spring House Hotel for the past 18 years. That’s definitely some crazy dedication there and it says a lot about the experience of their staff.
By the way, the Spring House Hotel is on the outskirts of town and just a short walk from the the center of Old Harbor. It’s a very pleasant walk (slightly uphill) and it passes the quirky Manisses animal farm (yay the farm is free).

A Grand Historic Hotel with sweeping views, but don’t be fooled in to thinking you will get luxury accommodations that go along with the highly priced room rates. Most of the people interacting with guests are college-​age folks who are very kind but absolutely clueless regarding hospitality.
I was waiting to receive significant info regarding a room change from the front desk. They called my room, but when I wasn’t there they didn’t think to call my cell (which I knew they had on file). Didn’t find my message until 24 hours later, and when I asked how to retrieve it, the front desk had no idea how to help me!
They have a coffee shop serving Italian coffee and baked goods, but there is no communication between the counter help and kitchen. Was looking for freshly baked items and was given old, cold pastries. Just as I was walking out I saw a baker carrying a tray behind the counter to refill shelves with hot, freshly baked items. Do you think anyone would call it to my attention only minutes after I asked what was being baked that morning… I was told «nothing fresh coming in today, sorry.»
I had to have my drink re-​made at the bar ²⁄₃ times, on more than one occasion. I am NOT a high maintenance person I promise you.
… and if you are accustomed to air conditioning don’t forgo it for a room with an ocean view. This is an older architectural building with small windows and poor ventilation. A fan doesn’t quite cut it.

This is a two-​part review, so be sure to read the whole thing.
First…don’t go for the low end room. We originally booked for two nights. Thursday night was $ 285, and Friday night was $ 300.
For those prices we got a room that was about 12×9, drywall tape peeling off the wall, no closet space (there was an armoire with some drawers and not enough space to hang up a shirt, so we had to hang a couple of shirts and a dress on the back of the door to the room).
The phone on the wall didn’t work.
The bathroom door, when open, hits the edge of the bed.
The floor slopes so much that they had to put 3 wood blocks under the legs of the metal bed frame on one side to level it out. The door to the room was so off that it took some effort to open.
The room did have working A/​C.
After speaking to the front desk, they offered to show us another room, without A/​C, after the guests checked out. We said fine. We were then contacted and told that the guests were actually NOT checking out.
A bit later, we were offered another, larger room, down the hall.
In the midst of moving our stuff, we were told it was only for one night and we would have to move our stuff back to the original room the next morning, so we moved everything back and stayed put.
One item that has nothing to do with the room, AND WE DID KNOW ABOUT THIS AHEAD OF TIME… don’t stay here on a Thursday night unless you’re planning to stay up until at least 12:30am. They have a lively bar scene and a band, and our room was RIGHT OVER THE BAR/​BAND.
The second part of the review is this… a young man, Kevin, made every attempt to try and improve our situation. He couldn’t have been more apologetic or diligent. He originally offered 25% off our stay, but once it was clear we were staying in the room, he gave us one night free, 25% off the 2^nd night, and 2 mini-​bottles of champagne. That doesn’t change any of the above, but it was impressive the effort he went to in trying to make things suitable for us, and it’s the ONLY reason I’m giving this two stars.
We get it, it’s Block Island, things are way more expensive, but the room wasn’t even up to Motel 6 or Super 8 standards, and it was a complete whiff to offer us another, nicer room, then tell us in the middle of moving we could stay there one night.
If you’re coming over, by all means do, just plan to spend closer to $ 400/​night to get a decent room wherever you decide to stay. The hotel here is a beautiful old building with lots of charm and a great porch/​bar area overlooking the bay.

Last minute decision to stay on the island, Dylan found us the last room on the island, Adam got us saline solution. This place is wonderful and the employees rock! From my previous review (and it still stands): Sitting on the front porch of the Spring House, or the lawn on an adirondack chair, with a peanut butter mudslide in my hand is my idea of heaven on earth. Nowhere else I’d rather be.

Wonderful dinner at this lovely hotel overlooking the water. Great service and all 6 of us raved about our different selections. Actad expensive but for an island restaurant not surprising. Great old but not run down victorian hotel. Would be perfect for a getaway fall weekend.

Unilocal reviews were right on, thank you for setting expectations. The location of The Spring House can’t be beat. Cocktails in the Adorandak chairs were worth the price, good service and a spectacular view.
Dinner on the patio was lovely, they offer wines by the glass in 2oz, 4oz and (⁶⁄₈ Oz sorry can’t recall which) which allowed us to make our on flight and we sampled 3. We started with the beet salad and a wedge salad offered as a special. Both were good, but I would have opted for less dressing on the beet salad.
For entrée my husband had the swordfish which he loved. I had the paella which was pretty average. Most of the seafood was perfectly fresh and the sausage well seasoned, but some of the mussel shells hadn’t opened. Clearly lack of attention to detail.
The big miss was the service. We each found one wine we really enjoyed and would have a few more ounces with dinner, but never had a chance to order, as the waiter was difficult to track down. To be fair, he was also working a table of 16 right behind us, but this is the special occasion restaurant on the island, so there were lots of big parties and probably not ideal if you really want a quiet meal.
My husband did want dessert and ordered the ice cream and an Irish coffee. I ordered decaf tea. Not only did they take very long to arrive, but the ice cream was half melted and the tea over brewed to my taste. I thought I would order an after dinner drink, but again waiter no where to be found until we we more than ready to leave. I wasn’t surprised by the $ 163.00 meal, but they certainly could have done a better job, as I would have spent more and tipped 20% rather than the 14% I left.

The location can’t be beat — it is gorgeous. There’s nothing on Block Island quite like sitting on an adirondack chair in front of the hotel overlooking the ocean and feeling the always-​cool breezes from your perch at the top of the hill. The outdoor dining or cocktails on the porch is also not-​to-​be-​missed. I am loving the recent addition of the small café with juice bar, where you can order a fresh-​from-​the-​garden organic juice (or a latte or another small snack).
With all that said, I am shaking my head over the rooms. I worked here for a summer almost 20 years ago, and my job was as a front-​desk receptionist and booking rooms. With the exception of bathroom renovations (which are lovely), the rooms almost haven’t changed. This isn’t entirely a bad thing — the rooms are beautiful in an old-​school way, and the hotel has historic charm. However, it feels to me like the owner needs to invest more in the rooms beyond the lovely bathroom renovations. The sense I get is that he is investing in the things that perhaps earn more money, including adding a new café, but at the end of the day, people paying these prices want a luxurious room and this isn’t it.
The furniture and rugs are many years old, and the beds and pillows were not up to the comfort standard that most travelers today have come to expect — particularly for the price. I wouldn’t want to see any of the charm of this beautiful place go away, but I do feel it can use some updates. I want to see it more «polished» than it is — the phone in the room was dirty, the carpets were so old they felt a little icky to walk on barefoot, and the entire carriage house smelled musty when we walked in. The floors slope dramatically — which is a charming feature — but the fire escape is incredibly rusty, the blinds are cheap, the in-​room coffee is nothing special (I think it was Folger’s or something, though I did like the toiletries), there is no mini-​refrigerator (that I saw). Travelers who choose this hotel are probably also staying at hotels like Ritz-​Carltons, Four Seasons, JW Marriotts, and other higher-​end hotels, and the room itself here can’t hold a candle to even a nice Marriott (though it is certainly far more charming with an amazing view).
Also, be careful when booking rooms. There is an outdoor, covered dining area in the back/​side of the hotel, and many of the ocean view rooms look out over this restaurant. It’s not overly loud, but loud enough that you won’t want to sleep with your windows open at night if you’re right above the restaurant and you’re looking to turn in early.
Overall, a lovely place, and I wouldn’t miss having a cocktail or dinner on the deck and sitting on the adirondack chairs during a visit here, but after staying for 2 summers in a row, I think I’m going to look for a place that feels a bit more polished.

I’ve been going here for years on the last night of our yearly BI family vacation. I’m biased as I got engaged here and love the adirondacks on the hill. I always have an awesome time on the deck overlooking the water. Wife and I always order the 2lb lobster which is never on menu but always available. The food is expensive and some things are great and some are mediocre but reality is your on an island and not in nyc so set expectations accordingly. Clams casino best I’ve ever had; flat bread pizza with prosciutto and figs way to sweet vs expected salty and savory; lobster was lobster which was good despite stuffing being too moist.

This is a hard review to write, as our 2 night stay had some ups and downs. The hotel was built in 1857 and is a Block Island landmark. The view from the hotel and the Adirondack chairs on the lawn is truly fantastic, and a big reason to stay. It’s only a short walk into the center of town, another plus. The hotel is fine, but also needs some more TLC — as you might expect in a seasonal historical building, things are a little tired and need updating. One of the days we were there, it was rainy and relatively cold (50’s). Despite the fact that everyone was stuck inside and freezing (wearing sweatshirts, jackets and a few in the lobby with blankets), they didn’t have the sense to turn on the heat until 4:00 in the afternoon (had been told the heat was off for the season — obviously not entirely true). The Internet was spotty, there is no fitness center and the restaurant wasn’t open for lunch our first day. Simple things like wiping off the lawn and porch furniture when the rain stopped just didn’t occur to anyone. There had been a wedding on Saturday evening, but the flowers just sat there in the lobby dining room wilting until Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning — very unattractive. So the hotel gets just two stars.
The bistro restaurant was decent, although the room is dark. The menu tries to be more creative than it needed to be and some of the combinations seemed a little off. Restaurant gets three stars. The café, the only option for breakfast, was pretty decent with some good muffins and scones and very good egg sandwiches. Three and a half stars.

Lunch on the deck is always a necessary part of a block island vacation. We’ve eaten inside for dinner which is good but the view with drinks on a sunny day is priceless. The food seems better this year and I really liked the new menu. The seafood and pizzas and flatbreads were very tasty. Service is a bit slow but with that view who cares?

Note: I didn’t come to Spring House for its accommodation. Rather, I came for the wedding of one of my closest friends. Therefore, this review is based on food and service.
My friend’s intimate, afternoon wedding reception took place on Sunday, Labor Day weekend, at the courtyard of the Spring House. We were a relatively small group with less than 40 people in attendance.
The menu consisted of a delightful array of BBQ buffet of coleslaw, side salad, potato salad, corn on the cob, maple-​drizzled corn bread, bbq chicken and bbq ribs were served. Overall, the food was ok. My one tiff was that the chicken was undercooked. No beuno. One thing to note was that we had two servers dedicated to our party. They were absolutely amazing and on point. I wish I caught their names!