Champlin's Hotel, Marina & Resort — Hotel in New Shoreham

I will preface this by saying we paid $400 a night for our room. Our first experience upon arrival was to be left waiting at what appears to be the front desk, but unless you look closely at the surface of that desk to see a small sign saying that the main office is down the hill, nowhere near where the taxi drops you and your bags off, you would have no idea. (Another guest saw us standing there waiting and told us.) So you carry your bags down to the main office, which looks more like the office of the maintenance dept, very cluttered and disorganized. Not a good "first impression". We arrived before check-in, but the web site says you are welcome to use the "resorts" amenities before actually checking in to your room. We were going to use the pool while waiting, we went over to the pool area and asked about towels. There are none. they do not provide them at the pool area. I went over to the main office to ask about getting some and was told that towels are in the rooms. But we don't have a room yet, so we don't have access to towels. I said "really you can't give us towels? We don't have our room yet." and she said no. What kind of "resort" doesn't supply towels at the pool? So we skipped the pool and just kind of sat around and waited for our room. When it became available we go to it and walk in and get hit with a VERY musty odor. It smelled horrible. Like mold and sewer. We were so tired we just wanted to lay down so we just left the door and the window open for a while to make it a bit better. After a while we turned on the A.C. and that made it a little bit better, but whenever housekeeping came, they would turn the A.C. off so we got to return to musty smelling room every time they came. We had asked for a roll away, and when I booked the room on the phone I was told it would not be a problem. Well they brought one alright, but it just BARELY fit in the room, not to mention the arms that hold one end up are bent, causing one end to collapse so my son went crashing to the floor. With the roll-away open you literally could not open the mini-fridge door it was so tight. Oh and the towels-there was three towels for the three of us. Three towels for three people to use at the pool, beach, and shower. My wife asked for more. They never came until she called again hours later. Went to the bar at the end of the dock, no bloody mary mix. Okay ginger ale then. $9 for a one liquor mixed drink and a flat ginger ale. Go to the movies one night. The "theatre" is a musty pole barn. It was VERY hot in there. The fans were just blowing around the smelly humid air. And the theatre doesn’t take credit cards, so walk back to the room in the rain to get cash. Breakfast at the snack bar took FOREVER. When we finally got our orders, mine was completely wrong (they gave me someone else's order) and my wife's and son's toast was black. Like not just well done, burnt to carbon. They never got it right. Other things like overflowing trash cans, trash on the ground that staff members REPEATEDLY walked right past, and even silly things like the flower barrels were in need of weeding badly. Add to all this staff members smoking pot outside our room and did I mention there were bugs in the sheets? Small flea size flies. After spending $900 at Champlin's to say we were disappointed with our experience is an understatement. I gave Champlins multiple opportunities to respond to me via e-mail or phone before I posted any review, they chose not to. I called again and spoke to the "manager" Randy and he said that he credited my card for the $40 charges for the broken roll-away. (That was a lie. I checked with my bank and there has been NO credit issued.) I asked him what about all the other issues as I will be sharing my experience far and wide. His response was "we don't offer refunds under threat of review". I hung up. I then posted a review on Tripadviser and 15 minutes later I got a call from Randy saying would it be okay if HIS manager contacted me the next day. I said "of course". That was six days ago and...

We come here every year for the 4th of July……it’s usually fun, family friendly, and Champlin’s used to have all the amenities to make it fun. (Grills, playground, arcade, tables, etc). Now, this doesn’t even exist. Please sit down and enjoy the ride as how I explain to help further families booking elsewhere like Payne’s or boat basin.

Please do not be fooled by the pictures they keep posting online, they’re all old pictures from years ago. They posted one of mine from the 4th of July when it was fun…This is false advertisement Champlins

We arrived on Friday July 2nd at noon with 3 other boats. It took the dock people 45 minutes to get together as we floated out there waiting….There was no one ahead of us, and the marina was dead. Originally, we called the front desk specifically about rafting when their new “rules” came out. The front desk said we can raft with our friends like we have done for years. Clearly the front desk doesn’t talk to the dock people. We pull up and say we’re rafting and the dock kid says no. Also, can you please train your dock people how to properly tie up boats? The You have these 100 pound girls trying to dock boats……seriously…. They’re struggling and watched other people jump off their boats to help these poor girls. We have been coming here for years rafting with boats which is what makes it fun. When we pulled in to our slip, Champlin’s was empty. The bar was empty, there was no sign of life at the marina. Normally, Champlin’s is the place to be for the 4th of July. Every boat is decorated, music is playing, the bar is packed with people with a band playing….Now the new owners are trying to make it some high class marina. Listen, Champlin’s was loved by families because of the simplicity. The grills for cooking, arcade, playground for kids. Now you took all that away. The grills were the community gathering spot…. All these families that pay tons of moneys look forward to this and you take that away? If you want to grill, you need to lug all your food and supplies up the hill to the 3 grills they left and claim them early. Also- you have to ask front desk to scoop out the mud and garbage from the grills. You sent a kid with a SOLO CUP to scoop out the garbage? You’re screwing people on prices here and you can’t even buy a grill cleaning kit? Really? The old Champlin’s had these cleaned at a nightly basis because everyone at the marina used it.

Check in - we tried checking in at CHECK IN TIME at 3pm………our room wasn’t ready until 4:45……really? You’re some high class marina now and rooms can’t even be ready?…..and we received no compensation for this. The best part is, your rates are up 75$ more a night from last time we came. I go to take a shower, and the shampoo, conditioner, and soap are all EMPTY!!!! (The new set up is the big bottles already in the shower like a Disney resort) Really Champlin’s? We pay this insane nightly rate and you can’t even provide us with those?

Now let’s talk about this “cafe” they are pushing….. they are trying to push some fancy cafe. We tried it out for coffee and these fancy burritos they are selling. The girls behind the counter don’t even know the menu. Please see picture below for this 12$ burrito. It’s a cold stale wrap, with a scoop of pre made eggs, tiny balls of sausage that you see in a Mcdonalds breakfast wrap, and cold cheese. For 12$???? You can’t even give us a fresh breakfast that’s HOT? Really?? So beyond disappointed Champlin’s!!! Especially for the price we pay for being here!!!!

A slice of pizza is 6$??? Are we serious??? A SMALL CHEESE IS 18$!!!! get out of here! A large cheese where I come from is 18$…….You’re really screwing all these families who come here on vacation. I am so utterly disappointed in Champlin’s and the changes they made. You’re chasing families out. I would never recommend this place. Head over to boat basin and Payne’s where the simplicity...

Champlin’s sits on a fantastic shoreline of the Great Salt Pond. Its a mix of hotel guests and boaters with several amenities: pool, kayaks, wading area/beach, fire pits (propane gas), and bars, cafe, restaurant, and ice cream stand. The Great Salt Pond is heavily sheltered with minimal waves even with windy conditions. The breeze is strong making the island a good ten degrees cooler than the mainland (we stayed over Memorial Day weekend and temps were mostly in the mid-60s). I’ve been to Block Island in July, and its legit hot, so it doesn't stay chilly.

I found the staff to be friendly and very willing to help make your stay enjoyable. However, some are definitely new–and lacking in training–as I heard a guy walk into a guest’s room without knocking (sounded like he thought the guest checked out). Very bad. On the good side, Loreleen and Jenn were particularly professional and exemplified customer service. Champlin’s offers a free shuttle to/from Old Port (the ferry dock & town). The young man driving the shuttle was reliable and had good advice on sites to see. The kitchen staff also deserves recognition- the food is really quite good and there are reasonably priced options. Some of the bartenders are new, so drinks can be unpredictable.

The rooms and facilities are clean with several obvious refreshes. The pool (a source of trouble in years past) appears fixed, but it was frigid during our stay. It may be heated, but its either not working or very weak. The pool deck is new. Likewise, our room furniture seemed very new too. The beds are super comfortable and I didn’t hear much noise from other guests.

Overall, I enjoyed our stay but I’m unlikely to go back. Champlin’s is nice, but I wouldn’t call it a “resort.” The buildings, while clean, are not particularly remarkable. The area behind the pool (consisting of a large maintenance building) is something of an eyesore. The kayaks are really basic (10 ft or less). The lawn games are things you’d pick up (cheap) at Amazon and won’t last the season. Its not terrible, but its basically a small step-up over an average hotel (with the exception of the bikes - the bikes are good quality and plentiful).

Aside from the mid amenities, it can get rowdy and I strongly recommend against bringing young kids here (anyone less than a teen). Maybe its just a holiday weekend, but several guests were pounding drinks at the pool bar, swearing more than your average pirate, and generally obnoxious. Some people sitting out by the fire pits were downright vulgar and didn’t seem bothered by discussing their sexual misadventures with little kids around (frat guys have more restraint). Several of the boaters seemed pretty chill, but others acted like they owned the place, blasting music late and getting visibly drunk (no, I’m not getting political, no one was flying their Trump or Dark Brandon flags). The Coast Guard must have their hands full…

As to the rest of Block Island, it can be somewhat difficult to get around without a car. Champlin’s shuttle only goes to/from Old Harbor. Block Island is very hilly so if you haven’t biked in awhile this isn’t the place to get reacquainted with two wheels.

I'm giving Champlin's 4 stars, which may be generous, because I did enjoy the stay and found the staff enthusiastic (if not always efficient). Its not Champlin's fault some of their guests suck, but I do wonder if that's a trend or...