The 1661 Resort — Hotel in New Shoreham

Everything about our stay at the 1661 Resort was wonderful. We booked a room (Arthur) in the Mitchell Cottage and it was even nicer in person than it appeared online. ||The staff could not have been more welcoming and hospitable. It was no problem to park (free) on the premises before check-in (although our room was ready early). Likewise, they allowed us to remain in the parking lot after checking out since we had several hours to spare before catching our late afternoon ferry.||We loved our room! It was incredibly spacious (comfortable bed, sofa and chairs, gas fireplace, humidifiers and ceiling fans, small refrigerator, coffeemaker, microwave, drinkware... not plastic!). There were lots of spaces in which to store our belongings. Curiously, there were many (!) wall switches for the various overhead lights (the ones in the bathroom were labeled, but the ones in the sleeping/relaxing area were not). We spent a bit of time, experimenting with all the switches. We also learned that the door key works best if you keep the sliding doors tightly shut. ||The bathroom was spacious and luxurious (spa tub, double shower and sinks). Right outside our room, was a patio (table, chairs, chaise lounges) with a water view (pond and ocean). It was shaded most of the day this time of year (Spring). However, it is the perfect spot from which to see the sunrise! ||Our patio was conveniently adjacent to the outdoor seating area of the Inn where we enjoyed complimentary wine and "nibbles" every afternoon. For breakfast, we had expected a small continental style meal. But since it was preseason (early May), the chefs provided a complimentary breakfast buffet (which was outstanding in both variety and taste). ||Our cottage was across the street from the 1661 garden and farm, which were quite interesting and entertaining. The resort is just a short walk from the ferry, shops and restaurants in the center of town. ||We highly recommend staying at The 1661 Resort when you visit the island. The comfort and hospitality were...

The 1661 Inn is five minutes from town and on the scenic walk to the Bluffs. As a result, I've passed it DOZENS of times in the last twenty years, always saying, "One day..." It's a little pricier than other hotels (I recommend going just before or after summer tourist season hits if you're on a budget) but there's a reason for that. The accommodations are amazing and span from a nice room to an extravagant room, whatever your preference and needs. I splurged and stayed in the Staples Room - and will definitely be returning. Aside from the views and the property, which is stunning, the customer service is AMAZING! Every person I interacted with seemed to genuinely be happy to be there and to help the guests (in contrast, I stayed at two other hotels on my visit to Rhode Island and encountered a lot of half-hearted, forced smiles and bored employees).

There was an energy and enthusiasm in every employee. They bent over backwards to help. Andrew and Kaylee (sorry if I misspelled your name!!!) were happy to see to any of my needs or issues. I had an issue with the jacuzzi and Kaylee came right up and made sure I was all set and also checked to make sure the fireplace was working while she was there.

You can stow your bags before your room is ready and after check-out with no problem. They don't offer room service BUT there are breakfast muffins out all morning with coffee/tea and the afternoon there is wine and other treats. Since I was there before the summer tourist season really kicked off, they gave me a prepared list of restaurants/cafes that were open for meals which was VERY helpful.

I can't WAIT to go back - I'd already decided to return to Rhode Island once a year because I've missed the ocean... now I've added that I will definitely spend at least one night at the 1661 Inn; it's well worth...

Our stay at the 1661 Inn was lovely from start to finish. Arriving fresh off the ferry (on foot) during a rain storm, we entered bedraggled and wind-swept to a warm welcome from the lovely woman at the front desk (wish I'd gotten her name), who told us that wine and snacks were being served, overlooking the ocean (on an enclosed covered veranda). As soon as we'd freshened up, we headed down and were greeted with a friendly smile from Wagner, wearing his "bartender hat." He could not have been nicer, and we started off our Block Island vacation sipping wine and playing cards (which they provided), with the beautiful ocean as our backdrop. Other nice touches - fresh flowers in the room, full (delicious) breakfast provided each morning, even though we had only expected continental-style (as we were off-season) - turns out they felt sorry for their guests as the only breakfast place on the island was closed (due to weather?). Our room, the Simon Ray, had wonderful ocean views from its own balcony (at least when the fog wasn't creeping in). Overall, everyone, from the front desk staff, to the servers, to owner, Rita, went above and beyond to make us feel at home. Even though we'd chosen the Inn for its ocean views, and the weather didn't cooperate, we left feeling as though we'd still made the best choice. Highly recommend! (Note: be sure to book the ferry well in advance, if you're planning on bringing your car - we didn't, and ended up having to rent one as the weather wasn't optimal for cycling/moped'ing.) Also, dining was limited when we were there (late October) - but Eli's was open for dinner, thankfully, and we'd highly...