Never been to Block Island - would love advice

Looking to travel in high season August 20th 2005 for 1 week, taking my 2 children under 6. Looking for peace and quiet, nothing smart. What area of the island is free from Party Noise - I have read such mixed reviews - not sure what to do.

Never been to Block Island - would love advice

Spring House is my all time favorite! Quiet, beautiful and the kids will love it.

Never been to Block Island - would love advice

The Surf Hotel is inexpensive and kid-friendly. While the Spring House has a great expanse of lawn to run around on, at the Surf you%26#39;re literally a flight of stairs away from the beach. For evenings and rainy days, the lobby is well stocked with books and board games. One member of the family that runs the hotel raises Cavalier King Charles spaniels, a small and friendly breed of dog, and often brings some of them over to visit.

I think most of the bad-mouthing you hear about Block Island has to do with its two most infamous party spots, Ballard%26#39;s and the National Hotel. It%26#39;s true that quite a few of the people who stay and play at those places are either in college or mentally never graduated. During the summer it can seem like the drunken screaming and over-amped music never end! But even though the Surf faces the National diagonally across the street, as if by magic if your room is on the ocean side all you hear is the waves.

Two cautionary notes about the Surf are that since it%26#39;s an 1868 Victorian building, there are sinks in guest rooms but no private baths, and even with ceiling fans and island breezes the rooms can sometimes get ';stuffy.';

Now to climb off my Surf soapbox which I%26#39;ve perched on many a time, LOL...whether this is for the best or not, Block Island%26#39;s tourism is much more geared toward singles and childless couples than families. You%26#39;ll run into many young kids on the beach or in town, but they%26#39;re either local residents or staying in a rental cottage. All personal biases aside, the Surf really is one of the best choices for staying at with ';young %26#39;uns,'; even if for no other reason than that the lights go out and doors are locked at 10 PM every day. Some of the local B %26amp; B%26#39;s can accommodate children, including the Old Town Inn - www.oldtowninnbi.com - but by and large they%26#39;re there for people seeking romance and/or ';escape'; and tend to be on the expensive side.

Because of wind currents, I%26#39;ve heard ';party noise'; carry across the island for literally miles. Staying farther out from town is no guarantee of complete, uninterrupted solitude. But this shouldn%26#39;t be taken as a warning to keep earplugs handy. In general, things stay calm and peaceful. There%26#39;s no way you%26#39;ll mistake your surroundings for the Cape, Vineyard, etc, not only noise-wise but in other positive ways too.

It%26#39;s funny....I have lived in Rhode Island all of my 42 years and have never visited Block Island. All I ever really hear is that there isn%26#39;t much to do except party and shop. I would tend to think it may be a place to stay for a day but not the whole week. You would be better off in my opinion renting a house on the beach for a week if you want peace and quiet. But try to get one right on the beach or a very short walk. Galilee is a quaint town as is East Matunuck. Gallilee is a safer choice for kids under 6 as the surf is calm there.

Fosterliz: ';It%26#39;s never too late!';

Block Island house rental bookings start in January and goes full-tilt from then on. So I%26#39;d suggest Googling some real estate agencies pronto if that%26#39;s an attractive option.

The party/shop/relax equation does pretty much sum up the BI experience for grown-ups. But two kids under 6 probably don%26#39;t need much more than a nice beach to be happy. If the mom who started this thread has been making inn/B %26amp; B inquiries I hope she%26#39;s been grilling them on what diversions for children are available in-house for rainy days. A week of bad weather could be a long week indeed.

I should also mention that the public library is a very nice one, well accustomed to tourists and children.

On cooler days (relatively speaking, in August, but BI temperatures can run 10-20 degrees cooler than on the mainland) it might be nice to let the kids explore the ';maze'; off Corn Neck Rd - as well as the labyrinth near the north end of the island. Temporary shellfishing permits can also be looked into, if digging for crustaceans at low tide would be a fun idea.

I would STRONGLY recommend the following especially with two young children:

Stay on the Connecticut or Rhode Island coast and take the high speed ferry from New London, CT or Point Judith, RI for the day on Block Island. You do not need a car. Most of the activity on Block Island is located around the ferry landing- dining, shopping, bike rentals.

$10 charge for bikes on the ferry if you take your own. Kiddie Cabs are available at the bike rental for young child. Although the rental price may seem high, you can take a nice bike ride within 4 hours time and return.

Check out this website for ferry schedules and information http://www.blockisland.com/travel

I LOVE Block Island and have taken a room at the Blue Drury with my poodle in tow for weekends. But be aware...a LUXURY room ie: $300 on the island is less than a mainlanders idea of a Days Inn. Afterall, their season is two months duration so one must adjust expectations- consider a lumpy mattress as a piece of history rather than uncomfortable and old.

If you notice, reviews of the inns and restaurants seem to conflict with each other. That is because services can change by day. Many waitstaff, housekeepers are hired just for summer from Europe and so training and motivation may not be there. For instance, I dined at Ballard%26#39;s after reading great reviews...an entire meal was a piece of fish on a plate- that is all!! Dined there with friends one month later...found out that the balance of my meal was not served to me the first time! This is the problem with BI but it can also be its charm!

An inn can be relaxing and quiet one day, noisy and disappointing the next. So if you decide to stay there, roll with the punches and just enjoy the ambience of Mother Nature.

Sorry - I just found this and am wondering WHY anyone would recommend you stay in Old Harbor with young children. I used to stay in Old Harbor, where the main activities are shopping, drinking and more drinking. The harbor at night is alive until 3-4am with young adults looking to never go to bed.

Now that we have children, we go to New Harbor and stay at Champlins, where there are many families, a pool, and great playground for kids. They also have rental bumper boats and tiny sailboats for rent. Champlins also has an ice cream parlor and game room. Great restaurants include The Oar and Dead Eye Dicks. Champlins also has a small movie theater.

Old Harbor is a short bike or taxi ride away for shopping, because there isn%26#39;t much in New Harbor, but New Harbor is oceans more relaxing.

We have gone to Champlins for last two years with kids now 6 and 4. Have had a great time. We have a boat, so stay on that at Champlin%26#39;s Marina, and have heard that the rooms are okay - not great, but okay.

Good luck.

Call Attwood Real Estate after looking at their website:

www.attwoodrealestate.com

attwood barn might be good for you.

Hi We are traveling to Block Island the 2nd week of October because my husband wants to fish! Can you tell me what to expect during this time of year...how about the weather. he thinks we will hit Indian Summer but I%26#39;m not convinced! Thanks, Laura

How about a good hotel with a LOUNGE!

The weather on BI is fantastic in mid-October; it%26#39;s when I always go. Daytimes are mild - mostly in the 60%26#39;s - and nights are cool but not cold. ';Lounged'; hotels are the Spring House, National, Harborside, and Manisses. In order from the most top-drawer, the list goes Manisses, Spring House, Harborside, National. BI%26#39;s only cigar bar is at the National.

I%26#39;m not sure that my last post went through. Thanks to the gentleman who gave mid October a go! I%26#39;m feeling much better. Do you go right on Columbus weekend when they have the Harvest festival? Or right after. Have you ever been there when the birds migrate to BI? Take care, laura