The National Hotel

Nice old hotel perfectly located in the “town” no more than 100 yards from the ferry. Before I lose you, remember there is NO elevator. There are lots of steps to get to the front desk (unless you go in the back door) and then you have to walk up to your floor. But, in no way, confuse this with a luxury hotel. The rooms are of decent size but very basic. The furniture is old and the drawers in my chest were falling apart. The toilet only had a, much too small shelf, for holding toiletries. (And I was fascinated at being told that I have to get permission from the manager to turn my ac lower than 72 degrees). Since I came for a relaxing weekend, most of this did not bother me. Staff were very friendly and helpful. And, of course, since it is a summer resort rates are very high for what you get. But again, it’s perfectly fine for a summer weekend.

Very fun place to stay, great view of the water and ferry docks from the front porch. Food was good and decently priced. Rooms were on the small side but its 100+ years old so hardly surprising, I'd recommend paying a little extra for the Queen bed w ocean view, gives you a bigger bathroom and the ocean view is quieter in the evenings even though it faces the main street, almost zero traffic in the evenings, the rear windows face the courtyard where they often play live music and guests stay up late to have drinks by gas fire features. Staff was mainly international teenagers and a bit older, extremely friendly. I'd definitely stay again even though I'm probably a bit older than their target market, I had too much fun to care.

Best location! Right downtown walking distance to everything you’ll need for a weekend in BI. I will say you are definitely paying for the location - rooms are basic and small, but comfy and fine for a weekend for 2. If you’re looking to escape the people at noise at night, this might not be the best hotel. They have live music indoor and out every night and lots of people are in the restaurant/bar until quite late. It didn’t bother us though and you couldn’t hear the bar from upstairs. Staff was super nice and everything was very clean!

As someone who has Celiac, I was very disappointed with my dining experience. There are items that are listed “potentially gluten free” , but we were told it’s not recommended to order them. So, I settled for the crispy chicken Cobb salad and asked for Grilled chicken. The bill comes and I got charged $6 for substituting grilled chicken instead of the fried breaded chicken that I can’t have because “breast is a more expensive cut of chicken than the fried chicken”.

Everyone was amazing. I would highly recommend the National to anyone staying on Block Island. We had the lunch in the deck during the parade which was so nice and the food was excellent. Julie is always a bright star at the National she is exceptional at her job.

Our yearly trip to The National Hotel never disappoints us only wants us to stay longer! Tuesday morning my husband and I were greeted by Julie the manager and Cindy at the front desk. Julie and Cindy win the hospitality award for making you making our stay a home away from home. Our room was spotless, the outside entertainment, and location makes this Hotel so special. Thank you Julie and Cindy and to your wonderful staff for making our trip such a pleasure.

I love The National! Everyone is so lovely and it’s perfectly located. They all go above and beyond. Especially Kerrie, who went dumpster diving to reclaim my cousin’s mistakenly discarded gold earrings! And don’t miss the restaurant which has some great gluten-free options, especially the salmon florentine. Sit in Emma’s or Jake’s section - they’re awesome!

The perfect place to stay on Block Island. The lovely woman who checked us in started our stay off right. The views, the food, the drinks, the music and the friendly hard working staff were topnotch!

Great view and so much outdoor shaded seating all with the amazing view. However you really really pay for that view, as the food was good though not out of this world. The Bloody Mary was novel and delicious but exorbitant price. Server was very good and attentive. 3 adults 2 kids, meal and 1-2 drinks was $200 lunch bill. We had just gotten off ferry from a long travel day and the experience was nice, just a very pricey lunch with a view.

The view from our corner room is probably the only reason I'm giving 4 stars. Otherwise the hotel is really outdated and needs some updating. Maybe that old school look is part of its 'charm' but I prefer much newer styles. Our room was decent sized but had some hideous carpeting. The furniture was old and outdated and the tv barely worked because of satellite. The air conditioning was consistently cool so that's a plus. The bathroom was good sized as well. I really like the lobby and the staircase was beautiful. The phone booth added to that old school charm. The store in the lobby was great- but some of the stuff the store offered SHOULD be complimentary! Otherwise the store was really convenient and the fact that they had Haribo Berries is a huge plus. Also LOVED the outdoor courtyard area- it was beautiful! It was a great place to hang out and kill time with nice scenery. The tables with the fire were extraordinary! The restaurant had AMAZING food we went for dinner and breakfast, albeit a bit pricy- was just as good. Also no microwaves or fridge's in the room- which was a bit of a bummer, but we had an overall good experience so 4 solid stars! They also let you keep your "stuff" in a room after checkout which is EXTREMELY CONVENIENT because if we had to lug around "luggage" for the day- well that just would've been awful! Spent the day on the island- came back for our luggage and left on a late ferry. PERFECT! I would stay here again!

This review is for the "Fireside" rear patio area. We've been here a few times and the service and ambiance are always excellent! We've never eaten on the patio, only the porch, but the drinks are very good and it is a nice place to relax and unwind in the evening. I highly recommend the porch or the patio, but if you're looking for peaceful, the patio is definitely the place to go!

We came here on a Sunday afternoon for drinks to wait for the time to pick up the ferry back to CT. I got a glass of Cabnernet Sauvigon that was chilled to the correct serving temp (a nice surprise!) They had a folk guitarist playing Beatles and Fleetwood Mac covers on the porch area near the bar. It was a very pleasant vacationy-relaxed vibe.

My husband surprised me with a room for our 1 year wedding anniversary and it was a very wonderful weekend. The only things I was disappointed with was the fact that my husband told them when he booked it, when we arrived, and again that evening that Sunday was our anniversary; the person at the front desk typed something in, but they never gave us anything. The room was clean, it's just an older place but it's homey. We skipped the continental breakfast because the regular menu sounded better and my husbands eggs were a little undercooked but everything else was yummy. Overall, I think we'd stay here again

We stayed at the National Hotel during our time on Block Island. The hotel is conveniently located right off the ferry. The room was pretty basic with no frills but was perfect for a place to crash at the end of a day of exploring! Breakfast was included with the room and we were able to upgrade our meals if we wanted. The food was good and the service was quick and friendly. Behind the hotel in the evening they had some live music and fire pits, a perfect place to relax at the end of the day. I would absolutely stay here again!

I've been coming here for years. The staff is always accommodating, the location can't be beat, breakfast on the veranda overlooking the water is incredible. Can't say enough good things!

This place is one of the first places you can see once you get off the ferry with the American flags hanging. There is outdoor seating with fire pits in the back and all around the hotel. There is also an indoor bar. The food and drinks are very good but a little on the pricey side. I would definitely return and recommend to a friend!

Just had lunch here - can't beat the view. Great lunch spot. Our waitress Kasey was phenomenal - very personable and attentive! She is the reason for the 5 stars!

This place was amazing! Service was great, especially front desk and the bartender on the porch! Stay here for sure!

Chicago dip and calamari is to die for. Service is fantastic and environment is very small beach town and comfortable

This hotel was very nice. I rate it four star for two reasons. Price and customer service. The room was very pricy at over $500 a night. I expected to pay a lot to stay on the island but for the size of the room and what you get, it seems a bit up there. Second, there are no elevators. I am fine with walking up stairs but when you arrive and check in to an expensive hotel you would expect someone to offer to help with bags. This did not happen. The person at the desk watched my friends and I struggle with our luggage taking multiple trips up and down the stairs. Now the room was nice. We stayed in a two queen bedroom. It was small but expected. The view was fantastic. Beautiful view of the ocean. The room had a ceiling fan and AC. The weekend stay was very hot so this was definitely a plus! Room service was quick and they brought toilet paper, towels, and a mini fridge as soon as we called and requested. The hotel has a bar and a restaurant. We enjoyed both dinner and breakfast here. Both were delicious. A bit pricy but again- expected on the island. For dinner we sat out back where they had fire pits going and music. They have live music throughout the day. Check out is at 11am. They had a complementary luggage room in which they allowed us to leave our bags until we left for the ferry ride home. This was GREAT as I do not know how to pack light! Haha! Overall, I would stay at this hotel again. I would just recommend they offer to help people with luggage :) NOTE: do NOT use the hand sanitizer unless you are desperate! it has the worst smell unlike anything I have ever smelled before!

Great location. Short walk from ferry and to the beach. Room not available til 3. Self serve luggage storage was over crowded and difficult to access. Lobby bathroom was needed to change into swim suites since room was not available-very small and no air circulation. Rather uncomfortable. Our room was on the 3rd floor. It's a walk up and lots of stairs. Room was tiny and outdated. No A/C. Ceiling fan was very noisy. Our room overlooked the back where there are several fire pits. It was loud at night. Front desk staff was helpful. Best feature: location. This is our first visit to BI. We'll def be back but won't be staying here.

We had an amazing time at the National last weekend!!! The weather did not cooperate at all and we hunkered down there all day all weekend! The staff and management were amazing. They were so friendly and attentive to our needs we can't say enough. The bar was a lot of fun( and I do not drink!) with live entertainment by Rob Davis who was fantastic and has such a wide range of music genre's!! The food was also very good and we did not have to leave our hotel to enjoy time away from reality! We are going back in July and can't wait!!!

Awesome time hanging here for the 4th of July parade. They allowed myself, my dog and my girlfriend to hang out and drink beers on the porch. Alcohol was moderately priced for Block Island. Had a great time and will definitely stop back soon!!

Was visiting for the day on Saturday, August 11. Had a very nice lunch on the porch. One little problem. I asked the server for a glass of White Zinfandel. She said to me that they don't have it, but, it is a pinkish color. I said ok. She comes back, and what did she bring? Salad dressing. The group I was sitting with, and myself look at it. I turn around, and have the server come back (since she was at another table). I told her that I wanted a glass of wine. She just stood there and looked at me. She then said that she had to go and get the wine list for me. Otherwise the meal was good.

Really expensive food and drinks, the portion sizes are pretty small. $10 for two eggs and like 10 slices of potato. The coffee is 3.75 per mug full and alcoholic drinks are $10 for about 6oz of fluid. Over priced and not that great.

On our only night of our trip to Block Island, a Sunday night, last weekend of the season, the Rhode Island Dept of Transportation began roadwork right in front of the hotel. Jack hammering, sandblasting, giant trucks beeping as they back up, men yelling and laughing,radios blaring, strobe lights, street sweepers up and down cleaning the debris. This started a little after midnight on a Sunday, and went til about 6 AM. The noise was so loud I couldn't hear the TV, which I turned on because who could sleep? I called the front desk shortly after it started and was told this was a surprise, and they only knew about it late Sunday afternoon. But when I visited the Town Manager Monday morning, she said the State planned this when they could get vehicle reservations on the ferry. The hotel's position was that they had done nothing wrong and refused to offer anything more that a one/night voucher, but if they were going to take a loss on a night anyway, why couldn't it be for the previous night? Their position was "Of course we care about our guests, so sorry-not sorry." There were many other hotels and inns on the island and those who had guests along Ocean Avenue comped their guests for this night of ridiculousness. Not the National. Along with this was a sparse, Motel-6 style 'continental breakfast' of lukewarm air pump coffee, a few muffins and bagels, and yogurt on ice. Cannot recommend them on their customer service, and this was after I reminded them that they are 100% tourist-driven. They didn't care.

This hotel never let us down!! The rooms are always clean with great views. The entire staff are kind, funny and professional. Conveniently located to anything you need. If your coming to Block Island - this is the experience you'll want!!