Do you want a peaceful oceanside oasis that's less crowded? Beautiful sand? Crashing waves and…read morecrystal blue water? Mansion Beach has it all, and as a bonus, there's a new bathroom facility. I love that this beach is situated on the northern side of the island near Clayhead Trail. It's just far enough from the ferry landing that you get more locals. Tip: hold on to your bottoms when you go in the water. The waves and current can be strong.

Bathrooms always seem clean lifeguards are always good and helpful…read moreAnd the snack bar is pretty good The onion rings are delicious !!!!!

Caught the 6am ferry and it is worth the early alarm to enjoy this beach to yourself before the…read morecrowds arrive and take away all your solitude and peace. Try to go on an off day if possible to thoroughly enjoy the island. It's a very special place and a little peace of paradise in the north east.

A gentle beach…read more Block Island has over 17 miles of beaches. That's a lot for a small island, You can find crowded, sandy beaches, remote rocky beaches, beaches with cliffs, beaches with dunes or beaches with crashing surf. Just about anything you want. If what you happen to want is a quiet, gentle beach then go to Coast Guard Beach. This beach is located on the breach of the Great Salt Pond so it's sheltered from most of the huge surf or large waves found on most other Block Island beaches. It has a nice sandy beach area with few rocks and great views of both the ocean and the salt pond. Since it is shallow and protected the water is usually a bit warmer than the chilly open ocean beaches and you don't get quite the howling winds of other spots. It's a great place to hang out but the currant does get pretty feisty at times in the middle of the breach so if you attempt to swim across to the other side you better know what you are doing or you'll probably die. It's a bit tricky to find the beach, you have to first find Coast Guard Road and then park at the old Coast Guard Station. Then look for the little and colorful beach sign. It leads through some bushes and beach roses but after a short walk you'll be at the beach. In the winter you'll have the place all to yourself but in the summer months it can be a bit crowded but never as busy as the town beach or the popular Mohegan Bluffs. Always plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy some peace and quiet. Like all beaches on Block Island there is no admission charge and if something unexpected happens the coast guard station is right next door. This beach is a great little spot to enjoy the smell, sounds and feel of salt water when wind, waves and crowds are a bit too much on the other beaches. A gentle beach

Its a block island staple for sure…read more Located right off the ferry landing you cant miss it. I only ate at the restaurant and didnt use any of the other facilities so will only comment on the restaurant portion. Its got pretty standard beach eats. Menu is pretty extensive. I ended up ordering the lobster roll. It was just okay. The bread just didnt do it for me. Many people in my group commented that the food was a bit salty. Service was great though. My main gripe was the weak drinks. You feel like you are somewhere in the Caribbean when you are on this resort but the weak slushy drinks were the buzz kill. Oh wait a minute. No buzz kill to be had because I never got buzzed to begin with. Probably best to stick with drinks thst you know have an exact amount of alcohol. Have a good time everybody.

When most people hear of Ballard's Beach Resort, they associate it with getting off the ferry and…read moreday drinking out of pineapples on the beach. You can't beat the lively music, crazy waves, and stunning views. Sadly, if you're not staying overnight on the island, then you probably would not know that they offer an amazing dinner nightly from 7 to 10 PM that is worth way more than they're charging. I ordered the filet special for $19 which included filet mignon, fingerling, potatoes, and asparagus. While the portion size didn't allow for leftovers, it was plenty to fill me up after a day of walking around and beaching it. When our server Diana came over to the table to take our order, I explained my allergies. She wrote everything down and personally spoke to the bartender and the chef who were both willing to accommodate my needs. I love a good dirty martini, but because of my allergy to red peppers, I often cannot have a dirty martini at restaurants because the olive juice has had olives with pimentos in them or the olives have been placed with cherries which I'm also allergic to. Diana went above and on by securing a jar of green olives that did not have pimentos and had the bartender make my drinks using that. Talk about exceptional service! When the food was brought out, Shawn, the manager, personally came over to see to it that I was all set. he conversed easily with my husband and me and had us smiling and laughing in no time. That's a rare gift! Ballards is very lucky to have him as a manager representing their establishment. If you're looking for something other than filet mignon, you'll be happy to know that they also offer a lobster special from 7 to 10 PM that is $20. We saw quite a few plates go by, and let me just tell you they were the biggest lobsters I've ever seen!!! My husband and I will be back for sure. He loved his gluten free Mac and cheese with lobster, and I loved my filet! The sunset dinner deals will have us and our friends coming back. This genius deal, stunning view, delicious food, and exceptional service have turned us into new customers!

A nice place with a…read morebad name It certainly doesn't have the most attractive name but it is a lovely place. Whenever we bike down to North Lighthouse at the tip of Corn Neck Road we stop here for a little break to see the Great Salt Pond. There is a parking lot by the boardwalk that holds a dozen or so cars and it's seldom filled. Most of the area is salt marsh so you have to pretty much stay on the boardwalk until you get to the beach. then you can walk along the beach or just take in the great views of the salt pond. The area is frequented by large numbers of different wildfowl so it's a good spot for birdwatching. Unfortunately there is some validity to the name. There are mosquitoes. and ticks and biting files, so bring strong bug repellent if you plan on spending any time here.

This is a cute little spot to bring young children since they can walk right into the water. It…read moresits on Great Salt Pond so there aren't any big waves and the water is warmer and calm. We also noticed paddle boarders and kayakers entering the bay from this spot so that was fun for my 20 month old godson to watch.

Sea and wind but no…read morepeople Nobody goes to Vaill Beach. Not even locals. That's what makes it so cool. It's down on Snake Hole Road, If you look carefully you will see a path leading off the first major bend in the small rough road. Most people can't even find Snake Hole because it doesn't really look like a road. Follow the steep, rocky, very slippery path off the bend in the road until you get to the end. Look to the east and about 50 meters away you will see Vaill Beach. The first thing to do is listen. You will hear wind and sea. Perhaps an osprey but nothing else. No sounds of civilization. Tourists dare not venture here. Just to far and hard to find. Then take a look. Since Vaill is on the isolated south side of the island you probably won't even see a boat. Nothing but sea. Speaking of the sea, it can be extremely rough here. The fetch after all is about 3,000 miles. Don't even think about swimming unless you are very confident in your abilities. If you get into trouble there is nobody to save your butt. They'll probably find your body in Spain. One of the great things about the beach is that because of the rough conditions the area is always changing. I have seen the beach very rocky with large boulders and then a month later no rocks, just soft deep sand. A very strange, wild and pristine place. So if you want something different, away from the noises, sights and smells of the tourists and civilization, take the time and effort to seek out Vaill beach. Better yet don't. I'm selfish and want to keep this place all to myself.

A place for…read more peace The Hodge Family Wildlife Preserve is a 25 acre parcel of land that was purchased by the Block Island Conservancy in 2002. It's part of their continuing effort to keep the island from further development. This is actually more of a stroll or quiet walk than a hike and not the place for someone seeking a vigorous workout. Plenty of other places on the island to punishing your lungs or break your heart. The preserve has several trails that leads through fields down to Middle Pond. Distance ocean views are visible and the area is very popular with photographers and bird watchers. During the winter months the area is usually deserted and a great spot for some quiet reflection or solitude. The area isn't large but you can cross over Corn Neck Road and catch the Clay Head Trail on the other side and enter the maze or go down to the bluffs and ocean. Not a long walk but enough to keep you going for several hours in you utilize all the space. Very visitors to the island bother with the preserve and usually pass right by on their way to North Light or the beaches. A very quiet and peaceful part of nature where humans are guests. The generous and benevolent preserve offers beautiful views in all directions, in all weather, and because of the efforts of the conservancy will always belong the to birds and voles. A place for peace

The Hygeia House has many things going for it. The location is great, close to town, but not in…read moretown, walking distance to the New Harbor, up on a hill where it receives a refreshing sea breeze, comfortable, relatively spacious rooms for the period in which the house was built, and reasonable prices including several "shoulder" season discounts not offered at other island B&Bs. In my opinion, its best feature may be the inn keeper, Lisa Starr, who is a former state poet laureate, a vibrant and entertaining host. I'm not giving it 5 stars, because Lisa saves her creativity for her poems, not her breakfasts, which consist of bagels, muffins, fruit and cereal, nothing to write home about.

One of the few inns we could find to stay in off season…read more.. Pro's -on the cheaper side for island prices $85 -friendly staff -free continental breakfast (doesn't matter if it's just muffins/toast and juice and coffee. It's free and for the price of the room which was 85$ seemed like a good deal).The only other place on the island off season open for breakfast was the grocery store so i was happy for these tasty treats in the am to start my day -Free wi-fi -a nice shared living room with smallish tv is you wish to check out the news. Also a closet with games if its raining and you're out of things to do - nice outside space to sit and enjoy the quiet of the island away from the main city -clean rooms with private bathrooms -felt like staying at your grandma's house :D -Use of a shared fridge to store drinks etc -beach access is about a 5 min walk down the road. The inn itself is about a 15-20 mins walk from the ferry/town. Cons -only one pillow per person which is old and THIN and barely a pillow. By the time we returned back to sleep we couldn't find the lady who helps to run the place to ask for another pillow each so we both kinda had a horrible sleep. The bed was also hard , old and squeaky. Would be have been an okay-ish sleep with better pillows -The bathrooms, while private, all have doors that are accessed from the hallway. Our hallway bathroom door didn't lock and the wood wrapped which means we didn't even bother locking our door as anyone could gain access into our room from the bathroom door. We mentioned this to inn keeper and all we got was a blank stare and an assurance that the Inn was safe and our stuff was safe. We left nothing but clothes in the room so we weren't overly worried but still seems a bit like they are setting themselves up for problems. Not everyone can be trusted. -the house is lit up at night but the road access can be a bit tricky d/t the lack of road side lighting. I actually fell trying to traverse the area at night. Bring a flashlight. if you will be out after dark. We plan on returning to BI this season and would consider staying here again tho....so all in all a nice place to stay

I love this beach. The water is clear. The sand isn't too rocky or filled with shells. The people…read moreare very kind and conversational