Long Weekend on Block Island

At the last minute, I booked a weekend trip to Block Island. I called the Rose Farm Inn and left a message. One of the Rose family immediately returned my call to let me know she had 1 room available, at $209 per night. I'll take it!

I booked the ferry from Montauk for $70 round trip, plus $10 for a bicycle, and $50 for five days of car parking in Montauk.

Two days after making the reservation, we left the house at 9:30 am on a Friday, stopping to pick up a sandwich to go, and arriving in Montauk at 2 pm for the 3:30 pm ferry. We got to Block Island around 5 pm.

Chris, the absolutely nicest taxi driver, loaded up our luggage and bicycles and took us to the Rose Farm Inn. What a delightful spot. Situated in a large field, with borders of flowers all around, it was a beautiful, relaxing place to spend a few days. Breakfast (fairly simple) and afternoon lemonade and cookies were provided. The Inn was very clean and everything was just so.

Next door was The Atlantic. We had dinner here one evening. Quite a fancy production, with a 4 course prix fix menu. Quite good food and a nice atmosphere. The good thing about the island is that even at a fancy place, the dress and feel is pretty casual.

We found ourselves back at The Atlantic the following day, when we were caught in a giant thunder and lightning storm and huddled on the porch waiting for it to subside.

Once again, the third day we also found ourselves back at The Atlantic. This time was my favorite. We sat on the Adirondack and rocking chairs on the huge front lawn, enjoying a drink and tapas. We went wild with the tapas: fish tacos, chicken drumsticks (called chicken lollipops), a cheese platter, spiced popcorn, fried eggplant, and a few other items. I really recommend this experience. It is such a delightful spot.

We enjoyed dinner at Eli's, in New Harbor. This place was packed and we waited for our turn to get in. The food was very good and the bistro-like ambiance was casual and fun. A very cozy place.

On our last day, we stopped at The National Hotel, which overlooks New Harbor, for a final lunch. We had buffalo chicken wings, drinks, and hot lobster rolls. We thought the food was pretty good, the people were very nice, and the view was to die for.

Another place we stopped was Finn's. We were told that this was the place for fish. This was the only meal that we found disappointing. Everything was okay, but nothing was a standout.

In New Harbor, by the ferry loading dock, there is a food stand with about 12 picnic tables, situated on the street. We had the cold lobster roll, fries and frozen lemonade. Very good for stand food. Maybe the best cold lobster roll I had on the island...

We spent our days hiking and biking, reading and enjoying the solitude. This was our first trip to Block Island and we loved it.

I was surprised by the amount of cars, as I had imagined Block Island as more of a biking place. Biking was no problem, but there are many places where you share the road with the cars.

One final note: the people on Block Island are very nice and friendly. You'd think they'd get sick of all the tourists and be crabby, but instead everyone we met was extremely nice. Taxi driver, ferry fellows, inn reception, breakfast room lady, waiters and waitresses, etc.