Hotel Manisses

An 1872 Victorian hotel on Spring Street, Block Island — seventeen rooms in the original grand-inn building, with a small petting menagerie on the grounds and a restaurant that's been the island's better dinner reservation for decades. The Manisses runs together with the 1661 Inn under the same ownership; together they're the island's grand-hotel pair, but Manisses is the one with the older bones and the more elaborate Victorian detailing.

The pitch is unapologetic period — turreted Victorian, ornate parlors, a Victorian-era reception room, and the kind of grand-hotel public spaces that have been refreshed periodically without losing their bones. The petting animals on the lawn (yes, including a few llamas) are part of the property's signature.

The setting

Block Island sits twelve miles off the Rhode Island coast. The Manisses is on Spring Street, near the south end of Old Harbor town, walking distance to the ferry, the village, and the island's south shore.

Old Harbor (the main village and ferry port) is a five-minute walk. Crescent Beach is ten minutes on foot. The Mohegan Bluffs and Southeast Lighthouse are a fifteen-minute walk south. The 1661 Inn (the sister property) is up the road.

The building

An 1872 Victorian — turreted, ornate, with the kind of late-Victorian inn architecture Block Island built when Newport's overflow started arriving by steamer. Materials are clapboard outside, plaster, dark wood, and the kind of period-mantel detail that the era demanded. The interior keeps the original public-room scale; the rooms have been kept up steadily.

Public spaces include the parlor with a fireplace, the dining room, and the wraparound porch.

The rooms

Seventeen rooms across the Victorian building. Each is a different size and shape, typical of a 19th-century hotel converted and recovered over its long operating history. Some rooms have ornate Victorian detailing (high ceilings, carved fireplaces); others are smaller and more modest. Bathrooms have been kept up. Beds are good.

Rates from $425 in shoulder; July and August climb.

Food & drink

The Manisses dining room is the on-site restaurant — the best-regarded dinner on the island, with a menu that runs ambitious New England by Block Island standards. Open to non-guests with reservations. The bar pours through the evening with island regulars at the back.

On the property

The lawn with the petting menagerie (the alpacas, goats, a llama or two — actual animals, not a decorative gimmick) is the daytime program for many guests. There's no pool. Bikes are available; the island moves on bikes.

• On-site dining room with reservations for non-guests
• Petting animals on the lawn
• Walking distance to Old Harbor and the ferry
• Sister property to The 1661 Inn (shared amenities)
• Open seasonally — typically May through October

Who it's for

• Travelers who want the most architecturally significant Block Island hotel
• Couples on a milestone island weekend
• Foodies coming for the dinner reservation
• Repeat visitors who already know the rhythm

Who it's not for

• Anyone seeking a contemporary or design-led hotel
• Winter travelers — the property closes seasonally
• Travelers wanting modern hotel infrastructure (the 1872 building has period quirks)

Nearby

Old Harbor and the ferry terminal are five minutes' walk. Crescent Beach is ten minutes on foot. Mohegan Bluffs and the Southeast Lighthouse are fifteen minutes south on foot or by bike. The 1661 Inn is up the road. Mansion Beach is a fifteen-minute bike ride. The North Light at Sandy Point is at the far north end of the island.