I'm just adding my 2 cents worth because I object to some of the opinions that people complaining about the Gothic Inn just don't "get" Block Island. We love Block Island and this will be our 4th year going there. We accept that the old buildings there cannot provide all the modern conveniences and that indeed is part of the charm. However, the Gothic Inn is dirty and rundown. It's quite depressing that the owners have so little respect for their property and business that they just leave torn wall paper, broken windows etc and leave guests to guess about check-in procedures. I think it's place at the bottom of the heap in Block Island ratings is entirely deserved.

My husband, 4 year old son and I stayed at the Gothic Inn during the summer of 2006. We were looking for a nice getaway to splurge on for a few days. From the website, the inn looked charming. When we arrived, we had the same experience as another traveler that posted here. No staff member was around and a piece of paper on the door told us to go to the apartments next door and find our room. First of all, when I talked to the owner on the phone many months prior, I was never told that we were going to be in a separate building. He made it sound like he had put an addition right onto the charming main house. Second, we walked into our room and were horrified. The first thing that hit you was the intense mildew odor. After that, you could take in the disgusting and dingy furniture, missing woodwork, poor construction, dark atmosphere, thin walls, lack of air conditioning, etc. During our 3 day stay, we spent as much time away from that room as possible and dreaded having to go to bed at night. It does seem that the main house is nicer so if you go to Block Island and stay here, make sure you don't get the apartments! What a waste of money. On the flip side, the location is nice and Block Island is wonderful!

We loved our time on BI and the Gothic Inn was great.
It's not a five star hotel, but it has plenty of charm and was very comforatable. Our room was small but clean; the linens and towels were fine; we had no problems at all with the shared bathrooms which were clean (bring your own soap and shampoo). Breakfast was simple but fine (bagels, muffins, fruit, coffee, etc.). The front and side porches are lovely and the location is great. The staff were friendly and helpful and the other guests were nice people.

OK, so where should I start? We checked in on Sunday and it was the last time we would see the owners until Wednesday afternoon. The owners do not live on the property, nor does it seem any of the staff. We rented a two bedroom apartment. The screen door on the front door was torn. The windows didn’t shut. The drywall patch in the bathroom had never been finished. The baseboard heater had pulled away from the wall so we could see the studs. The room containing the two twin beds was so small the beds touched both walls and one another. The "queen" size bed? I'm 5'8" and my feet hung off the end.

And be prepared for the drinking. There is no security at the inn, since the owners do not live on the property, so there is no one on premises to deal with the noise in the wee hours after the bars close. We had a first-floor unit. The walls and ceiling are paper thin, so we heard every conversation that took place on the second floor, and the place was active after the bars closed. We never got to sleep before 12:30 am because of the evening revelers returning home. We knew who got sick and when. On our fourth night, a new group moved in upstairs, keeping us up until 2:00 a.m. And we won't even discuss the various sounds -- coming from upstairs.

We reported these instances to the inn’s staff – most of whom are seasonal help and are indifferent – and were assured the matters would be addressed. Nothing. And no owners for three of the five days we stayed there. We left Friday morning without so much as a "thank you for coming" from the staff. They were busy feeding the other staff. No apologies. No discussions with the owners.

I’ve stayed in motels where hunters are asked not to clean their kills in the shower, and they were cleaner than the Gothic Inn. I’ve stayed in hotels in the Australian Outback where the walls were nothing more than tin sheeting. Better than the Gothic Inn. If you like peeling paint, cracked walls, uncomfortable beds and inattentive staff, the Gothic Inn is perfect for you. They were at half capacity when we left, and we stayed at high season. Should tell you something.