Surf Hotel, Block Island

The Surf Hotel will open July 4 of this year, under new management, but with the same owners, and as the same old-fashioned hotel you remember. See the article in the Block Island Times, which was published online on May 12, 2012. Just type Surf Hotel in the search box.

Loved The Surf Hotel!!! My parents took us there several summers. The greatest memories ever!!! Loved the Porch!

I had no idea that this lovely, old, Victorian Inn has closed. Since the mid 1980's, we would go every year but have missied the last several summers. Our experiences were always wonderful. The staff was great, and often relatives of the Cyrs. The Cyr's themselves were to be admired. We always loved the breakfasts and Mrs Cyr continued to do most of the cooking, often peeking out to see if more hard boiled eggs or pancakes were needed! Lorraine may have had a crusty exterior, but she is really quite lovely!! She was always most accommodating to our family, as we always asked for the same room, overlooking the ocean, on the very top floor of this historic building. Staying on 'The Block" will never be the same, and our son will be so disappointed to learn of its' closing as he was planning a mid-week escape with his girlfriend later this summer. Indeed, it is the end of an era. I will miss this grand ole place on the harbor.

I had gone to the Surf for about 20 years, before the Cyrs retired. My daughter had summer jobs on the Island throughout high school, and that was my introduction to the Island. I always stayed at the Surf, and was very fond of the family.Lorraine and her parents were gracious, kind, and accommodating to me at all times. I miss them. I have not been back since the Surf closed. Thise were the "good old days".

I have been going to the Surf Hotel my entire life. My family and I go every 4th of July week. The parade is one of the best. The hotel is exceptional. It has everything you need for a nice relaxing vacation. The breakfast is one of the best. Although many complain about Lorraine, the receptionist, she is accually very nice, i just think that the newer people have to get to know her. Dont decide on where ur staying from the people on here saying it was the worst experience ever. Trust me you will not regret it. The best experience ever!

The Surf and the Cyrs will always be fondly remembered. I echo sentiments expressed in the reviews preceding mine - from boardgames to cooking out to walking the beach to coffee on the porch - some of the most restful times of my life.

That is the best way to describe it; we went several times and always adored it's simplicity, warmth, openness and camaraderie. We would love to go back, but would want it exactly the way it was with the Cyrs. Rocking on the porch, cooking out in the back, playing board games or reading downstairs on rainy days or in the evenings, seeping to the sound of the sea through the open window............just wonderful. Thank you!

, I stayed there a few years ago And never again. They were so incredibly rude, that it was shocking to me! So they are closing? I'm not surprised!!!

I have stayed at the Surf a number of times through the years. I am saddened to hear it has closed...and hope it reopens. Lorraine Cyr and her parents did a wonderful job. I was made to feel like a member of the family with Lorraine's and her parents' warmth and hospitality. The dogs were incredible. Lorraine is super nice and always had a nice smile. I miss the Surf already. What a great lady Lorraine is and an elegant hotel which has given thousands of people wonderful, relaxing vacations and friendships through the years. Godspeed to the Cyrs. Jeff Sherman

I was a regular at the Surf Hotel while it was still open. While most of you say that the receptionist was rude, I say that she was actually really sweet. It all depended on your own energy towards the place and the people there. If you walked in expecting people to put on a fake smile, then you probably found yourself proved wrong. Lorraine, although pretty old would treat you based on your energy. If you treated her like a familyu member then you got the same back. If you treated her like a simple receptionist, she would treat you like a simple guest. As for the people, yes we are clannish, but if you sat next to some of us, maybe joined in with our cookouts bringing some of the necessities or refreshments, if you contributed to our lives and treated us heart to heart instead of meet once then forget, that is when we welcome you. Ever since I was two years old I went to the surf hotel, now I am fifteen. I remember the sunsets from the reading room at the top, I remember Joal, one of the workers always going up there to meditate, I remember the splashing of the waves from the surf side of the hotel, and the occasional passing carriage at night from the street side. I remember a family that tried to steal one of Lorraine's dogs and they were caught. I remember the sounds of people playing card games. I remember everyone pitching in to help someone who was in severe pain from a kitchen accident. I remember the old swing set, how all the parents would mother each other's children, and would offer to babysit them if a couple wanted to escape to a dinner outing. I remember some of the 20 year olds tending to young children, offering to do their hair in braids for free, or maybe to take them to the beach, even out to ice cream. I remember, I remember. I remember the overall experience of The Surf Hotel, and those who may have had a bad stay here, try to lighten up. Maybe that week's people weren't your kind of crowd. Stay another week and the experience will change. Over the phone conversation is limited simply because many people call, I would know since I stayed near the desk a lot sometimes and every three minutes someone would call. On rare days not many people called but mostly there were a lot of callers. All in all, the surf hotel was a place that would surely reflect the way you treated it. Gooday to you all, and I apologize for my atrocious use of English writing. ; It is the reason why I have my friends edit my stories. P.s. The Hotel guests were mostly responsible for keeping their rooms clean.