Admiral Dewey Inn, South Kingstown

If I could have, I would have stayed at another hotel or bed and breakfast. Unless you want to get yelled at every time you pass Joan, the inn keeper, or just for someone to be plain mean to you (Guest: wow, the salads are great next door at the deli - Joan: what, like I don't know that), I would suggest going to a different place. She yelled at me for asking for an iron, yelled at the bride’s brother for ironing his shirt, and yelled at the bride for having too many people in her room helping her get ready for the wedding. We felt like she was annoyed that anyone was staying in her house, not that we had paid for a nice bed and breakfast (bed not so comfortable and breakfast consisted of bagels and English muffins left out).

The location and setting was nice, and the Inn itself was lovely. But our hostess reminded me of Basil Fawlty, so obnoxious and rude that we still joke about it today. We were there during the 2004 presidential election, when John Kerry was running for president. Upon entering the foyer, before setting down our luggage, the hostess informed us that "all Democrats are crooks!" Now, I know Rhode Island has a history of corrupt elected officials, but I wasn't looking to have a political debate on vacation. The next morning, at breakfast, the hostess chided a young woman who worked there for leaving a light on all night. Worst of all, this was well within earshot of the guests during breakfast. The hostess repeatedly called this girl names, such as stupid, idiot, moron, etc. They had outdoor showers for people coming from the beach (a good idea), but my wife had difficulty operating it. She asked the hostess for help, and the hostess then berated my wife for not knowing how to operate the faucet. Recently, the hostess has sent us postcards asking us to come visit again. The true tragedy in this situation is that the hostess doesn't see how her actions are driving away business.

The innkeeper was very unfriendly, even rude. I think she must be ready to throw in the towel and so doesnt make an effort to be nice to people any more. The inn itself is oudated and dreary, very much in need of a makeover. The breakfast bagels were moldy and when we commented on this she told us to just take one from the bottom!! We could not imagine staying there for the second night we had booked. When we asked if we could leave early she said she was not chaining us to the building!