Beach nearby, motor boating
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Reviews of Ballard's

2 out of 5
Ballard's
42 Water St, Block Island, RI

Reviews

8.4

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 41 out of 75 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 16 out of 75 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 10 out of 75 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 3 out of 75 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 5 out of 75 reviews" "

8.6/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

7.6/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Judah

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location with a private beach.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/9/18
Hi Judah.Thank you for the kind review. We hope to see you again next season.

6/10 Okay

Pia

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
While our room was clean. The bathroom has definitely seen better days, we were missing a shower door, the “shower caddy” was old and gross. The shower head awful! As for the restaurant, food is so overpriced for bad quality frozen food. $34 for chicken tenders and a handful of French fries. Not to mention ALL the single use plastic they use for everything. They never answer the phone, and there is hardly anyone at reception. Bar and kitchen closed by 9 pm When we return, it won’t be at Ballards not for $600 per night That’s for sure!

6/10 Okay

Pia

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Our room was at least clean and ok- however for the price we expected a clean modern bathroom , not one from the 1970’s with a missing shower door and a shower head that barely worked alone with some old nasty pool organizer in the corner . Not to mention the outrageous prices for horrible frozen food and terrible drinks. They are not very “green” plastic is used for everything- sad for such a small island all the single use plastic- wasteful. Our next visit we will definitely make a better choice especially for the $$
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Erin

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It’s just ok
It was ok. Mediocre food and drinks
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Nice accommodations but beware, no customer svc
It was very clean and has a contemporary feel, but it was IMPOSSIBLE to get a human to speak with. They only have automated answering and their help menu is poorly designed. Email is the only option they offer. Hope you don’t run into a problem because there’s no one on their end who will help you solve it.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Kim

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kevin, Hopkinton

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Perfect location - enjoyed everything about it!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

EDWARD

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Although this location was close to the ferry and convenient, it was overall not that great. They include a gratuity on everything so staff are underwhelming. Guess when you know you’re getting a tip it changes your level of service. The room was large and clean but there wasn’t a mini refrigerator or an ice machine on the floor. Be mindful of the extra charges at the end. It added almost $100 more to the price of the room. This stay was not worth the price in my opinion.

10/10 Excellent

Siwinee

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
we had a really good time stayed there and love everything
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/7/27
Hi Siwinee.We are glad that you enjoyed your stay. Your review makes us be proud and even strive to do better.Hope to see you again.

2/10 Terrible

Carla, Warwick

Traveled with family and small children
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Not for families and price deceptive. Booked a nonrefundable room online for 4 people - myself, my husband, and our two young children. When we checked in they brought us to our room which could only accommodate 2 people as there was only one bed. After showing them our receipt that we had booked for 4 people they said they could only accommodate our children if we paid them an additional $60. I explained that we booked a room for 4 people and that had we known the price we reserved was not for 4 people we could have better compared pricing with alternatives that didn't have surprise charges. The response from the CFO, Yolanda, was that she will update the web page to be more informative. And the receptionist's response was that we shouldn't have used Expedia to book. It seems obvious from a customer service perspective that they should have honored the reserved price rather than tell us they could not accommodate our children unless we paid them an additional $60. Wheeling in 2 cots didn't cost them a thing and all of the confusion and frustration and time spent dealing with this issue put a damper on the experience we were hoping for on our Block Island getaway.

8/10 Good

Erik

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/7/10
Hi Erik,Thank you for the wonderful review. We hope to see you again at Ballard's.

10/10 Excellent

Gary

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Right on the beach, convenient to ferry and shopping.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/6/28
Hi Gary,We appreciate your great review. Hope to see you again at Ballard's.Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Casey, Worcester

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Go here every year - love it here!
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/6/27
Hi Casey,We are glad that you had a great stay at Ballard's. Looking forward to serve you again.Thank you.

8/10 Good

james

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Ok. Staff don't speak English. Front desk staff, restaurant, bars, and beach staff confused and uniformed after working there for 2 months.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/6/27
Hi James,Thank you for your review. We will look into it.

10/10 Excellent

Byron

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great experience with friendly staff and convenient amenities. Great location close to ferry and right on a beautiful beach area with plenty of space. Room was clean and maintained nicely. Will return and highly recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/6/27
Hi Byron,We are glad that you enjoyed your stay at Ballard's. We strive to do our best for guests like you.Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Vernon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It was great
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/6/27
Hi Vernon,We are glad that you had a great stay at Ballard's. We always strive to do our best because of guests like you.Thank you.

4/10 Poor

Lexi

Traveled with group
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
I was very disappointed that our TV didn’t work, and when we asked a staff member to help us, they said they couldn’t do anything about it.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2023
Response from Manager on 2023/6/2
There must be some misunderstanding. We spoke with our staff and no one can recall this incident. Hope you can try Ballards Beach Resort again.Warm regards

10/10 Excellent

Sandy

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We had a great stay at Ballards! The view of the harbor was just stunning. We were there right before Memorial Day, so the area was still quiet. I am not sure how much that changes during the summer time; probably a lot.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/5/31
Hi Sandy,We are very glad that you had a great stay at Ballard's. Your review inspires us to do even better so valuable guests like you will have great memories of Ballard's and the island.Thank you so much!

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Staff was amazing and we checked in earlier Jenny from D.R, above and beyond to welcome us!! Staff at the Resturant was so great Tee and the other server was top notch the food was so good!! You must have a Lobster Roll!! Only thing I would recommend is that guests have conditioner available however I will bring some next time!!! Highly recommend!!! Thank you for the memorable stay
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/5/26
Hi Jennifer,We are glad that you had a great time at Ballard's. Reviews like yours inspire us to do even better. We hope to see you again at Ballard's.

10/10 Excellent

Jared

Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/6/27
Hi Jared.Thank you for the great rating. We are grateful.

8/10 Good

Raksha

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We enjoyed lunch on premises. The staff was pleasant and very accomodating!
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/5/21
Hello Raksha,We are glad that you enjoyed your visit to Ballard's. Your comments inspire us to continue doing our usual best. We hope to see you again.

10/10 Excellent

Ellen

Traveled with partner, Traveled with family
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff was extemely friendly and helpful. Room was clean and bright, Would definitely come back
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Yolanda on 2023/5/17
We are glad that you enjoyed your stay with us! Hope to see you again!

10/10 Excellent

Malcolm

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/9/15
Thank you so much! Hope to see you again @ Ballard's!

10/10 Excellent

Marc

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff went out of their way to welcome us and be accommodating holding our luggage last dayThe rooms were nicely furnished and clean. They put together a cot for my son who decided to come with us at the last minute. Close to everything and having beach right there was wonderful. They also gave us a late checkout!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/9/10
Hello, Marc. We are glad that you had a wonderful time at Ballard's. We hope to see you again in the near future.

8/10 Good

Brad

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022

6/10 Okay

Belinda

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/9/10
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Kim

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very clean. I loved having a live band playing outdoors on the beach! Cute tiki bars add to the atmosphere. Attentive staff brought our chairs, tables and umbrellas over to a spot that we wanted to sit. It’s also fun having wait staff take your orders while you are sitting in your chairs. The rooms are adorable!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/9/10
Hi Kim,We are glad that you had a wonderful time at Ballard's. We hope to see you again in the near future.

8/10 Good

michelle

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/9/10
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

Eirik

Traveled with group
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/9/10
Thank you.

10/10 Excellent

maureen

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Perfect location Beautiful room
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/9/10
Hi Maureen.Thank you for your kind words. Hope to see you again at Ballard's.

10/10 Excellent

suellen

Traveled with group, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wish they had a refrigerator in the room, but otherwise the room, property and staff were great
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

6/10 Okay

carol

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
Ballards is a great location with music.That's all I can say. Overpriced for food. I watched the bartender make me a double mimosa and she poured more than 3/4 cup of OJ and a shot of champagne for 23.00 !!!And I was at the bar so she saw I was a grown adult. That's what they do with all their drinks.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Ronica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2022

2/10 Terrible

Taylor

Traveled with group
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
I just got home from my first trip ever to Block Island. I was very excited and heard great things about it. Once we checked into the room we could tell the floors had not been cleaned, there was sand everywhere. The water pressure was terrible, none of us could clean our hair. Our toilet broke during our stay and they did do a great job coming to fix it. It was a Saturday night, the hotel was dead and nobody was downstairs at the desk, they did not leave us a number if an emergency occurred. When the room wasn’t cleaned, they left one roll of toilet paper & an empty box of tissues. We ran out of toilet paper in the middle of the night and there was nobody to get more from. We went down the next morning at around 7:00-7:30 and nobody was still there. The entire hotel is locked up at night other than the rooms. We talked with a manager and ended talking with the owner of the hotel. He accused us of breaking the toilet, and told us we were lying when we said we had to leave our hotel room in the night to go find a bathroom somewhere. To be the owner and have such low customer service was baffling. He didn’t have much interest in our complaints and to be honest was being highly unprofessional. I believe because we were in our mid twenties and females was the reasoning for his behavior. This is a huge tourist trap and save your money and go somewhere else. The fact I paid over $800 a night and was treated so poorly was unfortunate to say the least.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Melissa

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Ballard’s is THE best place to stay in Block!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/6/27
We are glad that you had a great experience at Ballard's. We hope to see you again.

8/10 Good

Sophia

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Good location; great beach amenities. Overpriced drinks and not many amenities in rooms/hotel as no fridge, no vending or ice machines, no store on property, no bottled water. Staff is wonderful though.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/6/27
Thank you, Sophia.

10/10 Excellent

Casey, Worcester

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Love Block Island and love Ballards!
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/6/22
Thank you Casey. We are glad you had a lovely experience with Ballard's. We are looking forward seeing you again.

10/10 Excellent

Jacqueline

Traveled with group
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/6/22
Thank you, Jacqueline. We are glad you had a lovely experience with Ballard's. Hope to see you again.

8/10 Good

Sharon

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely spot but very busy during the day. Also parking for patrons is a problem during the dat.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/6/22
Thank you , Sharon, for the great rating. We hope to see you again.

4/10 Poor

Jessica

Traveled with family and small children
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Ballards bar looks amazing but walk over to the “hotel” & it’s like you’re staying in a $60 a night motel. First, there is no parking for guests so you’re expected to fend for yourself on an island where there is already no parking. When we got up to our room, we found that 1 of the 2 sliding glass doors on the shower was missing so you couldn’t slide it over…everytime you had to turn on the shower, you got soaked! We were cold bc there wasn’t a curtain or door where there should have been. The sheets on the bed weren’t the right size so all night long, they were popping off the mattress on the corners. They advertise TV in the room but in actuality, there were only a handful of channels & no guide so we barely turned it on. Room service doesn’t come to clean unless you ask so most of the time, we were stepping on sand & it was all in our sheets while we slept. They don’t restock towels or TP so you always have to be running down to the desk to ask for the things you need. I am shocked at how much they can charge for a room that is that sh*tty!! I will never stay again. They are greedy & money hungry… when I complained, I was told there was nothing they could do for me. It’s a shame bc the island is gorgeous & the “hotel” could be nice but they don’t put back in what money they make to maintain it. DO NOT STAY HERE! It’s a garbage place & a complete waste of money! My sister in law stayed at the Henderson house for 1/3 the price & her room was nicer than ours. Never again!
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great staff and location. Rooms were clean and updated.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/6/15
Thank you for the kind words. Your comments inspire us to continuously do better. Hope to see you again at Ballard's.

6/10 Okay

Judith

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
The view was fantastic
Stayed 1 night in May 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/6/15
Thank you. Hope to see you again at Ballard's!

10/10 Excellent

Sandra

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff is superb! The room was super clean and comfortable. The shower is huge and amazing.
Stayed 1 night in May 2022
Response from Yolanda on 2022/5/18
We are glad that you have a pleasant stay at Ballard's. Please do visit us again. Thank you

8/10 Good

Denise LaDon

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This is a nice hotel if you want to be on the water. It sets away from the main road but an easy walk. There is no parking on site.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

8/10 Good

Carol

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021

8/10 Good

Tiffani

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

6/10 Okay

Lisa

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Definitely not worth the money we paid.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021

2/10 Terrible

Angela

Traveled with group
Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Basic hotel
Shower door was missing. Blood on the wall. Sandy floor.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021