Watch Hill is an affluent coastal village and
census-designated place in the
town of
Westerly, Rhode Island. It sits at the most-southwestern point in all of
Rhode Island, excluding
Block Island. It came to prominence in the late 19th and early 20th century as an exclusive summer resort, with wealthy families building sprawling Victorian-style "cottages" along the peninsula. Watch Hill is characterized by the
New York Times as a community "with a strong sense of privacy and of discreetly used wealth", in contrast with "the overpowering castles of the very rich" in nearby
Newport. Today, it is best known as the backdrop for the
Ocean House, the only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond Hotel in Rhode Island.