We area this query loads right here at Lonely Planet’s New York Metropolis headquarters: Nantucket or Martha’s Winery?
When you may go to each (each are beloved getaways, each are accessible by ferry, each have airports), summer season trip time (notably for these from the USA) is criminally restricted. And this query deserves a solution.
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Affiliate Editor Ann Douglas Lott swears by the hilly landscapes and charming cities on Martha’s Winery. Senior Director of Content material Brekke Fletcher’s most up-to-date journey to Nantucket was chilly and rain-soaked, but she’d choose Nantucket many times.
Despite the fact that these two LP-ers work aspect by aspect, be they writing and modifying one another’s work or laughing over lunch, that is the row all of us knew was coming. Now it’s as much as you to determine which author makes the higher case for his or her most well-liked summer season isle. Let the battle begin.
Why Martha’s Winery is summertime bliss
Rugged, hilly landscapes, jaw-dropping oceanside cliffs, over 120 miles of shoreline and 6 distinctive seaside cities – Martha’s Winery is summertime bliss. On each Nantucket and Martha’s Winery, you’ll discover lovely seashores, lighthouses, recent seafood and charming, walkable (or cyclable) cities. However so far as New England summer season holidays go, Martha’s Winery’s (or, because the locals and regulars name it, the Winery) pure magnificence and sheer number of experiences are unmatched. About twice the scale of Nantucket, there’s a lot extra to uncover in its number of landscapes – Nantucket, however, is sort of fully flat. The Winery’s wide-open areas make for an alluring getaway for each the Obamas and us New Yorkers particularly.
Initially, getting right here is method simpler, with extra high-season ferry companies obtainable from New Bedford and Cape Cod in Massachusetts, in addition to from Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. There’s additionally an airport on the island, and direct flights right here from New York Metropolis might be very inexpensive in case you e book early sufficient (I simply booked one for July for simply $88). However in case you’re bringing your personal automobile, you’ll have to take the ferry. As quickly as you step off the ferry in Oak Bluffs, you’ll be able to stroll straight into its colourful, full of life city, admiring the well-known “gingerbread homes,” hopping on the carousel earlier than grabbing an ice cream, or you’ll be able to lease a automobile – or take a dependable and inexpensive public bus – and hold exploring.
And with a lot floor to cowl, you’ll need a number of days right here to maintain exploring. Whereas Nantucket has an admittedly charming foremost city, Martha’s Winery has that instances six: Aquinnah, Chilmark, Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Winery Haven and West Tisbury. You’ll have a very totally different journey relying on the place you base your self. Go to Aquinnah for the low-key vibe and gorgeous cliffs, or keep in Edgartown and stroll by way of its charming brick lanes lined with shingle-style properties, stopping into ice cream retailers and boutiques. Extra locations to remain additionally means extra lodging choices for all budgets, so that you don’t really have to have a CEO’s wage (or know somebody who has a CEO’s wage) to remain right here.
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You even have a humiliation of seashores to select from. There’s Aquinnah Seaside, which is right for huge, crashing waves, dramatic cliff views and probably the most attractive, peaceable sunsets. There’s additionally Lighthouse Seaside, proper in Edgartown, which is an efficient alternative for calmer waters, an ideal tanning spot and, in fact, a lighthouse go to with a view of the harbor. Or, in order for you the enjoyable crowds and thrilling waves, go to South Seaside, the place the opening scene of Jaws was filmed. Backside line: you received’t run out of choices.
And but, amidst all that “extra,” there’s one thing magically rugged and unspoiled about Martha’s Winery. It’s simple to interrupt away from the extra crowded areas and expertise the island’s pure magnificence, whether or not you’re watching a sundown on a secluded seaside, driving by way of lovely farmland or mountain climbing on wooded trails and alongside seaside cliffs. Gradual dwelling is the norm right here. Nearly a 3rd of the island is protected, that means you received’t discover large chain resorts taking up its seashores. The identical goes for native retailers and eating places. You additionally received’t discover strict costume codes right here as a result of every part is so laid-back – no have to pack your most interesting, preppiest ‘suits or Nantucket reds.
In the event you nonetheless can’t determine between the 2, save the smaller island of Nantucket for a day journey. You’ll be able to return to the Winery very quickly to observe the pink sundown.
Nantucket’s seashores are for everybody
Um, the sunsets are pink in Nantucket, too. Good attempt. And also you say smaller prefer it’s a foul factor, however that’s one of many causes I want Nantucket to the Winery. (Additionally: what’s with that moniker? There are different vineyards on this planet? That is one more reason I don’t love MV as a lot. Snooty!)
Now, as a journalist, I need to disclose that I broke my foot in Martha’s Winery over a decade in the past, descending a single stair carrying a tray of martinis. It was a prime traumatic expertise of my life (ambulance to island hospital, ambulance to ferry, ferry to ambulance, ambulance to Mass Normal and a number of other hundreds of {dollars} I didn’t have).
However this isn’t the explanation I advocate for Nantucket. Sure, it’s smaller and flatter, however that simply makes it a lot simpler to get round, notably on two wheels. You’ll be able to bike (or e-bike) virtually anyplace on the island, and that reality alone makes it the higher eco-choice. And in case you’re not a biker, Nantucket can also be served by a free shuttle service that covers many of the island. Not so on Martha’s Winery.
The explanation there are extra transportation choices to get to and from Martha’s Winery is that it’s busier. To be honest, in the summertime excessive season, some preplanning and reservations are completely vital on each islands. You can not simply roll onto a automobile ferry. And whereas Martha’s Winery boasts many movie star summer season residents, just like the Obamas, Nantucket is the island of alternative for the sitting president’s household, the Bidens.
Nantucket’s Most important Road downtown space is an idyllic and bustling New England village, with shingled buildings, historic sea captain’s properties and beautiful church buildings, brick-lined streets and sidewalks. So as to add to the old-timey vibe, look out for his or her ornamental road lamps. It’s as walkable as it’s charming with many extraordinary eating places to select from (By way of Mare and Nautilus are stand-outs), distinctive, hyperlocal buying experiences, and one-of-a-kind museums. Tootling round city, sure, you’ll see some of us carrying Nantucket’s signature crimson, however it’s removed from a requirement. Actually, I might argue that Nantucket is considerably much less fussy about trend than Martha’s Winery, however we’d want the style police to type that one out.
Exterior of typical summer season vacation fare, Nantucket’s whaling historical past and literary bonafides – ever hear of somewhat tome entitled Moby Dick – make it a more sensible choice for historical past buffs and readers of historic fiction. Don’t miss out on the Whaling Museum.
Keep in mind after I talked about that “The Winery” is usually a bit snooty? I’ve two phrases for you that ought to by no means be uttered collectively: personal seashores. All seashores on Nantucket are public, no personal safety will chase you off the shore.
And talking of seashores, Nantucket has a lot to select from. There’s family-friendly Jetties Seaside only a stone’s throw from Most important Road. North shore seashores are usually calmer and hotter (there’s one known as The Bathtub), whereas the south shore is best for catching waves – Cisco Seaside is common with surfers and younger adults. Siasconset (or Sconset) is all the way in which east, and since its seashores are a bit out of the way in which, they are usually much less filled with crowds (don’t miss out the Sconset Bluff Stroll, although that’s often crowded). TLDR: There’s a seaside in Nantucket for anybody and everybody.
There are many charming lodging scattered throughout the island, from family-run B&Bs to loft flats downtown, however no huge resorts or deafeningly loud golf equipment. Lease a home with buddies or put up up at one of many regionally owned luxurious resorts, like The Wauwinet or The White Elephant (I really like each and just lately stayed at newly renovated Cottages on the Boat Basin). And the purveyors on the farmers markets and native provisioners present decidedly superior produce and seafood. Specifically, the oysters in Nantucket are the most effective.
I may go on, however I’m out of house: belief me, Nantucket is the place it’s at, and never simply in summer season. My desire is to go to Nantucket in late September to savor the final flash of summer season warmth within the quiet, calm perfection that precedes a wonderful autumn.
