After hearing people talk about what an amazing place Nantucket is I had no doubt I would enjoy it. I just didn't expect I would fall in love with it quite so much. It's like stepping into this picturesque place that I didn't actually believe existed anymore. Pristine beaches, meticulous landscaping, adorable beach homes, I could go on and on. We were lucky that we were able to go in October when the weather was still great but the town was quieter.
I don't expect that there will be another Summer that passes where we don't visit Nantucket. It's the type of place that I want to go with my family each year and completely unplug. My husband and I talked about how we would buy a
We rented a Wrangler which was probably my favorite thing. It's really popular to ride bikes (there are miles and miles of bike paths) and I would definitely do that if I was there for a longer length of time but we wanted to cover as much ground as possible in just a few days. It was also so fun to be able to drive on the beach with the top down! We used Nantucket Affordable Rentals - the process was so simple and they were really nice when I called
Not all of the restaurants were open because we went mid-week in the slower season but there were still plenty of options. There are a lot of great restaurants to choose from, and we definitely tried as many as possible. We had dinner at Proprietors - the food is served tapas style which is great because we got to try a lot of different dishes. The cocktails were also delicious! Cru was closed most of the time we were there but we were able to have lunch before leaving the island. It's right on the end of a dock with great views, really good food and the decor is just beautiful. Of course we had to try The Juice Bar (which is really an ice cream shop). The home made cones were so good as was the people-watching while we sat and enjoyed our treats. We took the shuttle to Cisco Brewers which was definitely a fun thing to do. It's super laid back, they have a brewery, winery and distillery all in one place! They also had live music and a raw bar.
We watched the sunset at Madaket. We East Coasters are lucky to get to see beautiful sunrises over the ocean but very rarely do we get to see the sunset. Nantucket gets both! We stopped at Bartlett's Farm and got cheese and snacks and had a picnic on the beach. I wouldn't mind if every evening could end like that! It was so much fun to just drive around and get lost. Our GPS would send us down a road that didn't seem like it was accessible but the Jeep pushed through and I'm glad because we got to see so many beautiful things. We drove around 'Sconset, saw the red and white Sankaty lighthouse and admired our future Golf Club :).
We stayed at The Cottages and Lofts. It was perfect! We had a cottage right on the water and we could walk to town. Apparently it's the only dog friendly hotel on Nantucket - next time we will definitely be bringing Lola, it seems to be a pretty dog friendly island and I think she would enjoy strolling the beach with us!
The shopping of course was great. I didn't torture my husband too much but we did do some exploring. My favorite shop was definitely Bodega. I could easily redo a couple of rooms in my house with everything in their store. We also stopped at Nantucket Chocolatier for some "thanks for watching our crazy puppy" presents for my parents. I mistakenly did not get any chocolate for myself and was quite disappointed once I got home.
It's really a magical place and I can't wait to go back.
I'd love to know where your favorite getaway spot is!