August 16th, 2011
After Labor Day we’ll be putting away all our summer whites but not so fast with those Nantucket Reds, they’re alright! While Nantucket conjures images of quintessential New England summers and those famed weathered-looking pants, we recommend donning the slacks this autumn and heading to the Grey Lady. Forget high season crowds, in the fall the masses have dispersed and the rates have dropped. If that alone is not reason enough, here are another 14 Reasons to visit Nantucket in the fall.
1. Value
Fall rates at hotels on the island are greatly reduced in September, October, and November. For example, at the iconic White Elephant the lowest midweek July rate available is $550, while in September guests can stay overnight for as little as $375 with the Hot Dates, Cool Rates promotion.
2. Nantucket Restaurant Week , September 26-October 2, 2011
For a small island, Nantucket has a wide variety of renowned culinary establishments that include the new Brick Bistro, award-winning TOPPER’S, and the harborside Brant Point Grill, home to the Lobster Bloody. During restaurant week, three course dinners will be offered at these and other top Nantucket eateries from $25 – $45.
3. Nantucket Historical Association’s Harvest Fair, October 2011
Celebrate fall harvest at the Old Mill and learn about Nantucket’s agricultural heritage, play lively colonial games, and make traditional crafts such as cornhusk dolls or beeswax candles.
4. The Nantucket Project, September 30-October 2, 2011
Unlike crowded, impersonal meetings-of-the-minds like TED and the Aspen Institute, the first Nantucket Project will gather amazing speakers including Ed Crane, founder and President of the CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, and Craig Ventor, biologist and entrepreneur best known for being among the first to sequence the human genome, for an intimate weekend of stimulating lectures and conversation held at the White Elephant.
5. Nantucket Conservation Foundation’s Cranberry Festival, October 8, 2011
Visit Nantucket’s famous cranberry bogs, generally closed to the public but open for a short time in October just when the berries are harvested. Partake in bog tours, hay rides, sheep-shearing, and, of course, fresh berries and delicious cranberry confections.
6. Golf
Nantucket’s top-notch Sankaty Head Golf Club’s coveted ocean views and links-style holes are usually only available to members. In the off season (October-May), for a fee, anyone can tee off.
7. Nantucket Slam, Cystic Fibrosis Benefit, September 11-13, 2011
This all-inclusive, two-day, competitive catch and release tournament is two days of competitive fishing for Bluefish, Bonito, Striped Bass, and Atlantic Bonito/False Albacore. To get a “Slam,” one must catch three of a designated species in the same day. All proceeds benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
8. Scenic Hiking and Biking
Rent a bike and roll down the recently resurfaced 6.4 miles of bike paths of Nantucket and check out the beautiful fall foliage. Bike rentals typically cost around $30/day; complimentary bikes are available for guests of White Elephant Hotel Residences, The Cottages & Lofts at the Boat Basin, and The Wauwinet.
9. Spooky Halloween at haunted Jared Coffin House
Every year kids can dress up and go trick-or-treating at the shops and stores lining Main Street. Enjoy a super spooky stay on Nantucket at the Jared Coffin House, said to be haunted by the ghost of the successful 19th century ship-owner after whom the house was named. Other ghosts are rumored to roam the halls and rooms of this historic property – room rates start at $125 October 23-31.
10. ACK Pink with Nantucket Island Resorts for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, October 2011
For the month of October, Nantucket Island Resorts will be donating $1 from every room night bought to the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides against Breast Cancer charity. In addition, guests booking a stay during the weekend of October 14-16 will have the opportunity to participate on the Nantucket Island Resorts-sponsored team during Nantucket’s Making Strides against Breast Cancer Walk on Sunday, October 16. Nantucket Island Resorts has committed to a $1000 donation for the Breast Cancer Walk. Those who join the team will receive a complimentary team tee-shirt. Additionally, proceeds from themed cocktails and treats on offer at The Wauwinet, the White Elephant, the White Elephant Hotel Residences, and Jared Coffin House will be donated to the cause.
11. Inexpensive Airfare
Think getting to Nantucket is difficult and pricey? Phooey! Fly Jet Blue direct from New York City to Nantucket starting at $69 this September.
12. Romance
If you took the kids to Nantucket this summer, come back in the fall without the little ones and stay at the romantic Wauwinet (open until October 29). The 32-room inn doesn’t allow children under 12, so there’s no chance of having a screaming baby just down the hall. Rates at this luxury inn start at just $225 in October.
13. Traditional New England Thanksgiving
Visit the state where the original Thanksgiving took place. The White Elephant’s Brant Point Grill hosts a special Thanksgiving buffet with all the comfort foods you’d expect at your grandmother’s house without all the cooking and dirty dishes. Brave souls can participate in the 10th Annual Turkey Plunge on Children’s Beach, where hundreds jump into cold Nantucket Harbor on Thanksgiving morning.
14. Fall isn’t all… Come in December for Christmas Stroll! December 2-5, 2011
Nantucket Island celebrates the entire holiday season with Nantucket Noel, a month-long celebration organized by the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce that runs November 25-December 31. The highlight event is the Annual Christmas Stroll Weekend. Stores, shops, and restaurants open their doors for holidays shoppers, carolers sing favorite holiday tunes, and Santa Claus arrives via a Coast Guard Vessel. This is an authentic experience not to be missed! Several Nantucket Island Resorts properties are open for the Stroll Weekend, including the historic and centrally located Jared Coffin House, the iconic White Elephant, and the luxurious White Elephant Hotel Residences. These properties offer a variety of cozy accommodations for visitors to the island.
July 7th, 2011
Why settle for less than the best when you don’t have to? Travel + Leisure makes finding the very best in travel a whole lot easier with their annual World’s Best Awards list. This year, 13 of our favorite hotels and resorts, not to mention our best-loved cruise line and spa brand, all made the list. Some properties even walked away with awards in multiple categories! Now that is something to celebrate!
Anantara Golden Triangle
#15, Top Resorts in Asia
#4, Top Family Hotels in Asia
#5, Top Hotel Spas in Asia
Crystal Cruises
#1, Top Large-Ship Cruise Lines
The Peninsula’s ESPA Spa
#9, Top Hotel Spas in US and Canada
Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt Buenos Aires
#1, Top City Hotels in Central and South America
#19, Top 100 Hotels Overall
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek
#41, Top Family Hotels in U.S. and Canada
Park Hyatt Chicago
#45, Top Large Cities Hotel in US/Canada (100 rooms or more)
Park Hyatt Milan
#52, Top 100 Hotels Overall
#4, Top Large City Hotels in Europe
Park Hyatt Melbourne
#2, Top City Hotels in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific
Park Hyatt Mendoza
#4, Top City Hotels in Central and South America
Park Hyatt Saigon
#10, Top City Hotels in Asia
Park Hyatt Sydney
#4, Top City Hotels in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific
Parrot Cay
#25, Top Resorts in the Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Bahamas
The Wauwinet
#7, Top Inns in US/Canada (fewer than 40 rooms)
Uma Paro
#12, Top Resorts in Asia
White Elephant
#19, Top Family Hotels in U.S. and Canada
Congrats to all of the winners!
May 17th, 2011
TOPPER’S at The Wauwinet, one of Nantucket’s favored fine-dining institutions, has once again received the ‘top’ spot in the Zagat 2011/12 Survey of Boston-area restaurants. The restaurant scored a total of 82 points out of a possible 90 points across the categories of Food, Décor, and Service – the highest score of all 76 reviewed Nantucket restaurants.
The Zagat Survey results were released on April 20, 2011. Among the other restaurants that received high scores in the survey was the White Elephant’s Brant Point Grill, which received exceptional praise in the category of Décor.
TOPPER’s at The Wauwinet is no stranger to accolades; the restaurant has been a Wine Spectator Grand Award winner for 14 consecutive years. Both TOPPER’S and The Wauwinet are recognized for the exceptional service and atmosphere offered to guests and in 2010, The Wauwinet was listed as one of the top 10 hotels in the US and Canada for service by Travel + Leisure, while TOPPER’S was noted as a favorite Nantucket Restaurant in Condé Nast Traveler’s July 2010 ‘Islands’ issue.
TOPPER’S at The Wauwinet will be open May 11 – October 30 featuring TOPPER’S classic dishes as well as innovative additions created by new Executive Chef Kyle Zachary. The restaurant’s new iPads are equipped with ‘virtual sommelier’ software to help guests navigate TOPPER’S extensive wine list, and The Wauwinet Lady, a 26-passenger water taxi, is available to ferry guests to and from TOPPER’S during lunch and dinner hours June 27 – September 11. TOPPER’S Deck, offering a more casual seaside dining experience, is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and TOPPER’S infamous à la carte breakfast is now open to non-hotel guests.
February 28th, 2011
We’ve been begging the new Chef Kyle Zachary at TOPPER’S at The Wauwinet to share a delicious yet not too difficult recipe with us, one that we can make in preparation for TOPPER’S seasonal opening on May 4th. Alas, here it is – delicious, classic Osso Bucco Milanese, turned elegant with the addition of saffron to the risotto. And while we’re excited to taste-test this recipe for ourselves, we know we will be even more elated to try out TOPPER’S new menu when we are on Nantucket this summer (see the photo above to understand just how magical a meal at TOPPER’S can be!) Recipe below: (more…)
February 4th, 2011
Nantucket Island Resort’s Hot Dates, Cool Rates are back! Guests who book Nantucket vacations by February 18 not only get their first choice of Hot Dates but also receive the lowest rate of the season with the Hot Dates, Cool Rates Guarantee.
Other benefits to booking early include a dinner credit ($25 on $100 spend, or $50 on $150 spend) and two $25 spa treatment credits.
The Hot Dates, Cool Rates for 2011:
- Jared Coffin House from $125 | Relax just steps away from Nantucket’s Main Street in this historic inn’s newly decorated guest rooms.
- The Cottages & Lofts at the Boat Basin from $175 | Enjoy the views of the harbor from the docks, where The Cottages are located on three wharves jutting out into Nantucket Harbor. *Named Best Resort Location in the U.S. on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2011 Gold List*
- White Elephant from $195 | Sip on delicious cocktails on the lawn overlooking the harbor (Lobster Bloody Mary, anyone?) *Voted #1 Resort in Massachusetts in Travel + Leisure’s 2011 World’s Best Awards*
- The Wauwinet from $225 | Play a game of tennis, take a boat ride on The Wauwinet Lady from late-June to mid-September, or engage in a cooking class with Chef Kyle Zachary in the kitchen of TOPPER’S restaurant. *Named 3rd Top U.S. Small Hotel in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards*
- White Elephant Hotel Residences from $350 | Enjoy all of the complimentary extras that the Residences offers, including access to the hotel’s private swimming pool (in season) with daily fruit and ice cream service.
Nantucket Island Resorts also offers add-on packages at any of their hotels to make your Nantucket experience as unforgettable as possible – these include family, couple, babymoon, girlfriend, and golf packages, or more “Uniquely Nantucket” activities like scalloping, lobstering, and seal- or whale-watching. Or choose to visit during one of Nantucket’s annual festivals including Daffodil Festival weekend (April 30-May 1), Wine Festival weekend (May 18-22), and the Nantucket Film Festival (June 22-26).
To book online, visit the website of the Nantucket Island Resorts property of your choice and enter the booking code GTDLOW, or call 800.ISLANDS (800.475.2637) or 508.325.1000 and mention booking code GTDLOW.
October 21st, 2010
The votes are in! Nantucket Island Resorts has announced the results of its first video sweepstakes, ‘Flip Out on Nantucket.’ Visitors were invited to submit one-minute long video clips made during their summer 2010 stay on Nantucket for the chance to win a grand prize vacation valued at $15,000.
Of the many videos submitted during the May 26 – September 6 entry period, Ben and Carly Kinberg’s award-winning video entitled ‘Nan-Took-It’ was one of 10 finalist videos selected by Nantucket Island Resorts’ panel of judges. Voting on the top 10 videos was then opened to the public for a 15-day voting period in which over 2,000 votes were cast. After all votes were tallied, the Kinberg’s ‘Nan-Took-It’ video was determined the winner receiving nearly 500 votes!
The lucky Kinberg couple stayed at the White Elephant for their honeymoon in May 2010. During their stay, Kinberg captured a video of a seagull ‘stealing’ a muffin from his wife while relaxing on the hotel’s harborside lawn. When reminiscing on their Nantucket vacation later in the summer, the couple came across details of the video contest on the White Elephant website and quickly uploaded their video for consideration.
The couple plan to return to Nantucket in June 2011 to claim their grand prize, which consists of a five-night stay at a Nantucket Island Resorts property along with two dinners, two spa treatments, jeep rental, harbor cruise, and $1,000 gift card.
Other prize winners included Chris Gale of New York, NY, and Sean O’Neill of Wellesley, MA. Runner-up Gale was awarded a $500 gift card for his ‘Mr Bear’s Nantucket Visit’ video, and O’Neill received an honorable mention prize of a $250 gift card for his ‘Griswold’s NIR Experience’ video.
Nantucket Island Resorts is a collection of premier hotels on Nantucket including The Wauwinet, White Elephant, White Elephant Hotel Residences, Jared Coffin House, The Cottages & Lofts at the Boat Basin, and Nantucket Boat Basin.
September 13th, 2010
The Wauwinet has announced that Chef Kyle Zachary has joined the award-winning TOPPER’S restaurant this fall as Executive Chef. Zachary is no stranger to TOPPER’S; for two seasons in 2005 and 2006 Zachary worked as TOPPER’s PM Sous Chef. (more…)
August 17th, 2010
I’m sure everyone can make a pretty standard sand castle. Fill the pail with moist sand, flip, and voila! However, have you ever tried to build massive sand flip flips, or perhaps a VW bug made completely of sand? All have been done during The Annual Nantucket Sandcastle & Sculpture Day, which will take place on this Saturday, August 21 at Jetties Beach on Nantucket.
Starting at noon, teams must use their creativity and whatever tools possible (biodegradable items suggested!) to build an impressive sand masterpiece. The judges, professional artists from the faculty of the Nantucket Island School of Design, will review all creations based on creativity, concept and design and award ribbons to those that excelled.
How much for this amazing day on the beach? Just $10/person to participate, and free for all spectators! For more information, call the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce at 508 228 1700.
Photo courtesy of NICC website.
July 29th, 2010
Admittedly, no one can keep the innovative pace of Steve Jobs. But hotels, in their pursuit to give guests an ever-richer experience, delivered ever more quickly, are helping to push technology to its limit. We aren’t speaking of iPod docking stations in every room – those seem as de rigueur as the VCR was in the 1990s. Here’s what’s next…
Royal Mansour Marrakech
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July 28th, 2010
Does this sticky hot summer weather have you looking forward to the fall? If so, might be time to start planning a fall vacation to Nantucket. The summer crowds have dispersed, the water is the warmest it’s been all summer, and restaurant reservations are much easier to come by. If that’s not enough, here are 10 Other Great Reasons to Visit Nantucket This Fall.
1. Value (more…)