Nantucket: 5 things

On our way home from Boston (post coming soon) this summer we took a short detour to Nantucket for a few days. I had not been there in 20 years. Of course, I was 15 then. It is still the quaint cobble stoned town that I remembered, but a lot more crowded.

For those of you who have never been, you can travel to the island by ferry or plane. If you can get a cheap flight, take it. We flew for $50 each.

What did I like best about our trip, you ask? Here are my top five.

1) 76 Maine. When Mr. Mophead sent me a link to 76 Maine, I knew that was the place to stay. We arrived the week after it opened so everything was pristine and very classy -- just the way I like it. Located in town on Maine street, the former guest house was gutted and turned into a small boutique hotel with en suite (albeit very small) bathrooms in each guest room and cottage. To say that it was well appointed, is an understatement. The hotel was impeccably designed by Boston's Rachel Reider Interiors. They did a fabulous job making the hotel look and feel like a home sans the beach-themey look. There is a Vineyard Vines suite in the main house. I didn't see it, but Conde Nast Traveler called it "the preppiest hotel suite you've ever seen." Vineyard Vines tote bags and towels, as well as beach chairs are gratis for guests. Nice touch.

Let's take a quick tour.

{welcome to 76 Main}

{come on in}

{living room}

Rachel sure does know how to style bookcases. Doesn't she? Love the high gloss navy walls and art above the sofa.

{living room nook}

 {our room -- so pretty}

Loved all the furniture and color scheme in our guest room..

 {boy's room}

And in this one where the the Mophead boys stayed. Yes, they had their own room adjacent to ours. Frightening, I know. They messed it up before I could take a pic of the entire room, but I did get a close up of this cool Phillip Jeffries wall covering. It looks fab behind the olive/black & white ticking striped head board.

In the other corner I honed in on this sand dollar water color. A must have for my master bath collection. Inn keeper Katie was kind enough to email Rachel to ask for the source. As luck would have it, UK artist Lisa Le Quelenec sells her water colors on etsy. Yay. You know how much I love etsy. I've already ordered one. Will let you know when it's hung.

{adorable kitchen}

Complimentary breakfast is served in the kitchen. Eat in or outside in the courtyard. Every evening the hotel stocks the courtyard bar with glasses, mixers, twists and salty snacks. BYO poison. Another nice touch.

 {courtyard lit up at night}

2) Beaches. Nantucket has 10 beaches that accommodate all beach goer's needs. Some are close to town. Others, a short car, bike or bus ride away. The Wave bus takes you just about anywhere you want to go on the island for $1. The buses can accommodate 2 bikes. We didn't take the bus. We chose to be more adventurous and rode our bikes on paved bike paths to Surfside Beach (roughly 2.5 miles from town) one day and to Medaket (6 miles from town) the other day. Side story: You know our trip would not have been complete without a few mishaps. Both Mophead boys wiped out on their bikes on the way home from the beach. We were clearly too ambitious and should have put our bikes on the bus for the return trip.

{love this sea foam shed door}

Life guards, restrooms, fantastic food and beach rentals make Madaket a safe bet for families.

3) Food. When in Nantucket, eat seafood. Lobster, scallops, mussels, clams and oysters - oh my! Nantucket bay scallops are considered the sweetest in the world. Such a shame if you're allergic to or can't eat shell fish. Our most memorable meal was a Millie's on Madaket.

 {eat in, take out or visit the the market for ice cream and other provisions} 

{"Esther Island" taco -- yum! Nice presentation too}

{"Gibbs Pond" lobster salad -- delish!}

No trip to Nantucket would be complete without a trip to the Juice Bar for home made ice cream. Trust me, go.

4) Flowers. Mopheads everywhere and in every color! Simply stunning.

 {gardens at 76 Maine}

5) Shopping. Okay, so I didn't do much shopping. But there is plenty of it for those who are so inclined. Home goods stores abound. Not enough time to look. I did like the name of this shop.

{wonder who drives the Lily Pulizter Jeep?}

I wasn't the only gal in town who would rather snooze than shop. So cute!

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