A Shore Thing

Planes, Cars, and Ferries

By Kelly Curry | Photography courtesy of White Elephant

Nantucket, ACK, and The Gray Lady are just a few names used to describe this historic island off the coast of Massachusetts. I remember my mother talking about trips there when she was a girl, but growing up in the central US always kept it off my radar. So, when asked if my husband, Alex, and I wanted to take a quick trip to explore Nantucket this summer, our answer was a resounding yes! Little did we know that it would be an adventure just to get there.

When my alarm went off at 4:00 a.m., my mind was full of excitement and nerves. Leading up to this trip, I had heard so many stories about canceled flights. My heart immediately sank when Alex came upstairs with the sound of customer service music playing over the phone. He had double-checked the status of our flights, and because the first one was delayed, we would miss our final leg to Nantucket. After trying to get rerouted into ACK, our customer service representative shared that our best option was to fly into Providence, Rhode Island.

I can only describe our day of travel as something you might watch on The Amazing Race. We needed everything to go perfectly from the time we landed in Providence to when we boarded the ferry in Hyannis to make it to the island that evening in time for our dinner and hotel reservations. We had to find a rental car, get an Uber to pick it up, and drive to the ferry that could take us to Nantucket. The whole day was a nail-biter! (It seems that this is the norm with air travel in the newly post-COVID world, so I recommend travelers give themselves a whole day to get to and fro.) We did catch the last ferry to the island, which took about an hour to deliver safely to Nantucket. To say we were relieved is an understatement.

From the moment we stepped onto the brick and cobblestone streets, we knew all of our crazy travel escapades weren’t for nothing. Upon arriving at our accommodations for the next few days, it became clear the White Elephant Nantucket was a magical place. The property alone is stunning and immaculately kept, and its rooms are welcoming and charming; but it’s the staff who make this luxury hotel a favorite in our books. Everyone we spoke with was helpful and kind, and we loved getting a tour of the property from the hotel’s general manager, Bettina Landt. Her love for being a hotelier is evident, and we enjoyed learning some Nantucket history from her as a twenty-plus-year island resident.

The beauty of this property is that it is designed for you to stay, relax, and be taken care of by the fabulous staff.

The White Elephant Nantucket has accommodations to suit just about any taste. We were located at the Harborside Hotel, where we enjoyed a cup of coffee each morning with a view of the water. As a bonus, we were just a short walk from town and a stone’s throw from the in-house restaurant, Brant Point Grill. In addition to the Harborside Hotel, White Elephant Nantucket offers ten Garden Cottages, twenty-five units in six buildings known as the Residences, fourteen suites and six deluxe guest rooms at the Inn, and two Downtown Lofts. The property is family-friendly, offering bikes, a pool, and easy access to a beach area with a playground.

We couldn’t wait to explore the town on our first day in Nantucket. I had made lunch reservations at the fan-favorite CRU restaurant, and it did not disappoint. We ordered what felt like one of everything, but in reality, it was clam chowder, shrimp cocktail, and the classic lobster roll. Alex tried the CRUcumber cocktail, and I had the CRU Bloody Mary. We loved the place so much that we went back the next day.

After lunch, we wandered around in the amazing local shops. There was something new to see at every turn, but some of my favorite stores were Dawn, Eleish Van Breems Home, Sara Campbell, Veronica Beard, and Milly & Grace. Next, we stopped for a pick-me-up at The Juice Bar before heading into the Whaling Museum to learn about Nantucket’s roots and how the island became the beautiful destination it is today. Fun fact: the phrase “There she blows!” became a famous saying because of whaling ships. The sailors would say this whenever they spotted a whale surfacing.

After our history lesson at the museum, we returned to the White Elephant to get ready for dinner at Brant Point Grill, where we enjoyed the Burrata salad, sirloin steak tartare, lobster and scallop risotto, and berries and cream for dessert. We gave it a chef’s kiss—everything was superb! After dinner, we took a short walk down to see the Brant Point Lighthouse and watched a few boats coming in and out of the channel before walking over to Bar Yoshi for a final evening beverage.

On our second full day in Nantucket, we were fortunate to be selected in the lottery to have one of White Elephant’s complimentary BMWs to drive around the island for four hours. We made quick work of the things we wanted to see, like the Bluff Walk in Siasconset (’Sconset, for short) on the island’s east side, where we stumbled upon the most delicious breakfast sandwich from Claudette’s. From ’Sconset, we headed west to the opposite side of the island to check out local favorite Cisco Brewers. We could have spent an entire afternoon at Cisco—it has an awesome vibe—but we had to get the car returned, and it was time for us to catch our ride back east to The Wauwinet.

For our final night on the island, we had the pleasure of staying at The Wauwinet (pronounced “wah-win-net”). Known as the quintessential Nantucket experience, our stay matched up with what one would expect from that epithet: peaceful, relaxing, and breathtaking. Everything at The Wauwinet is top-notch. When we arrived, we had the pleasure of touring the property with Eric Landt, the general manager. Side note if the name sounds familiar from earlier: Bettina and Eric are married, and it was so much fun getting to know them both. Eric showed us the Atlantic Ocean, the bay where the property has an oyster farm, the wine cellar (wow!), and everything in between.

Before leaving us for the evening, Eric arranged for Alex and me to have the ultimate experience at The Wauwinet’s in-house restaurant, Topper’s, by allowing the chef to prepare whatever he felt like. What an end to a great day! Listed below is our menu for the evening, minus the wine pairings, which were also excellent. I cannot recommend Topper’s enough. Pro-tip: when you make your dinner reservation, ask about booking the sunset cruise for drinks before dinner.

The Wauwinet offers thirty-three guest rooms, tennis courts, stand-up paddleboards, beach chairs, bikes, shuttle service into town, and much more. The beauty of this property is that it is designed for you to stay, relax, and be taken care of by the fabulous staff. They are amazing and will gladly help with anything you might need.

It’s hard to wrap a place like Nantucket into just a few short pages, just as it was hard to explore everything in a few short days. What we know for sure is that the island was an unforgettable experience and a place that we now have on our list for a return trip. We are so thankful to the White Elephant and The Wauwinet and their wonderful teams—both properties are stunning and worth looking into for your next visit to ACK!

— V —

---

Visit WhiteElephantNantucket.com and Wauwinet.com to learn more or book your stay.

---

The Chef’s Menu Experience at Topper’s

• 1/2 Dozen Retsyo Oysters (straight from the Wauwinet Oyster Farm)
• Lobster and Crab Cakes
• Hudson Valley Foie Gras
• Butter Poached Lobster
• Prime New York Strip Steak Frites
• Rose Pavlova (Hibiscus sorbet with strawberry consommé)
• Nantucket Cobblestone (Maracaibo chocolate, hazelnut, and salted caramel ice cream)
• Nettle Meadow Farm Artisan Cheese with Honey and Fig

---