Accommodations

Hotels ~ Rental Homes ~ Inns

So you’ve finalized your guest list and much to your family’s surprise, you were able to keep the number of guests under 200 – not bad when you have a wedding party of 12 and a family larger than most! But before you sit back and relax, lets talk about accommodations for this gathering of friends and family! Where will they stay when they come to join you on your special day?

Luckily this beautiful island has a wide array of accommodations for your family and friends. Martha’s Vineyard is packed with full service hotels, rental homes, inns, bed & breakfasts, and campgrounds – surely you will be able to find a special place that will be able to accommodate and satisfy the needs of your guests no matter what they might be!

Start with assessing the needs of your family and friends and take some time to research your options. Once you decide on a location – reserve space early! It is critical to pre-book your guest’s accommodations as many popular dates during our spring, summer, and fall seasons can book up to two years in advance!

To help get you started, we have researched several of the accommodation options available on Martha’s Vineyard!

EDGARTOWN

THE ARBOR INN
The Arbor Inn on Upper Main Street in Edgartown is on the public transit route, and the bike path. “I tell people it is four doors down from Dairy Queen,” says proprietor Lorna Giles. The Inn has nine guest bedrooms, a private cottage, and a subsidiary antique shop. Brides will often book the whole inn for their guests. For weddings in Edgartown it is particularly convenient as it is in walking distance from the town’s churches and the Dr. Daniel Fisher House, a common reception site.

THE COLONIAL INN
Nestled in the heart of Edgartown’s historic waterfront district, the Colonial Inn offers the elegance and amenities of a full service hotel with the personal service of an intimate bed and breakfast. Many of the Inn’s forty three-guest rooms and suites offer harbor views, canopy beds, fireplaces balconies, mini refrigerators, videocassette and cd players. The Inn’s grounds also include an upscale restaurant, fitness room, salon and day spa, and two art galleries, all of the elements for a spectacular Martha’s Vineyard vacation.

HARBOR VIEW HOTEL
Further up North Water Street in Edgartown sits the regal Harbor View Hotel. The hotel has served Vineyard guests for more than a century, and claims some of the best real estate on the island. From its veranda, guests may watch sailboats come in and out of
Edgartown harbor.

They can see the cliffs of Chappaquiddick’s North Neck and the Edgartown lighthouse. And early risers can see the sun come up over the water. “You can see your whole future from that veranda,” says Karen Tandy. The Harbor View is a large hotel, with 130 rooms. It has banquet rooms, a large dining room and a cozy bar. Couples who choose to host their wedding at the hotel are allowed to reserve a block of ten rooms, which means even during July and August, the high tourist season, a Vineyard wedding is possible. But, call the hotel early if you wish to use its facilities for your ceremony or reception: the most popular weekends are booked 18- to 24months in advance.

ROBINSONS WEDDING COMPOUND
A private picturesque compound of 5.3 acres located in the Katama section of Edgartown, offering five New England homes, each with two to five bedrooms, all for your exclusive use, just minutes walk from South Beach or downtown Edgartown.

Enjoy the many amenities, in-ground heated swimming pool, tennis court, volleyball court, horseshoe pit and basketball hoop, plus lush grounds on which to roam, relax and enjoy the ocean air. Share treasured time with relatives, so often faraway, where all of you can be together for the big day, even a week before. Imagine your wedding outside under a bright blue sky, or in a festive twinkle-lit tent full of beautiful flowers, followed by a dramatic, spacious reception. The Robinson Wedding Compound has all of your answers to a spectacular wedding from accommodations, to ceremony, to reception.

THE WINNETU INN AND RESORT
The Winnetu is one of the best beachside locations, on South Beach, Katama. With panoramic ocean views, a thoroughly acclaimed restaurant, and a private honeymoon cottage, the Winnetu has all the best ingredients for a truly magnificent wedding. Their on-site wedding coordinator will be of assistance in designing and detailing every part of the event. Couples interested in an outdoor ceremony may select the front lawn, the gazebo, the lily pond, the ocean-view deck, or South Beach. The reception room, boasting incredible water views, can seat up to 145 guests and for smaller occasions, the Winnetu room can accommodate up to 45. The restaurant Lure, will take care of all the delicious food arrangements. Then at the end of the night, guests can return to wonderful rooms, just steps away from the festivities. As frosting on the cake, the bride and groom can choose to stay in the Cape Pogue Honeymoon Cottage, complete with a private hot tub and rooftop terrace, a perfect place to see the sunset.

OAK BLUFFS

WESLEY HOTEL
Over the years, the hotel has undergone many changes. Currently it has a total of 95 rooms and is equipped with heating and air-conditioning as well as private bathrooms. The three types of rooms offered are rooms with one queen size bed, rooms with two double beds, honeymoon/executive suite and junior suites. Being centrally located in the heart of Oak Bluffs, the hotel is within walking distance to Oak Bluffs ferries, shops, restaurants, theaters, game rooms and the town beach. Guests are always welcome to enjoy the wonderful water views from long verandas lined with vintage rocking chairs.

In the Victorian style lobby, you will find marble-topped mahogany tables, groupings of high backed Victorian style couches and an enormous fireplace in the eastern end of the room help
create the hotel’s charm. A baby grand piano sits in the windowed turret; while oriental rugs line the floor and frosted glass chandeliers provide the lighting. The oriental rugs continue throughout the hotel, running up the stairs and down the hallways.

TISBURY/VINEYARD HAVEN

THE MANSION HOUSE
Ask Susie Goldstein what the Mansion House offers and she’ll describe it as “affordable luxury in a truly magical place.” The Mansion House is the island’s newest venue for weddings and
accommodation, constructed on the grounds of the history-rich Tisbury Inn. Rising from the ashes, the Mansion House tempts its clientele with thirty-two one, two and three bedroom suites, with varying levels of appointments that include soaking tubs, wet bars, fireplaces, plasma flat-screen televisions and balconies tendering breathtaking views of the Vineyard Sound. Additionally, the Mansion House features the island’s largest, newest and most well equipped Health Club and Spa, at over 5100 square feet also has the island’s only seventy five foot indoor swimming pool.

Complimenting this is a full range of health, fitness, beauty and therapeutic spa treatments, perfect for easing tensions before your nuptial event. Zephrus, the attached restaurant, serves up culinary delights to keep the palates of their discriminating guests satisfied.

UP-ISLAND

THE CAPTAIN R. FLANDERS HOUSE
Open May through October, the Captain R. Flanders House gives visitors a chance to experience the best of island farm scenery. Stonewalls surround the fields, horses graze in view of the house, and waterfowl flock to the pond. The property includes structures, which date back from the 1640’s.

THE LAMBERT'S COVE INN & RESTAURANT
If an elegantly romantic 1790 English country style Inn is your desire, Lambert’s Cove Inn & Restaurant is the place to be. Fifteen beautifully decorated rooms with private baths, some with fireplaces; decks and screened porches, in three separate buildings, the main house, the carriage house and the guesthouse await your arrival. The Inn is nestled on seven and a half acres of immaculate gardens, well manicured lawns and untouched woods offering the
perfect location for a memorable wedding, rehearsal dinner, bridal shower or bridal luncheon. If you choose an outdoor wedding, have the ceremony in the lovely bridal garden, on the east lawn in the gazebo, or at the nearby and private Lambert’s Cove beach. If an indoor wedding is your desire, the main house offers a large library, clubroom and dining room seating 70 guests.

THE BEACH PLUM INN
The Beach Plum Inn sits on a hill overlooking Vineyard Sound, which means guests can marvel at the breathtaking sunset nightly.

The inn is small, with a total of 11 rooms: five in the main house and the other six found in four cottages. It is probably best known for its restaurant, which regularly wins awards for serving up exquisite dishes. Couples may also arrange to get married at the inn and have its master chefs prepare the food for the reception. Guests can also stay at our sister property, the Menemsha Inn, located next door.

THE MENEMSHA INN & COTTAGES
Since 1923, the Menemsha Inn and Cottages has been an up-island gem that has kept up with the times but maintained its Vineyard character. The twenty-seven guestrooms and cottages sit atop fourteen landscaped acres and are sure to accommodate your special guests’, family, and friends.

From sunset views to luxurious spas, your guests are sure to enjoy the unique charm and beauty from all accommodations the Vineyard has to offer. Just remember to plan ahead!

ARTICLE BY SARAH HUGHES ·
SPRING/SUMMER 2006