Martha’s Winery vs Nantucket: which dreamy Massachusetts island is healthier?

We discipline this query lots right here at Lonely Planet’s New York Metropolis headquarters: Nantucket or Martha’s Winery? 

When you might go to each (each are beloved getaways, each are accessible by ferry, each have airports), summer season trip time (notably for these from the USA) is criminally restricted. And this query deserves a solution. 

Affiliate Editor Ann Douglas Lott swears by the hilly landscapes and charming cities on Martha’s Winery. Senior Director of Content material Brekke Fletcher’s most up-to-date journey to Nantucket was chilly and rain-soaked, but she’d decide Nantucket many times.

Despite the fact that these two LP-ers work facet by facet, be they writing and modifying one another’s work or laughing over lunch, that is the row all of us knew was coming. Now it’s as much as you to resolve which author makes the higher case for his or her most popular summer season isle. Let the battle begin.

Why Martha’s Winery is summertime bliss

Rugged, hilly landscapes, jaw-dropping oceanside cliffs, over 120 miles of shoreline and 6 distinctive seaside cities – Martha’s Winery is summertime bliss. On each Nantucket and Martha’s Winery, you’ll discover stunning seashores, lighthouses, recent seafood and charming, walkable (or cyclable) cities. However so far as New England summer season holidays go, Martha’s Winery’s (or, because the locals and regulars name it, the Winery) pure magnificence and sheer number of experiences are unmatched. About twice the dimensions of Nantucket, there’s a lot extra to uncover in its number of landscapes – Nantucket, alternatively, is nearly totally flat. The Winery’s wide-open areas make for an alluring getaway for each the Obamas and us New Yorkers particularly.

Initially, getting right here is means simpler, with extra high-season ferry providers out there from New Bedford and Cape Cod in Massachusetts, in addition to from Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. There’s additionally an airport on the island, and direct flights right here from New York Metropolis could be very inexpensive in case you e book early sufficient (I simply booked one for July for simply $88). However in case you’re bringing your personal automotive, you’ll have to take the ferry. As quickly as you step off the ferry in Oak Bluffs, you possibly can stroll straight into its colourful, vigorous city, admiring the well-known “gingerbread homes,” hopping on the carousel earlier than grabbing an ice cream, or you possibly can hire a automotive – or take a dependable and inexpensive public bus – and preserve exploring. 

And with a lot floor to cowl, you’ll need a number of days right here to maintain exploring. Whereas Nantucket has an admittedly charming essential city, Martha’s Winery has that occasions six: Aquinnah, Chilmark, Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Winery Haven and West Tisbury. You’ll have a totally completely different journey relying on the place you base your self. Go to Aquinnah for the low-key vibe and beautiful cliffs, or keep in Edgartown and stroll via its charming brick lanes lined with shingle-style properties, stopping into ice cream retailers and boutiques. Extra locations to remain additionally means extra lodging choices for all budgets, so that you don’t really have to have a CEO’s wage (or know somebody who has a CEO’s wage) to remain right here.

You even have a humiliation of seashores to select from. There’s Aquinnah Seaside, which is right for big, crashing waves, dramatic cliff views and essentially the most attractive, peaceable sunsets. There’s additionally Lighthouse Seaside, proper in Edgartown, which is an effective selection for calmer waters, an amazing tanning spot and, after all, a lighthouse go to with a view of the harbor. Or, if you’d like the enjoyable crowds and thrilling waves, go to South Seaside, the place the opening scene of Jaws was filmed. Backside line: you received’t run out of choices.

And but, amidst all that “extra,” there’s one thing magically rugged and unspoiled about Martha’s Winery. It’s simple to interrupt away from the extra crowded areas and expertise the island’s pure magnificence, whether or not you’re watching a sundown on a secluded seaside, driving via stunning farmland or climbing on wooded trails and alongside seaside cliffs. Gradual residing is the norm right here. Nearly a 3rd of the island is protected, which means you received’t discover large chain resorts taking up its seashores. The identical goes for native retailers and eating places. You additionally received’t discover strict costume codes right here as a result of every little thing is so laid-back – no have to pack your best, preppiest ‘suits or Nantucket reds.

In the event you nonetheless can’t resolve between the 2, save the smaller island of Nantucket for a day journey. You may return to the Winery very quickly to observe the pink sundown.

Nantucket’s seashores are for everybody

Um, the sunsets are pink in Nantucket, too. Good strive. And also you say smaller prefer it’s a nasty factor, however that’s one of many causes I desire Nantucket to the Winery. (Additionally: what’s with that moniker? There are different vineyards on the earth? That is another excuse I don’t love MV as a lot. Snooty!) 

Now, as a journalist, I need to disclose that I broke my foot in Martha’s Winery over a decade in the past, descending a single stair carrying a tray of martinis. It was a high traumatic expertise of my life (ambulance to island hospital, ambulance to ferry, ferry to ambulance, ambulance to Mass Basic and a number of other hundreds of {dollars} I didn’t have).

However this isn’t the explanation I advocate for Nantucket. Sure, it’s smaller and flatter, however that simply makes it a lot simpler to get round, notably on two wheels. You may bike (or e-bike) virtually wherever on the island, and that truth alone makes it the higher eco-choice. And in case you’re not a biker, Nantucket can also be served by a free shuttle service that covers many of the island. Not so on Martha’s Winery.

The explanation there are extra transportation choices to get to and from Martha’s Winery is that it’s busier. To be honest, in the summertime excessive season, some preplanning and reservations are completely crucial on each islands. You can’t simply roll onto a automotive ferry. And whereas Martha’s Winery boasts many movie star summer season residents, just like the Obamas, Nantucket is the island of selection for the sitting president’s household, the Bidens.

Nantucket’s Foremost Avenue downtown space is an idyllic and bustling New England village, with shingled buildings, historic sea captain’s properties and beautiful church buildings, brick-lined streets and sidewalks. So as to add to the old-timey vibe, look out for his or her ornamental road lamps. It’s as walkable as it’s charming with many extraordinary eating places to select from (By way of Mare and Nautilus are stand-outs), distinctive, hyperlocal purchasing experiences, and one-of-a-kind museums. Tootling round city, sure, you’ll see some of us carrying Nantucket’s signature purple, however it’s removed from a requirement. In truth, I’d argue that Nantucket is considerably much less fussy about trend than Martha’s Winery, however we’d want the style police to type that one out.

Exterior of typical summer season vacation fare, Nantucket’s whaling historical past and literary bonafides – ever hear of slightly tome entitled Moby Dick – make it a more sensible choice for historical past buffs and readers of historic fiction. Don’t miss out on the Whaling Museum.

Keep in mind after I talked about that “The Winery” is usually a bit snooty? I’ve two phrases for you that ought to by no means be uttered collectively: personal seashores. All seashores on Nantucket are public, no personal safety will chase you off the shore. 

And talking of seashores, Nantucket has lots to select from. There’s family-friendly Jetties Seaside only a stone’s throw from Foremost Avenue. North shore seashores are typically calmer and hotter (there may be one known as The Bathtub), whereas the south shore is healthier for catching waves – Cisco Seaside is well-liked with surfers and younger adults. Siasconset (or Sconset) is all the best way east, and since its seashores are a bit out of the best way, they are typically much less full of crowds (don’t miss out the Sconset Bluff Stroll, although that’s steadily crowded). TLDR: There’s a seaside in Nantucket for anybody and everybody.

There are many charming lodging scattered throughout the island, from family-run B&Bs to loft residences downtown, however no large resorts or deafeningly loud golf equipment. Lease a home with buddies or publish up at one of many regionally owned luxurious resorts, like The Wauwinet or The White Elephant (I like each and lately stayed at newly renovated Cottages on the Boat Basin). And the purveyors on the farmers markets and native provisioners present decidedly superior produce and seafood. Specifically, the oysters in Nantucket are one of the best. 

I might go on, however I’m out of area: belief me, Nantucket is the place it’s at, and never simply in summer season. My desire is to go to Nantucket in late September to savor the final flash of summer season warmth within the quiet, calm perfection that precedes a stupendous autumn.