Pamela

My husband and I are going to a close friend's wedding the first week of July in Matapoissett (sp?), MA. We'd like to make a holiday of it (we live in Germany) and would love some specific suggestions on where to stay (towns and hotels, cottages, apartments for rent, etc). The idea of staying on Martha's Vineyard is appealing - a real New Englandy, American experience - but I get the feeling it may be out of our price range in July. We plan on arriving in Boston on June 24 and returning to Germany on July 9. (The wedding in Matapoissett is on July 8). Any ideas for us?
Many thanks!

Pamela

Still hoping for suggestions. . .

Cindy

I live in Massachusetts, and you might just get in before peak prices start on Martha's Vineyard, that last week in June may still be off-peak. On the island you should stay in one of three towns - Edgartown, Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs. Edgartown is the old whaling captain's town, it has lovely old houses and a beautiful harbor. A very nice, but probably the most expensive place to stay is the Harbor View Hotel (508) 627-7000. There is also the Edgartown Inn, the Shiretown Inn, The Tuscany Inn, The Daggett House. Vineyard Haven is similar to Edgartown, but quieter, there are no bars and the restaurants are byob. The ferry comes in at that harbor and it's not quite as pretty. Oak Bluffs is the wildest of the three, a ferry also docks there, there are a lot of bars, a video arcade, movie theatre. But it's also charming because all the houses are decorated in the Victorian gingerbread style. The Wesley Hotel sits right on the harbor and is probably much cheaper than the Harbor View. You could manage nicely without a car in any of those 3 towns. There are other towns on the island, but they have fewer inns and you would want a car. My favorite is Edgartown, you'd need a taxi ride from the ferry to get there, but once you're there you can walk anywhere, or take the bus system they have to visit other towns. It will be cool at night in June, make sure you bring a sweater and long pants. I'm sure you know 4th of July is a holiday here, and hotels will be booked early, you may want to be off the island by then. Falmouth, a town on Cape Cod, has lots of hotels and a great fireworks display on the 4th.

Pamela

Cindy,
Thanks for the advice!
Anyone else have any ideas for me?

Pamela

judy

I visited Martha's Vineyard for the first time last October and fell in love with it. I was on my first-ever bus tour in the area(with several friends), so I can't really help with transportation. However, the previous poster gave you everything in a nutshell - really good information. We stayed in the Harbor View in Edgartown and took tours to the other towns. I've been searching my memory for the name of the first place the tour had us staying on the Island so you wouldn't make the mistake of staying there. It was a very old motel with tiny, tiny rooms behind a large white house (B&B). Everyone was so appalled at the condition of this place that the tour director made some calls and had us transferred to the lovely Harbor View. Actually, I had been assigned to a quaint remodelled room in the big house, so I would have been happy with it, but those in the old motel were very disappointed. I really enjoyed the entire island and Edgartown still would be the town where I'd want to stay, but it will take transportation to get you there from the ferry. Hope you find what you need to make this a memorable trip...

Beth

Hi Pamela,
Martha's Vineyard is one of my very favorite places. There are lots of small homes to rent, if you are planning to stay for a full week you might be able to do this affordably (not sure what too expensive means to you). If you check out www.vineyard.net/biz there are pointers to several real estate agents that rent vacation homes. Also, if you plan to take a car, and go on a weekend, you must make ferry reservations quite soon as well. I think you can get to the MV ferry web page through links from the above site too. MY favorite town on the Vineyard is Edgartown, and my favorite beach is South Beach, which is also called Katama. If you look for rentals in the Katama area, even if not right on the beach, I think you will be happy with the location. If you will not have a car you could stay in the village of Edgartown, and there is a shuttle bus to South Beach which runs all day. You also might find Oak Bluffs more reasonably priced. There are a number of nice looking B&B's right by the water that I think are not overly expensive. I can't make any specific recommendations, as I've never stayed there. I don't like the beach as well, not quite as pretty as South beach and the water is calmer. As Cindy pointed out, Oak Bluffs tends to be the loudest of the 3 down island towns, since it has the most bars, and the most young people (as it is the least expensive).

The up island towns are Chillmark, Gayhead (which is called something different now, I forget the name, its Native American), and Menemsha. These are very pretty towns and worth a visit. But they are also where all the celebs hang out and where all the very pricey real estate is. But the beach and cliffs at Gayhead are definitely worth a visit, because it is definitely the most scenic part of the island.

Hope this helps. Feel free to e-mail me if I can answer any other questions. I've been to MV 4 times, and am currently planning my 5th trip.

Boss Tonn

re: Beth's post above--the town of Gay Head has officially changed its name to "Aquinnah", which is the original name given to this place by the Native Americans. But most people still call it Gay Head, so as you search for information, you'll probably find it called both.

The above posts have some great information. All I can add is, if you have a car, just drive around and explore. You don't have to worry about getting lost, because you're on an island! You'll enjoy making little discoveries on your own. Also, you can spend half of a day on Chappaquiddick; you can take the ferry (with car or bicycle) from Edgartown to Chappaquiddick Island, where there are bike trails, a Japanese garden, and nice beaches.

Pamela

Thank you all for your help!
Pamela