Menemsha Inn

A 14-acre compound above Menemsha Harbor on the up-island side of Martha's Vineyard, run by the same family for decades. Fifteen rooms across an inn building, a few cottages, and a sunset porch that faces directly into Vineyard Sound. Menemsha Inn isn't trying to compete with Edgartown's polish; it's offering a quieter, less landscaped, more honestly Vineyard alternative.

If you've been to Vineyard Haven, decided it was too brisk, and tried Edgartown and decided it was too dressed up, this is the third option.

The setting

Menemsha is a working fishing village on the western end of Martha's Vineyard — the part of the island called "up-island," with rolling moors, stone walls, and the cliffs at Aquinnah ten minutes away. The inn sits on a hill above the harbor, with footpaths down to the village and the beach. The view from the porch runs straight across Vineyard Sound to the Elizabeth Islands, with sunsets that draw the whole village to the harbor each evening.

The ferry to Woods Hole drops you in Vineyard Haven, then a 25-minute drive west on State Road. There is no commercial development in the immediate area — Menemsha is the village, and that's it.

The building

The main inn building is a Cape-style clapboard, with a deep porch on the harbor side. Cottages are scattered through the property's lawns and pine woods. Materials are clapboard and pine, white-painted trim, weathered shingle on the cottages. Public spaces include the porch (the actual living room of the property in summer), a small parlor, and the breakfast room. The aesthetic is old-money-Vineyard rather than designer-Vineyard — wicker, navy, the occasional sailboat painting.

The rooms

Fifteen rooms across the main inn, the carriage house, and freestanding cottages. Inn rooms are smaller, bright, mostly with queens; cottages have full living rooms, kitchenettes, and porches. From-rates open around $495 in summer; cottages run higher. Beds are queens or kings, the linens are good, and the windows actually open. No televisions in some categories by design.

Food & drink

There's no restaurant. A continental breakfast is served in the breakfast room and on the porch. For dinner, you walk down to Menemsha — Larsen's Fish Market for steamers and chowder you eat at the dock, or the Home Port for a sit-down lobster dinner with the sunset over the water. Bring your own bottle (Massachusetts BYOB) and the Home Port will pour. State Road Restaurant, ten minutes by car in West Tisbury, is the up-island formal dinner.

On the property

The 14 acres are mostly woods and meadows. A short footpath leads down to the public beach at Menemsha. Tennis court on-site. There is no pool, no spa, no gym beyond the basics. The sunset porch is the program.

• Continental breakfast included
• Tennis court
• Footpath to Menemsha public beach
• Use of beach permits and bicycles
• Seasonal — generally May through October

Who it's for

• Repeat Vineyard visitors who've decided up-island is the right side
• Couples who want sunsets and a working harbor, not a polished resort
• Old-money-traveler types and those who play the part
• Bicyclists doing the Aquinnah-to-Vineyard-Haven route

Who it's not for

• Travelers who need a restaurant, pool, or full-service program on-site
• First-time-Vineyard visitors who want to be in Edgartown's gallery scene
• Pet owners (no pets allowed)

Nearby

Menemsha village itself is the closest thing — Larsen's, the Home Port, and the harbor are a five-minute walk. Aquinnah and the Gay Head Cliffs are fifteen minutes west by car or bicycle. Lucy Vincent Beach in Chilmark requires a beach pass; the inn helps. State Road Restaurant in West Tisbury is the dinner reservation. The Polly Hill Arboretum is a quiet morning. Vineyard Haven for the ferry and Edgartown for the bookstores are 25 to 35 minutes east.