my girl friends and i took a much needed long weekend trip to Martha’s Vineyard last week. when i tell you that it healed something in me, i promise i’m not being dramatic.
we experienced the most picturesque northeast summer days.
hydrangeas in full bloom everywhere you looked.
gorgeous cliffside beaches that you stumbled on at the end of a treelined dirt road.
sunsets out of a movie, which we watched from a dockside restaurant eating mussels that were caught 10 feet away.
farm stand after farm stand after farm stand.
the sweetest peaches you’ve ever had ($12 for one, but we’ll worry about that another time).
having my first lobster roll of my life during a cozy thunderstorm, eaten on the floor in our pajamas.
lots of laughs. lots of being present.
i told you— healing.
this was my first time on the island and i already can’t wait to come back. what a unique trip from anywhere i’ve ever been before. whatever comes to mind when you picture “northeast summer”, that’s this place x10. in other words, it’s a dream.
this is what our days looked like! transparently we didn’t have any set plans and only made loose ones on the car ride up 😂 we wanted to see where each day would take us naturally!
arrive at Menemsha Inn & Cottages
we drove from NYC— highly recommend driving/having a car to get around the island if you’re staying down here (Chilmark area). make sure to book your spot on the ferry to and from the island far out in advance. there are two ports you can come into (Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs)
check in around 3PM (they were so accommodating and had our room ready earlier than the 4PM check-in time)
explore the area
there’s a public beach (Menemsha Beach) that you have access to from the property— around a 15 minute walk from the hotel
the hotel also provides beach passes for two privates beaches (Lucy Vincent Beach and Squibnocket Beach)
on-site there’s a breakfast spot called Beach Plum Inn with incredible ocean views (open to the public, so even if you’re not a guest at the inn i’d highly recommend going)
early dinner at State Road Restaurant (great food here! get the fried halloumi appetizer and roasted chicken for dinner)
wake up early and get ready for the beach
the hotel has chairs you’re free to take with you to the beach
drive up to Oak Bluffs
breakfast/coffee at Aalia’s
this is a really popular spot and for good reason! the food is great and they have matcha!!!! and gluten-free bread :)
explore the shops in the area/walk around town
there’s a really beautiful waterfront with lots of ships docked— great for a morning stroll
drive down to Lucy Vincent Beach
this is a private beach with access typically restricted to just residents in the area, so having a pass through your hotel is huge. gorgeous beach with big cliffs and stunning views. busy but not crowded!
drive up to Edgartown for lunch/another coffee
Toccopuro was our favorite spot here for both coffee and matcha— we went multiple times during our trip (they also have an Oak Bluffs location)
they also offer food (think pastries)
explore the shops here (more regular clothing stores/retailers here versus more touristy/merch shops in Oak Bluffs)
head back to the hotel/get ready for dinner
the property has the most gorgeous landscaping (the hydrangeas were in full bloom!!!)— really great photo opps here
dinner at The Homeport
5 minute drive from the hotel
right on the water— breathtaking views at sunset
we loved everything we got, but the complimentary cornbread with salted butter was life-changing
the weather wasn’t great this day, so instead of another beach day we spent the day hopping between towns
breakfast at Beach Plum Inn
our food was absolutely delicious here and the staff was so kind
visited a few farm stand stores in the area (list of those below)
stopped at the farmer’s market that runs on Saturdays (9am-12pm) at the West Tisbury Agricultural Hall
highly recommend stopping here! there were so many fun, local stands and a really great sense of community
we couldn’t go here because the parking lot was full, but there’s also a flea market on Saturdays at Flea Market Field in Chilmark (9am-2pm)
hit North Tisbury Farm for peaches… but not just any peaches…
a few people since we got here recommend trying the Gold Bud Peaches at this farm stand store. they’re $22/pound (🤯) but were insanely delicious. a fun little “for the plot” activity that we enjoyed a lot
drive out to Oak Bluffs for more shopping
some notable spots here:
Vineyard Vines store
Free-est store
Stefanie Wolf Designs
drive over to Edgartown for lunch
lunch at Behind the Bookstore
this is an adorable local bookstore in the front and an outdoor garden with a restaurant in the back
loved our food here, really great vibes too
there’s also a bar here so great for pre-dinner drinks
headed back to the hotel
by this point it was down pouring, we hung out in the room until dinner time
dinner
our plan was to grab lobster rolls and watch the sunset but we ended up having to get them to go
we went to Menemsha Fish Market and got hot lobster rolls to-go
ate dinner back in the room while it stormed outside (can’t lie, we were obsessed with this cozy vibe)
check out
drive up to Oak Bluffs one last time for lattes and breakfast at Aalias
10 min drive to the ferry port
board the boat and head home!
below are overall recommendations by town/area of the island. we found having a car to be extremely useful for getting between each of these. everything tends to be 20-35 minute drives apart. we visited some of these (those are noted about), but not all. many came as recommendations from people who have visited before and/or locals!
anywhere we went will be indicated with a ✅
Hotel
Waterfront hotel (really wanted to stay here as it was highly recommended— planning to do so next time around)
Mocha Mott’s
Bagels
MV Salads
Lunch
Back Door Donuts
Donuts (tip: go for a late night, after dinner vibe. they’re open 7PM-12AM, but they have daytime hours too. the line was always long here)
Biscuits
Breakfast and lunch options
Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium
Dessert (specifically their ice cream came highly recommended)
Tiger Hawk
Lunch
Nancy’s
Dinner (apparently the “Dirty Banana” is a must order)
Beaches
Eastville Point Beach
Hotel
✅ Toccopuro Coffee (there’s also an Oak Bluffs location)
Coffee and pastries
✅ Behind the Bookstore
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner options
19 Raw
Dinner (came highly recommended, really wanted to try this place but is popular and couldn’t get a table walking in)
Morning Glory Farm
Fresh produce
To-go food
Baked goods
Rosewater Market
Coffee
Matcha
Salads & sandwiches
Atria
Dinner
Beaches
Joseph Sylvia State Beach
Katama Beach
✅ North Tisbury Farm
Farm stand store (this was our favorite farm stand store by far. they had so many amazing products/goods, including gluten-free sourdough (!!) and incredibly fresh produce)
✅ Menemsha Fish Market
Lobster rolls (they have GF buns!)
Larson’s Fish Market
Lobster rolls
✅ Beetlebung Farm
Farm stand store
Chilmark Tavern
Dinner
✅ Chilmark General Store
Farmer stand store
Great grab-and-go spot
✅ Homeport
Dinner
Takeout lunch options at their “backdoor” outpost (on the beach)
Hotel
The Black Dog (multiple locations across the island)
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner options
Waterside Market
Breakfast/brunch
Bunch of Grapes Bookstore
cute with fun gift options in addition to books
Scottish Bakehouse
breakfast and sandwich/entree options (vegan and gluten-free friendly)
Nat’s Nook
coffee
this trip was a shorter but so, so sweet. if you head over here, i hope you have the best time ❤️
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.