Curb your wanderlust for New England charm without renouncing on contemporary amenities. Stay on Martha’s Vineyard’s Vineyard Haven treasure, the intimate 7-bedroom Nobnocket Boutique Inn.
On a clear, cloudless Friday in August, my mother and I set off for Martha’s Vineyard. The ferry dropped us off in Vineyard Haven, where we took a short 10-minute walk through streets rich in New England-style houses, bushes, and the occasional Turkey wobbling around. We were headed for the Nobnocket Boutique Inn, one of the finest and most intimate places to stay on Martha’s Vineyard (take my word for it). You won’t be experiencing your cookie cutter, corporate, hotel experience here. As we got closer to the Nobnocket, trees began to move to the side unveiling the cedar-shingled, gray roofed boutique inn.
Owners Annabelle and Simon Hunton bought the property in 2016. But the history behind the property goes beyond that of just a boutique inn on Martha’s Vineyard. The house was originally built in 1908 and was home to successive island doctors and so came to be known as quite simply, “The Doctor’s House.” In 1989, the property was acquired and turned into an inn.” During that time Annabelle and Simon spent years traveling the world. Both originally from England, they’ve lived in places such as Milan, Belgium, France, Germany, Savannah, and Cape Cod, where they designed and ran a bed and breakfast. In 2016, they came across this beautiful Arts & Crafts property, purchased it, and transformed it into their own boutique inn on Martha’s Vineyard—an inn unlike any other.
Few places to stay on Martha’s Vineyard are quite like the Nobnocket. Within months they performed an extremely fast renovation and redesign to the manor house style property and transformed it into a contemporary New England stay just steps from the bohemian town of Vineyard Haven. Today, Nobnocket’s style can be described as taking a classic, old property and subtly reinterpreting it with a fresh and contemporary eye within a historic, New England town. This is hard to accomplish without the risk of removing the property’s original New England character, but the Nobnocket succeeded. Annabelle and Simon’s reinterpretation of New England charm was inspired by a postmodern Dutch blue and white vase, which can still be found in the communal living room, made by the Delft company. Taking a vase inspired by ancient Chinese Ming porcelain traditions that can be perceived as old and placing it in an ambiance that revitalizes it making it seem contemporary, is exactly what the Huntons have done with this boutique inn on Martha’s Vineyard.
We head up to the second floor of the intimate, 7-bedroom inn to our Luxury Suite. The rear windows overlook the 1.8 acre property with its lawn chairs, outdoor patio, and serene wooded landscape. The Luxury Suite has its own private sitting area with a comfortable orange couch on which to plop with a book or lounge. Magazine racks, a Nespresso coffee machine, and eclectic pieces from around the world are thoughtfully placed about the private lounge area.
The bedroom was big and bright with views on both the front and back of the boutique inn. I was beyond pleased with my room. White walls, Frette linens, robes, and slippers, complimentary Nobnocket water bottles for when you take out the complimentary bikes. The numerous windows throughout the bedroom and private sitting area gave it a pristine sparkle, while the orange touches of decor kept it from being stark. They even leave you a helpful guide they’ve created themselves with their suggestions on what to do, where to go, where to eat, and how to navigate the island.
Nobnocket offers so many recreational amenities and a certain tranquility, that you could spend a whole day at the property without even a second thought. But eventually, my mom and I went out because Martha’s Vineyard is not to be missed and our stomachs were growling. Annabelle and Simon had been kind enough to help give us recommendations and make reservations for dinner prior to our arrival. For lunch, they went as far as giving us a car ride and dropping us off at the Waterside Market where they recommended we grab a sandwich. Nobnocket’s recommendations were NEVER a miss. When it comes to food, they know their stuff.
After lunch, we were ready to hop on Nobnocket’s complimentary bikes with spacious baskets in the front to carry your belongings. The eco-friendly boutique inn offers all guests branded water bottles upon arrival with a Martha’s Vineyard Nobnocket logo, perfect for those long bike rides. That afternoon, we tried to see all the main attractions on the bikes, from Edgartown to Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven. Beyond that you need four wheels or public transportation (more on that in a later post!). Later that night we enjoyed dinner at Garde East, a Nobnocket recommendation, at the heart of Vineyard Haven harbor.
When we got home, we had returned to turndown service. A fresh batch of orange, white chocolate cookies were placed in a matching orange bell jar next to my bedside. It was accompanied by a card with the weather forecast for the next morning and a recommendation for what to do the next day — the West Tisbury Farmers Market it was then! A pouch with two complimentary eye masks and a soothing lavender mist pillow spray (to help you relax while sleeping) were placed on our pillows. Classical music was playing from the bluetooth music device, I was ready to fall immediately into a deep slumber! But first, a shower was in order. The marble rain shower had a beautiful blue mosaic motif adorn the wall and a bench where you could place your complimentary Gilchrist & Soames shower products. That night we fell asleep to the sweet yet gentle scent of lavender and absolute silence.
The next morning we woke up bright and early to tackle the day ahead. Breakfast is served between 8:30AM and 9:30AM, and you have the option to enjoy it in the comforts of your own room, in the downstairs sunroom or outside on the back patio. We chose to be outdoors given the beautiful manicured lawn. My mom and I were beyond enthusiastic at the freshness of the ingredients. I could barely taste the sugar in our muffins, but it was still sweet as can be. My mom wiped clean the vanilla greek yogurt from Mermaid Farm and I had a bit of everything I could until my belly was stuffed. Directly from the island’s earth, the breakfast was rich in peaches and mango, strawberry and wild blueberry jam, cape cod cranberry muffins, apple plait, and baguettes from the famous Black Dog cafe in Vineyard Haven.
Throughout our stay, the service was deft, thoughtful, intimate, curated, professional, and most of all friendly. Martha’s Vineyard has developed over the years, but some places, while developing still hold on to a place’s heritage and roots. From the attention to detail, recommendations, services, amenities, and friendliness—to the point were they offered us rides here and there in their car—the Nobnocket Boutique Inn goes above and beyond. Can an inn qualify as a national treasure? Because if it could, the award for the place to stay on Martha’s Vineyard would without a doubt go to none other than the Nobnocket Boutique Inn.
Rooms start at $170 p/night.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Nobnocket Boutique Inn. I want to thank Annabelle and Simon for their kind hospitality and an incredible stay. Their passion for bringing an inn to life can truly be lived within this quaint boutique inn. All opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.
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