Our Martha’s Vineyard Travel Adventure: Part 1

Mom’s Lifesavers had the honor of traveling to Martha’s Vineyard last month to visit The Kelley House and Harbor View Hotel for a family travel piece. Christine decided to take her two teenagers on this trip. Teens are often a GREAT way to truly test a vacation location. I must say, we had one of the most memorable trips together – ever. Yes, we’ve been to Disney, Cape Cod adventures and beyond, but this trip was SUPER special. The girls are BEGGING to go back and we intend to in August…shhhhh…it’s a big surprise!

We had never been to the Vineyard longer than a day trip so we were so excited to stay a few nights on this wonderful New England island.

The trip to the island is super easy, but it takes a bit of time. We ordered a spot on the ferry booking our reservations via the Steamship Authority. The day was super blustery, and rainy, almost nor’easter conditions, but it didn’t stop our adventure! The efficiency of the ferry was awesome. These folks have a great system in place to get you and your vehicle to the island. It’s organized and we even made it on the early ferry which was the freight ferry – we know this was an off season deal, and it was cool chatting it up with all the locals.

We arrived in Vineyard Haven and disembarked with our Jeep. We drove the easy 15 to minutes to Edgartown along the beautiful coast. The island was still in off season, but that’s truly how we like to see New England. We are a hardy bunch and you can get a great taste of place when the weather goes from 40 to 80 degrees in a matter of hours (like it did for us), and the quiet shops and restaurants are great!

There was NOT ONE store, cafe or restaurant where we were not warmly greeted. Murdick’s Fudge Store stands our for sure in the hospitality arena! LOVED it! We talked with many shop owners that were genuinely happy to see us in town. It left a lasting impression on my daughters, they commented about it on the way back – they appreciated the welcome so much and I’m pretty sure they will now be traveling to the island for the rest of their lives. It’s so great!

The Kelley House

We arrived at the Kelley House and pulled right up the front in the designated short term parking spot to check in. The hotel has allocated parking nearby, which is great! We were greeted warmly by the front desk staff when we arrived, the lobby is very clean, crisp and modern. A roaring fire greeted us and we welcomed that touch so much – we were drenched!

Our accomodations were beyond expectations! We stayed in a two bedroom suite in the old Court House a few steps away from the main hotel.  The large wrap around porch had a glimpes of the harbor. It was so cool.  Inside the suite we had a large kitchen, eating area and living room combo, truly perfect for 4 people.

Court House Suite Amenities Include:

• Kitchenette
• Free Wi-Fi
• Complimentary morning coffee and tea
• Complimentary evening milk and cookies
• Cable television channels
• Hair dryer
• Iron and ironing board
• Easy access to local recreation trails
• Easy access to Edgartown shopping & restaurants
• Outdoor pool (seasonal)
• Private parking area (so helpful!)

It was a home away from home.  Our photo gallery in this post truly tells the story of the suite as well, the accommodation was immaculate, and appointed in the island decor that you are expecting from an island resort!

The Kelley House’s Ideal Location

The Kelley House is smack dab in the middle of Edgartown and has always been a hotel since the 1700’s. There is no need to leave this corner of heaven on your vacation or get-away. The appeal of this hotel is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Everything is a few steps away from the hotel: restaurants, shops, cafes, shops and the waterfront.  The Chappy ferry is also a few short moments away. The bike rentals at the hotel make for a getting around even easier.

As you can see from the picture collage above, the rooms in the main hotel are nicely appointed, clean and well suited for your stay. The 54 room hotel caters to corporate groups and perfect for weddings. The hotel has so many events over the course of the year and every season has it’s own charm. Summer is the clearly the height of the season, but this hotel group does such a great job with year ’round events and special rate offerings. We can’t wait to go back to check out the pool!

Dinner at the Kelley House

The Newes From America Pub & Restaurant

We absolutely adored this original Colonial pub called the Newes From America at the base of The Kelley House! Built in 1742, The Kelley House is one of the oldest buildings on Martha’s Vineyard and it was incredible to eat there.  The original rough-hewn beams, ballast brick walls and warm hearth really makes you think of all the people that have graced this location – it had such fun vibe and the food was EXCELLENT. The girls each had the fish ‘n chips and I had the meatloaf – it was the perfect ambiance and meal on a rainy evening. This restaurant was so cozy and it was hard to leave after our meal was gobbled up!

Up NEXT….a review of the amazing Harbor View Hotel for Part 2 of our Family Travel Adventure with Teens!

Connect with the Kelley House

The Kelley House Website

Kelley House on Facebook

Kelley House on Instagram  

How to Get There:

Taxi, your own Personal car and MV transportation system.

Need more ideas?

Things to do on Martha’s Vineyard