Nantucket 2024 - where we stayed

Before having a family of my own, I was fortunate enough to be a guest in friends homes, and friend's family's homes for a long time. A lady never reveals her age but let's say over two decades. I think this kind of changed the way I've come to know and experience the island because even though I am always a tourist and a guest, I sort of fell in love with Nantucket as I saw it through my hosts' lens - as a passenger in the backseat (or trunk more likely), a fly on the wall, a friend from college on the couch, etc. I happily tagged along as an outsider with very little agenda of my own, other than to get tan and get a new sweatshirt.

The itinerary would look something like arrive and go to the grocery store, open up the house, tag along to sailing races, navigate small talk at family parties in backyards with neighbors I did not know, picnics on beaches, dropping little brothers off for work, coming home late, getting in trouble and making amends, and hearing the parents laughing about it later in the afternoon.  

The way that I fell in love with Nantucket was by falling in love with the people I was with and the relationships they had with each other - reuniting with summer friends, playing board games in front of a fire during rainy days, taking photos on disposable cameras to be scotch taped into a scrapbook at the end of the summer, not posted in real time on instagram for everyone to know. This has come to define what summer should feel like to me.

Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to go to Nantucket and stay in a hotel - but I have four kids and two dogs and renting a house is the best option for us. Not only for the obvious reasons - a bed for everyone, a kitchen to prepare food, space for my kids to play and be kids. I am always reminding them we're guests when we're on vacation and their behavior should reflect that, but it's nice to be able to give them the space to let their hair down a bit. 

This summer we rented a cottage that was on the Sesasacha Pond in Quidnet. It is one of two homes that are on the beach of the saltwater pond. From the street you go through an arbor, down stone stairs that are integrated into the hill, surrounded by the natural landscape and residents (deer, bunnies, mice, birds, etc.) 

It was a bit tired and the above mentioned animals made themselves very welcome within the home, but I loved that my kids could run out the front door and onto the beach anytime. They ran out at first light, paddled around on kayaks, swam in the water (a bit more algae than I was comfortable with but honestly I'm exhausted and it kept them happy and we cleaned them off in the ocean each day, kidding). They made friends on the beach each day and disappeared to catch (and release) crabs and fish and live in whatever little world they had invented to keep each other entertained. 

We cooked and relaxed at the property and slept with the windows and doors open, listening to the waves lapping. I have a two month old and am still up at odd hours of the night to feed and soothe him. It was almost a sublime feeling to be the only ones awake at 2 am (ok as I write this I realize that plenty of people were still partying on island) but in this little spot on the edge of the island with the lights of Sankaty Head circling through the house, I truly felt a world away. It felt almost lonely but in a beautiful way if that makes sense. And I think that's maybe a very real authentic feeling of being on the island that I've missed in the years we've stayed closer into town. 

Anyway, the cottage wasn't anything fancy (I kept joking with my husband it's the closest he'll ever get me to camping... Glamping if you will). But I loved the feeling of having our own little slice of the island for the time we were there.