Mainly known as a vacation rental destination, Nantucket is a sleepy and charming island ideal for relaxed family getaways. As one of the few hotel properties on the island, the Nantucket Hotel & Resort is also one of the loveliest. The entire resort and its rooms feels like you have actually rented a vacation home and joined a larger family vacation, with seaside-influenced decor, living rooms, cushy dining room seats and a friendly and welcoming staff that will treat you like guests in their own homes. In fact, the owners of the hotel are often here, or their also family-friendly property on Martha’s Vineyard, and always welcome guests and offer advice on what to do and see while visiting the island.

A variety of accommodations are available for families, from traditional hotel rooms and suites to cottages and multi-floor suites. Islander hotel rooms are the most basic of accommodations, sleeping two people with a king or queen bed, or a family with two small children with a king and sleeper sofa.

Suites
Best for families are the varied options of suites with one bedroom that can sleep four to six people, depending on the style. Very unique to the property is a TV cabinet that features a pull-down hide-a-bed, and along with a queen sleeper sofa, most of these suites welcome families of five. Often, these suites include a kitchenette. For more space, two-bedroom suites can sleep eight.

Cottages
Feel as if you have rented a cottage on the island with these charming one- and two-bedroom offerings. Featuring a kitchenette, living room and private deck, these accommodations are a home away from home at the hotel. Some cottages include a washer and dryer, as well as a fireplace.

Premium Suites
Larger, multigenerational families will love the premium offerings at the hotel, with three- and four-bedroom suite options to accommodate 10 to 14 people. Spread out across two floors, the suites provide living space, multiple bathrooms and bedrooms, kitchenettes and lofts.

Children's Program
Throughout the year, the Nantucket Hotel offers morning drop-in programming from 9 a.m. to noon. Children ages 3 to 12 can enjoy kids' club programming, as well as a parent and toddler program in the summer months. In the summer, kids take walking adventures and learn about the island and its former pirates with field trips both on and off the property. The programs are free to guests. On Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings in the summer, for $35 per child, kids can participate in evening programs from 5 to 9:30 p.m., giving parents a chance to enjoy a romantic dinner.

Biking
Nantucket is filled with paved biking trails, allowing visitors to see various beaches and Madaket for gorgeous sunsets. Reserve bikes through Young's Bike Shop, which provides free delivery to the hotel. Hybrids, mountain bikes, tandem bike, kids' bikes and baby sets are available, as well as stroller rentals.

Swimming
The hotel's family pool is open from mid-April through September, with an outdoor hot tub and a kiddie pool. Heated, the hotel also provides an adults-only pool at the spa.

The hotel's onsite restaurant, Breeze's, features a complimentary breakfast buffet daily, which includes fresh fruits, yogurt, cereal, pastries and breads. On Sundays, the restaurant offers a fabulous brunch. The restaurant provides lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the spring, and dinner from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Hours extend in the summer and return to a limited menu in the fall.

All About the Extras
The hotel features on-site laundry facilities.

Cribs and high chairs are available.

An onsite fitness center is an island membership club that is available for all guests. The hotel features a year-round children's morning program, summer evening program during dinner, yoga and fitness classes, massage treatments and an adult-only, heated pool

The Art of Smart Timing
A year-round property, the hotel is open every month but February, when it closes briefly and manages upkeep on the property. Many restaurants and shops close following Nantucket's busy summer season, with most of the island shutting down between late October through early March, with the exception of the holidays. After the holidays, even more is limited until spring brings a rebirth to the island. You can't go wrong with a visit between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but it will be the most crowded during this period.

Getting There
Nantucket is mainly reached via a ferry from Cape Cod. Departing from Hyannis, there is a 2-hour "slow" ferry, which allows passengers to book one of the limited car spaces, or the 1-hour "fast ferry, where cars remain in a parking lot during your visit to the island. The ferries are also operated out of Providence, Rhode Island, New Bedford, Massachusetts, and New York City in the summer.

A small airport is also located on the island, taking small air craft such as Cessna planes. Flight depart from Hyannis and Boston. Small jet service is provided during the summer months from Washington, D.C., New York and Boston on American, Delta and Jet Blue.

Getting Around
Nantucketown is very intimate; you can step off the ferry into the heart of its cobbled streets and walk a few short blocks to the hotel, restaurants and shopping. Guests of the hotel receive complimentary pick-up and drop-off from the high-speed ferries. Cars are not needed on the island, and the small space and high traffic of the season makes it best-suited for travelers leaving the car behind.

The hotel also provides complimentary shuttles to Jettes Beach and Surfside Beach in the summer. Bikes path are paved and easy to follow to other destinations on the island; consider renting a bike for the duration of your stay.