Travel Guide to Martha's Vineyard: The Lightkeeper's Inn

At the beginning of this summer, a couple of friends and I decided that we needed a break from city traffic and stressful exams. After a little travel brainstorming - where can we go that's nearby, pretty and relaxing? - we hopped on a bus bound for Massachusetts; specifically, for Martha's Vineyard.

None of us had ever been to the Vineyard before, so Google was essential in preparing for our trip, and was how we came across The Lightkeeper's Inn. The pictures and promises posted on its website (http://www.thelightkeepersinn.com/) decided us, and so before long, we had booked a suite and were on our way, hoping that it would live up to our expectations.

The Lightkeeper's Inn is located in Edgartown, one of the six main towns found on Martha's Vineyard, the others being Tisbury (where the main village, Vineyard Haven, is), West Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, Chilmark and Aquinnah. We ended up very happy with its locality, since Edgartown turned out to be our favorite neighborhood out of all the ones we visited on the Vineyard. It was scenic, quiet (although we were there right before the Vineyard's busy summer season began, so its quietness may not be typical) and its residents were unfailingly friendly, no matter how many times we had to ask them for directions or advice.

After piling our bags into a taxi at the ferry terminal, we were soon dropped off at the doorstep of the Inn. Our landlady was already waiting for us at the door (having previously ascertained our time of arrival), beaming us a happy welcome and ready to hand us our keys. We didn't have to deal with any lobby check-ins or form-signings; instead, we were ushered straight into our suite without delay and given a quick tour by our host.

The suite was cozy and beautiful - first there was the bedroom, featuring a queen-sized four-poster bed, a beautifully carved wood dressing table, with a matching desk and nightstand. Next, we were led into the living room, featuring a full kitchen, miniature dining table, armchair and large sofa that also pulled out to make a second bed. Attached was our bathroom, with its bathtub, walls and sink all sparklingly white and clean.

There were personal touches everywhere in the room, some more obvious than others. The hand towels, freshly laundered, were folded into linen flowers that hung on the drying rack in the bathroom. The owner of the inn left little notes in strategic places, giving advice and suggestions for our stay on the Vineyard. The kitchen cupboards held a full assortment of silverware, pots and pans, cooking utensils, plates, bowls, cups and even wine glasses for our use. My favorite discovery was that the chest in the living room opened up to reveal a drawer stocked chock full with books for every taste - children's illustrated tales, thick fiction paperbacks, memoirs and classics.

One of the most useful things in the room was a thick binder filled with useful information to help us get to know and get around the Vineyard. We found its transportation section most helpful, for we wanted to see as much of the Vineyard as possible. We found that the Vineyard's other towns were easily accessible from Edgartown, either by car, public transport, or rented bicycle. Bicycles were easy enough to get - there was a rental shop just a few blocks from the Inn - and the public transport system was clear and easy to understand. Taxis charged fixed rates for inter-town transportation - 12 dollars for anywhere in Tisbury to anywhere in Oak Bluffs, for instance. The buses were also easy to use - timetables and pick-up/drop-off locations were posted at every stop (as well as in our helpful binder).

The Lightkeeper's Inn is really made for a relaxing vacation experience. One reason for this was simply the comfort of the suite - the quality of the beds, pillows, and furniture, as well as the suite's general cleanliness and aesthetic appeal. Another reason was the friendliness of the landlady - although the owner of the Inn wasn't at Martha's Vineyard while we were there, she was happy to cater to needs on his behalf, and was always forthcoming with smiling advice when we needed it. A third reason is that the Inn takes great care in ensuring that the administrative and logistical parts of your vacation - usually the most stressful, for me - recede as much as possible into the background. Besides the aforementioned lack of a formal check-in, they tailor check-in times to your arrival schedule, and on the last day, instead of demanding a formal check-out with a slew of more forms to sign, you are instead left with a simple white envelope in your room containing your receipt and details of your stay. You only need to deal with administrative hassles if the receipt contains an error; but our stay was smoothly handled and no such mistake cropped up.

As with any accommodation on Martha's Vineyard, the Inn was moderately expensive - we paid $125 per night, in the off-season - but because of the facilities and space provided, it can be made more affordable by splitting the cost between several people (the two beds would be large enough to accommodate four or five people in total). Although it provided many amenities, including free wireless Internet - it did lack some of the usual hotel provisions such as an included breakfast or a swimming pool. This is because the Inn, true to its name, is more of a lodge than commercial hotel; the suites are series of rooms in a large house instead of in a larger hotel building.

The suites (the only rooms offered) are also hard to get - we had to book a month in advance to secure a room in the off-season, and travelers intending to go to the island in the peak summer months will probably need to think even further ahead than that. All in all, however, we were very happy with our experience at the Inn. It does just what any good vacation accommodation should - provide a painless backdrop to your trip, allow you to explore the place and leave your hassles behind, and when you return at the end of a long, fun day, provide creature comforts that rest and relax you to your heart's content. If I were ever on Martha's Vineyard again, I would be sure to look the Inn up.