Our Week on Martha's Vineyard

We are back from an absolutely fantastic week of vacation. I wrote up a little guide to Martha's Vineyard last year, but I thought I would share this week, too, since we tried some really fun new things. After 13 years of going to the same vacation spot, it's always a pleasant surprise to discover great places that were right under your nose. 

We arrived early on Saturday morning and went right to Art Cliff from the ferry. So busy, but the food was as good as ever (if the service was a bit lacking). It was a beautiful afternoon, so we went to the house to set up quickly, then threw on our suits and went to South Beach. That night, Peter grilled lamb (brought from Costco - they have such good meat :) and I made a squash and potato gratin.

On Sunday we drove out to Gay Head for a long beach day by the cliffs. Peter and I took a really long walk (past all the nakeds) to the other side of the lighthouse. It was so gorgeous with the clay on the cliffs and the greenery and flowers growing on top.

That night we went to Harborside Inn for a drink on their beautiful patio. Goodness, those drinks nearly knocked us off our feet! Proceed with caution. My entire family was in a very good mood by the time we went to Atria for our dinner reservation. We hadn't been there before, but it was an absolutely lovely meal from start to finish.

Monday was a bit cloudy, so we shopped around Edgartown. My favorite shop, Portobello Road, is pictured above. Books, stationary, artwork - just everything good under one roof.

We went to Morning Glory Farm on the way home for corn on the cob. Peter grilled steaks, and we played Five Second Rule after dinner (love that game!).

With our Crane Beach pass, we got a book telling us about all the Trustee Reservation properties we have access to in Massachusetts. I found Longpoint Refuge while flipping through and we thought it might be fun to try a new beach (anyone can go, you'll just need to pay for parking and beach access). 

We loved it! There is a fresh water pond just behind the ocean beach, and it was so great to flip back and forth between the two. The pond was a whopping 80 degrees! And the ocean waves were some of the biggest on the island. 

For dinner that night, we had a long-time family favorite - lobsters and steamers from Net Result. Don't sit at the picnic tables right next to their restaurant. Instead, go through the parking lot and sit by the bay - there are a few quiet tables over there and you can watch the sun set across the trees. 

On Wednesday we went back to South Beach for the morning, and then played at Farm Neck Golf Course for their twilight rate. This course is really hard (at least to me!), but a lot of holes have amazing ocean views. It's worth the challenge.

We had a casual dinner at the Martha's Vineyard Chowder Company afterwards. I had read about their award winning clam chowder in the latest Boston magazine, it was truly amazing.

We went back to Longpoint Refuge and Gay Head late in the week. After our second day at Gay Head, we stopped at Larson's Fish Market in Menemsha. It was a pretty night, so it was jammed with people grabbing seafood to-go before heading to the beach to watch the sun set. We got pumpkin swordfish to grill at home since we were all sticky from the beach. Have you heard of that fish?! It has a pretty orange tint. So good!

For our last dinner, we went to The Outermost Inn. My parents went years ago, but the rest of us had never experienced it before. The menu is price fix, three courses. It's inventive and fresh - definitely our new favorite splurge dinner on the island. Highly recommended!

Our last day we went to Art Cliff for one final breakfast. Everyone's food was good, but the service was just awful. We are big fans, so this pains me, but we might not be back next year! Time to try Black Dog and see what everybody else is raving about :)

In the afternoon we shopped around Vineyard Haven (that's Bunches of Grapes above, in their new location across the street from the old store). I had one more dish of Mad Martha's before the ferry sailed us back to the mainland.