If you’ve started planning a trip to Nantucket, you’ve probably already had a bit of sticker shock when it comes to hotels.
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Between the luxury resorts and boutique hotels, finding a hotel like The Nantucket Inn that feels both family-friendly and reasonably priced can be surprisingly difficult, especially if you’re visiting for the first time. When I started researching affordable hotels in Nantucket, even I was surprised, and I knew it was going to be expensive!
That’s exactly why I’m sharing this Nantucket Inn review. On our trip, we were looking for a place that felt comfortable with a toddler, offered great amenities, and didn’t completely blow our budget. The Nantucket Inn ended up being such a solid find!
It’s not a luxury property, but if you’re traveling with kids or just want more value for your money, it checks a lot of important boxes, including having indoor and outdoor pools and a super convenient shuttle into Town. We stayed here for four nights in June with our three-year-old and enjoyed every minute.
In this post, I’ll cover what the rooms are like, what we thought about the pools (strangely enough a rarity on Nantucket!), the shuttle situation, and ultimately whether it’s worth the trade-off of not being right in Town.
If you’re already considering staying at the Nantucket Inn, you can check current rates and availability before diving into my full review.
Family-Friendly Amenities
One of the main reasons I booked The Nantucket Inn was the wide range of services right on the property. Some hotels in Nantucket can be more boutique, or B&B-style, and since we were traveling with our three-year-old, I wanted a hotel that had more to do on-site.
If you’re weighing your options for Nantucket hotels for families, the on-site amenities here really do set it apart.
First, the Nantucket Inn has two pools. One is outdoors and they also have the island’s only indoor pool. We visited in mid-June, and I was very surprised how cool and rainy it still was! The outdoor pool hadn’t yet opened for the season, so we spent lots of time at the indoor pool.
There is a breakfast and lunch restaurant, the Nobadeer Cafe, in the lobby. My son is an early riser, so I always look for hotels that have coffee shops or restaurants on site. We need to be able to easily get out the room once he wakes up!
A lobby bar opens in the late afternoons and was a great stop for a pre-or post-dinner glass of wine, and for my husband to watch baseball games. I’ll talk in more detail about dining later!
If you forget an essential like medicine or sunscreen, there is a small convenience store in the lobby that sells these items, as well as snacks like chips and candy (we definitely made a stop when we needed a few bribe items!).
The back of the property has tennis courts, which we will absolutely take advantage of if we visit when my son gets a little older.
And possibly the most helpful amenity was the complimentary shuttle to Town (Nantucket’s downtown area). The Nantucket Inn is a 5-10 minute drive from Town, so they offer a shuttle that runs on the hour. We were always able to get a seat and thought it was a convenient way to get to restaurants and activities.
The Rooms
Rooms at The Nantucket Inn are spread out throughout the property in two story buildings. If you’re traveling with little kids, I’d recommend requesting a first floor room, as there are no elevators and you don’t want to have to haul gear up and down stairs for your whole stay.
The rooms themselves were very clean, modern and comfortable. The decor was coastal and neutral which was exactly what we would have expected for Nantucket!
We stayed in the “Standard Queen/Queen” room, which is 300 sq. ft. and felt really spacious! Now that my son can sleep in an adult bed, we always get 2 queens for extra sleeping space.
The Nantucket Inn also has rooms with a king bed, as well as slightly larger rooms (400 sq. ft.) with either one king or two double beds. These would be good for larger families!
The bathroom was great, a decent size and seemed newly renovated.
It had a tub/shower combo and sinks inside and outside of the bathroom. This always makes getting ready a little easier and there was plenty of counter space and storage.
There were complimentary bath products that smelled great too!
The rooms also had plenty of in-room storage space, including a large dresser and closet. I love having a full closet to store luggage so it’s out of the way during our stay.
The rooms also have a mini fridge (so helpful for storing leftovers or milk!) and a Keurig machine complete with, of course, Nantucket blend coffee.
Dining
The Nantucket Inn offers a couple options for on-site dining.
The first, and probably most noteworthy for families, is the Nobadeer Cafe. They’re open from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. and serve breakfast, lunch and coffee.
We ate breakfast there every day! My son loved the pastries and fresh fruit, and I loved the lattes and breakfast sandwiches.
For lunch, they had a variety of sandwiches, salads and soup which all looked delicious, and an assortment of beverages, including Nantucket’s famous Cisco Brewers beer.
There is plenty of seating, so you can either enjoy your food right there (which is what we did), or take it to go to your hotel room or even the beach.
The on-site bar, NobaBar, was a great stop for a pre-or post-dinner glass of wine.
They have plenty of comfortable seating, so my son could play or color while my husband and I chatted. NobaBar also has light bar snacks if you’re looking for a quick nibble.
Location
Location might be the only downside to The Nantucket Inn if you’re looking for a hotel with great walkability.
It’s about a 5-10 minute drive from Town and isn’t in great walking proximity to popular restaurants or activities. However, we never thought this was a problem! The Nantucket Inn has an hourly complimentary shuttle to Town so we never felt inconvenienced by the location.
And, because The Nantucket Inn isn’t right in Town, the property is more expansive with lots of outdoor space for kids to run around.
If you’re looking for a hotel in the center of Town, check out my full list of Nantucket hotels for families for more recommendations.
It’s also located literally steps from the airport which is very convenient if you’re arriving via plane. And I promise there isn’t too much airplane noise!
We didn’t realize how close it was when we arrived, and were slightly embarrassed at the 30-second Uber ride we booked.
Would We Book it Again?
Honestly, yes! I’d also like to stay at a hotel in Town on a future trip to have that experience too, but the price point, amenities and friendly staff make The Nantucket Inn one of the most compelling, affordable hotels in Nantucket, especially for families.
If you’re still on the fence, I hope this Nantucket Inn review helped make your decision a little easier!
