New Mid-Week Summer Rates!

  There are so many weddings , celebrations and family gatherings on Nantucket on summer weekends that we have found our weekends are rented before our mid-week days. So we’re trying something new this year…special rates Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday!  If you have a flexible schedule and you can easily travel mid-week you might consider a visit to Anchor Inn on a weekday. It might help you avoid some weekend traffic on Cape Cod too. You can check availability and rates on our website  www.anchor-inn.net . We can often take one night reservations too.  We still have plenty of availability throughout the summer. It is not too late to consider a trip to Nantucket this summer! Please join us “INNSide Nantucket at Anchor Inn”

JULY on NANTUCKET

Anchor Inn in May

Nantucket Historic Hotels & Inns

I recently attended a lecture at the Nantucket Historic Association on Nantucket’s Historic Hotels. In the early 1800′s homes began to offer hospitality as boarding houses for mainly business travelers. The Jared Coffin house was built as a private home but later purchased by the Steamship Authority to create a hotel called the Ocean House. As men went to sea whaling for years at a time, the women ran the smaller in-town boarding houses, inns and guest houses. Large hotels were built on Brant Point, in Sconset, Surfside, Wauwinet and Tom Nevers to attract visitors to vacation on Nantucket, to enjoy healthy summer sea breezes and the beach. These large hotels did not survive, suffered fires, fierce weather, or were torn down.   The Sea Cliff Inn on Cliff Rd. was  one of these last remaining  structures and was demolished in 1973 after a fire. Only the Point Breeze/ Gordon Floger structure remains as one of the large ‘grand dames’. Today it is an incomplete construction project with financial issues, currently owned by a bank. This was an interesting lecture with old photos, advertisements and postcards of the era.

  As I reflect on Anchor Inn’s history, it was built in 1806 as a home by Capt. Archaelus Hammond over 200 years ago. He was the first man from Nantucket to kill a sperm whale in the Pacific Ocean as a first mate aboard the ‘Emily’ on March 3, 1789.

  At some point boarders were taken into most of the homes in our neighborhood. Many took their meals at Anchor Inn. We’ve heard stories of former Anchor Inn innkeepers like Miss Miller of Maryland, who served a great lobster stew. Luckily there are no more meals being served- only a continental breakfast (thanks to zoning !)-  featuring Charles’ Famous Muffins, homemade and baked each morning.

  But as I reflect on the past historic hotels with many hotel rooms and the shared common bathroom down the hall- I think of how Anchor Inn has evolved too. When we bought the inn in 1983 we added bathrooms, thus eliminating shared bathrooms. ALL eleven guest rooms have a private bathroom. Over the years we’ve added locks and keys,  heat, air conditioners, in-room phones, FREE secure WIFI….and now the latest new addition this week- all new flat screen televisions.  Samsung Digital Cable TV’s with 1080P  LCD  and over 75 channels.  Now the room photos on our website are ‘outdated’ with the old TV’s….so here are a couple of room photos with the new TV’s !     Also here is a photo of our clivia plant blooming in the common room.

Please join us ” INNside Nantucket” at Anchor Inn!

Upcoming Nantucket Events in May & June

Wineries, Vinters, Chefs….Lights, Action, Cameras…. you never know who you will meet on Nantucket!  It could be a  famous chef, an owner of your favorite winery, or a movie star or screenwriter. This year it might be a Disney character!  Yes, Disney Pixar’s new Toy Story 3 will be featured at the Nantucket Film Festival  in June. But this festival features screenwriters. Discussion panels, workshops, morning coffees and late night  story telling are venues  that create a great week for those that love films.   See 20 feature films and 15-25 short films. The 14th Annual Nantucket Film Festival is June 17-18-19-20.  Come early. June 13-14-15-16-17  our mid-week rate at Anchor Inn is $139 + tax. (N/A Fri/ Sat)

The prior week in June is Nantucket Restaurant Week.  June 7-8-9-10-11-12-13. It is a great time to check-out the many fine dining restaurants on Nantucket.  Sample the specials, fixed price 3 course dining for lunch and dinner,  & reduced rates  all around town in the best restaurants. This event is a must for ‘foodies’ !  At Anchor Inn we offer a great mid-week rate of $109 per night. (N/A Fri or Sat)

In May the Annual Wine Festival returns on May 19-20-21-22-23, 2010. Wineries from across the USA and abroad gather here to join world famous chefs for dinners, wine lectures,  seminars,wine auctions, and more. This is a growing event with sell-out venues like ”Great Wines in Grand Houses” or ”Grand Tastings”.  The ‘Luminary of the Year’ will be Ming Tsai.  We invite the winery staff, vinters, travel writers to come early, set up, and explore Nantucket . We offer a special mid-week rate $95 + tax. We are located in-town, convenient to venues. Enjoy the wine festival and fine dining all week on Nantucket at Anchor Inn!    Come early.  Special $95 rate available May 16,17,18,19,20  (N/A Fri/ Sat)

Please join us “INNside Nantucket at Anchor Inn“

NANTUCKET WHALING HISTORY FEATURED IN NEW PBS MOVIE BY RICK BURNS

On May 10th check your local PBS listings to see the new Rick Burns  documentary movie about the history of whaling. He did research and filming here on Nantucket.  The movie will be shown here on Nantucket  on May 10th at the Nantucket Historical Association’s Whaling Museum.

Spring Is Here On NANTUCKET!

   The daffodils are in bloom, the trees are leafing out and spring on Nantucket was celebrated with the Daffodil Festival Weekend April 24-25, 2010. The town was festive, decorated in  YELLOW  everywhere….store windows, hats, dogs, bikes, carriages, antique cars and Sconset tailgate picnics.  Coffin School was full of amazing collections and varieties of daffodils for the  36th Annual Daffodil Flower Show.

   Anchor Inn is offering  ’SPRING VALUE DAYS’  mid-week Sunday through Thursdays until June 3rd with great mid-week rates of $95 per night + tax.  ( not available May 30- Memorial Day Weekend)

 NEW this year we will continue lower mid-week rates this summer on these mid-week days :  Mon, Tues, & Wed.  Stretch your weekends and stay longer to take advantage of these reduced rates.  You can save from $30 per night to over $100 per night, depending on the week. Rates vary…all rates can be viewed online and reserved online 24/7 or by phone 508-228-0072.  www.anchor-inn.net

  Also NEW this year, the ‘MORGAN’ room on the third floor has one queen bed and one single/ twin bed. This provides two beds for 2 persons OR 3 persons. Rates + $35 per night for 3rd person. ALL other rooms are single or double occupancy only.

  Memorial Day Weekend/ Figawi Sailing Weekend + PLUS ONE !  We have rooms available for a 3 night minimum stay, and we offer a late check-out on Monday….but consider staying an extra 4th night ! Avoid the Cape traffic. Stay Monday May 31st OR   arrive Thursday  May 27th as an add-on to a weekend stay of 3 nights + 1 .   The extra night  is only $95 !  

  Consider visiting us again in ‘Twenty-Ten’ !  Please join us ” INNSIDE Nantucket at Anchor Inn“  as we begin our 28th season as resident owner innkeepers.

Nantucket’s Christmas Stroll 2009

We had a fun group of guests in the inn for our Stroll Weekend Dec 4-5, 2009. The inn was festively decorated, holiday music played on the breakfast porch where we served hot cider each afternoon. Each guest room had a goodie bag with treats, a Stroll calendar of information and antlers to wear so everyone could get into the spirit! 

Town was festive with a holiday house tour of private homes, the Whaling Museum was decked out with a Festival  of Trees. Main Street had Christmas treees decorated by children, clubs and businesses. Shop windows were decorated and judged by the Chamber of Commerce. Restaurants offered special holiday menues, and a food tent on Main St provided great “take-away” food items.

Carollers and music filled the streets around town on the bank steps on Main St and at the Atheneum (library) too.

I recently received this photo from a group of 6 women from Wooster who celebrated Stroll weekend together at Anchor Inn. They also celebrated a special birthday. They sent along this photo for our blog. Thanks ladies!

Please join us “INNside Nantucket at Anchor Inn“

WELCOME to our new ANCHOR INN BLOG

Our ANCHOR INN BLOG is a type of online newsletter that you can check from time to time. I started writing this in July 2009 after taking a summer class at the Nantucket High School about ‘blogs’

I’m learning about communicating with our “Anchor Inn Alumnus” and our new customers in this new way. So as you look over my summer blog posts, you will get a sense of our life here on Nantucket at Anchor Inn.

It scrolls from today’s current posting (listed first) then click or scroll further to read Sept,, then, August, then July information and topics. I hope you find our Anchor Inn Blog interesting and helpful.

Please send us an email with your comments. anchorin@nantucket.net

Please join us “INNside Nantucket” at Anchor Inn    …..from Ann Balas, innkeeper

2010 EARLY RERVATIONS PROGRAM

Plan ahead and start the NEW YEAR off with a positive New Year’s Resolution to return to Nantucket in 2010 with a confirmed reservation at Anchor Inn.

Make a reservation now or in Dec, Jan or Feb for anytime in 2010 …..for a stay anytime from April Daffodil Weekend….through the summer….til October Columbus Day Weekend.

We will offer an early booking discount at 2009 rates plus an additional 10% off when you book directly with Anchor Inn by phone or online before March 1, 2010.   All reservations made and confirmed with prepayment of 3 (three) nights or more will qualify. 3 night minimum stay required.  Happy New Year!

Please join us “INNside Nantucket” at Anchor Inn!