ACK: The White Elephant

"To many people holidays are not voyages of discovery but a ritual of reassurance."

The Sailor and I just returned from a few days of R&R to celebrate our first anniversary at one of my favorite places on earth- The White Elephant in Nantucket.



It's no exaggeration when the brilliant Nantucket Island Resort PR team describes it as a luxury boutique hotel, where exquisite comfort and attentive service are a way of life.




Our home-away-from-home during our getaway -- the lawn chairs overlooking the harbor at the hotel.



It's easy to understand why the White Elephant has earned numerous awards, including Travel + Leisure #1 Resort in Massachusetts and Travel + Leisure Readers' Choice 500 World's Best Hotels.  Everything, from the organic bed linens and plush spa robes in each room to complimentary port and cheese served in the library every afternoon, illustrates unmatched hospitality and attention to guests' desires.

"Trunket," the White Elephant icon on the pillow. And the name of my favorite "Creative Libation" at the hotel bar.

The Trunket Twister:  Tanqueray, Strawberries, Fresh Sage, Squeeze of Fresh Lemon and Lime

  

The hotel offers the little treats, like personal welcome notes and a box of chocolate covered cranberries upon arrival, as well as super-luxuries, like taking a cruise of the Nantucket Sound in a million dollar Hinckley picnic boat (um, slight misnomer... yacht). For an additional fee of course. 



What's in a name???
"Adam's Boat" or "In Your Dreams"

I don't usually get excited about cars and boats ("boy toys"), but Hinckleys really are impressive and breathtakingly beautiful. In fact, I could see myself being quite happy with the accommodations of the very fancy cabin below and it has ample space for entertaining on the deck.

Last but not least, I could be the Captain for once. These things are like Kit from the days of Knight Rider. Given my poor performance when it comes to parking a car, I'd similarly be appropriately concerned with docking a boat. But I wouldn't even have to worry about it! 

Yachting Magazine's Chris Caswell explains the magic of the unique JetStick engineering, "As you near the dock, simply switch to docking mode by pushing a button, which activates the JetStick and disengages the wheel. Push the joystick sideways, and the computer determines the proportion of bow thruster (a 300-pound-thrust DC unit) and jets needed to nudge the boat sideways, with speed controlled by your pressure on the JetStick." Beyond cool. (Yes, honey, I did go so far as to look up the features and how they operate, just in case we win the lottery some day.)

Sitting across the patio from us having lunch one afternoon, we spotted an older couple who had docked their Hinckley right at the hotel. While we noshed on a simple lunch washed down with the local Whale's Tale Pale Ale...

...The older gent and his lovely wife sipped on this:

Not to be confused with one of our favorite bargains - Cupcake - which is usually the best $10 we spend a week. 

 

   

Coincidentally, just as I was mourning the end of our nothing-short-of-perfect vacation, I received an email promoting the next special event at the hotel. It's July 7-10-- which is less than a month away. Sooo, I'm going to try my best to convince the Sailor to agree to another getaway across the harbor for a weekend of fishing (for him) and food (for me).

I'm already counting down the minutes until the evening sunsets, mounds of shrimp on the raw bar and live acoustic guitar music! More to come on the shopping, dining and recreational activities in Nantucket...