If you’ve ever visited Nantucket, MA, you know the island really has two seasons: “expensive” and “are you kidding me?”
My wife Sharon was only there for one night between flights – one of those quick JetBlue 25 For 25 promo overnights where the goal isn’t to unpack and explore, it’s simply to sleep somewhere and catch a plane the next morning. No fancy resort, no spa day…just a clean bed, a decent shower and a price that doesn’t make our credit card cry.
That turned out to be a taller order than you’d think.
There are no traditional chain hotels on Nantucket. The closest you’ll get are a few Mr & Mrs Smith properties bookable with Hyatt points, and those weren’t a great deal. When I checked the usual credit card travel portals, most options were $400+ a night, with plenty going much higher. And this was for a Monday in late September – not even a peak-season weekend.
Eventually, I found a property called Cliff Lodge that looked charming and, more importantly, wasn’t painfully priced, at $220 for the night. I booked a small third-floor room with a private bathroom directly through the hotel’s website. For a quick overnight on a pricey island, that felt like a win.
What we didn’t realize at the time was that Cliff Lodge would end up being the most unique place she stayed on any of these one-night, in-and-out trips.
A quick bit of history
Cliff Lodge is very much a “historic Nantucket inn,” in the best sense of the phrase. The house started life as a sea captain’s home in 1771, perched on a hill between the cobblestone streets of downtown and some of the island’s best beaches. From the upper floors and roof walk, the original family would’ve had front-row views of Nantucket Harbor and the constant comings and goings of whaling ships.
As the whaling industry faded in the mid-1800s, the home was purchased by island poet Caroline Parker Hills, who lived there for nearly 50 years. Today it’s a cozy, shingled inn in the heart of the Historic District, with the kind of creaky floors, quirky layout and lived-in charm you only get in a 200-plus-year-old building.
You don’t have to be a history buff to appreciate the place, but it definitely feels different from checking into yet another airport Courtyard.
Getting there & first impressions
The lodge is about a 15-minute taxi ride from Nantucket Airport, so Sharon went from plane to front door pretty quickly. Once you’re checked in, it’s an easy walk into town – close enough that you don’t feel isolated, but just far enough away that you’re not in the middle of the crowds around the ferry.
My favorite detail is the directions they give for walking toward the marina: “Go to where the brick road ends and then turn.” On Nantucket, that’s an actual, literal landmark.
From the outside, Cliff Lodge is picture-perfect New England: grey cedar shingles, white trim, a little front porch and a sign swinging by the entry. It absolutely looks like the kind of place that should be serving lemonade on the porch in summer and hot cider in the fall.
Inside, the entry hall continues the “historic home” feel – wood floors, a simple bench, and the staircase leading up to the guest rooms.
The room: 12′ x 8′, up a lot of stairs
Getting to Sharon’s room meant a lot of stairs. Cliff Lodge is a classic old Nantucket house, not a modern hotel, so there’s no elevator and the staircases get narrower and quirkier the higher you go. By the time you reach the top floor, the hallway ceilings are lower and the space definitely feels like an attic level in a 250-year-old home.
The room I booked was listed on the website as 12 feet by 8 feet, and that’s not an exaggeration. It’s tiny by hotel standards, but they’ve made smart use of the space.
Inside, you’ll find:
- A double bed tucked under sloped ceilings with exposed beams
- Polished old wood floors
- A dresser with a TV on top
- A small closet with extra blankets, hangers, an iron and ironing board, an ancient luggage rack, and a portable heater
The ensuite bathroom is compact but practical: a pedestal sink, toilet and a shower stall with a floral curtain, plus a little shelving for toiletries.
It’s not fancy, but everything was clean and in good working order—exactly what Sharon needed for a one-night stay.
The payoff for all of those stairs is the view from the window, which almost makes the climb worthwhile by itself. From the third floor, you can see rooftops, steeples and shingled houses stretching toward the harbor – very “postcard Nantucket.”
For a trip where the room was really just a place to sleep between flights, the size wasn’t a problem. If you were staying several nights, or traveling as a couple with lots of luggage, you might want to look at one of their larger rooms.
Around the inn: cozy common spaces
Because Cliff Lodge is a converted sea captain’s home, it feels more like staying in someone’s historic house than in a traditional hotel. The entry hall sets the tone right away, with polished wood floors, a bench by the front door and the staircase leading up to the guest rooms.
Just off the entry is a small sitting room with a sofa, armchairs and a fireplace, plus nautical artwork on the walls. It’s the kind of space where you could easily curl up with a book in the afternoon or relax with a drink after dinner. Sharon didn’t have time to really use it, but it’s nice to have if you’re on the island for more than a quick overnight.
There’s also a formal dining room that doubles as the breakfast area, complete with a chandelier and antique-style furniture. In the back, a brick patio and garden offer outdoor seating surrounded by trees and hydrangeas. In warmer weather, it would be a great spot to sit outside with coffee or just enjoy a quiet moment before heading into town.
Between the creaky staircases, narrow hallways and cozy shared spaces, Cliff Lodge leans fully into its “historic inn” personality – which definitely sets it apart from the more standard airport hotels Sharon visited during her other 25 For 25 overnights.
Breakfast: light but appreciated
While Cliff Lodge isn’t heavily marketed as a bed-and-breakfast, it does have that vibe, just without a big, cooked-to-order morning meal.
In the dining room, there’s a light continental breakfast set out on a sideboard: cereal and granola in jars, yogurt fixings, pastries, fruit and a toaster, along with coffee and tea. It’s more of a “grab something to get you going” setup than a full breakfast buffet, but for Sharon’s quick turnaround, it was exactly what she needed before heading back to the airport.
If you want a larger breakfast, there are plenty of options in town within walking distance.
Service: a very nice extra touch
For Sharon’s schedule, this was basically a land, sleep, fly-out-again situation. She arrived in the afternoon, had just enough time to get settled, find dinner in town, sleep, grab a quick breakfast and then head back to the airport.
Originally, she planned to call the same cab driver who had dropped her off at the inn. Instead, the Cliff Lodge staff offered to drive her to the airport themselves. For a property that’s not particularly big and doesn’t advertise any kind of shuttle, that was a really nice touch, and it left both of us with a very positive impression of their hospitality.
It’s small gestures like that which make a historic inn stay feel personal, especially compared to a chain hotel where you’re just another reservation number.
Location & value
For a quick overnight, the location worked out perfectly. Being able to walk to the marina, shops and restaurants without needing a car or rideshare is a huge plus on Nantucket, where transportation can get pricey fast.
By Nantucket standards, $220 for a night in late September feels almost like a bargain, especially when so many other options were $400+ before taxes and fees. You’re not getting a big room, a fancy bathroom or lots of bells and whistles, but you are getting:
- A charming, historic inn with real local character
- A walkable location in the Historic District
- A quiet, comfortable place to crash after exploring (or, in Sharon’s case, before getting back on a plane)
- Surprisingly personal service, right down to the ride back to the airport
Final thoughts
If you’re the type of traveler who wants a modern chain hotel with standardized everything, Cliff Lodge probably isn’t for you. But then again, if that’s what you’re looking for, then Nantucket isn’t where you want to visit.
But if you’re okay with climbing some stairs, squeezing into a 12′ x 8′ room and trading a big breakfast buffet for coffee and pastries in a historic dining room, Cliff Lodge is a great way to experience a different side of Nantucket without breaking the budget.
For Sharon’s purposes—a quick overnight between flights on an island where hotel prices can get out of hand fast—it was exactly what she needed. And among all the one-night crash pads she used on her various trips, Cliff Lodge easily wins the prize for the most unique.
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