Faraway Nantucket

Character and identity

Faraway occupies four 200-year-old shingled houses on Centre Street, right in the middle of Nantucket town, with wooden porches and a courtyard terrace that has become one of the island's most coveted cocktail addresses. The 58 rooms lean New England residential rather than hotel: blond woods, pastel linens, patterned wallpapers, rattan chandeliers, Le Labo in the bathrooms. Sister Ship, the in-house restaurant, channels 1920s Paris with brass shelves and vintage lamps, and turns out seasonal New American cooking (Atlantic scallops, halibut Provencal). A narrative-driven design conceit ties the place loosely to local lore without tipping into kitsch.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The reason to book Faraway is the terrace and Sister Ship, plus a town-centre location that genuinely puts everything within a stroll. Book a top-floor suite for space, reserve dinner well in advance (you'll be competing with the whole island), and come as a couple or with friends rather than young children. Shoulder season takes the edge off the crowds.