The Harbor View Hotel is an historic hotel in a beautiful setting in Edgartown – with views of the harbour, Edgartown Lighthouse and Chappaquiddick Island. It is conveniently located a short stroll to the shops and restaurants of Edgartown.
Arriving at the hotel we were very impressed. The lobby is beautifully furnished in a casually elegant coastal style. There is a wrap-around veranda at the front of the hotel with pretty green rocking chairs – a perfect spot to enjoy the view.
Reception is off to one side of the lobby and we had a quick and easy check in – Room 924 in the Governor Mayhew Wing of the hotel.
The best option for us to get our bags to our room in the Mayhew Wing was to park at the back of the hotel. Our room was on the 1st floor (the middle floor of the building) and access was by the stairs – there was no lift.
The rooms were very well furnished with two double beds, a small timber desk, a coffee maker, chest of drawers with TV on top, an armchair and ottoman, a bedside table between the beds and a large built in wardrobe. There was also a full-length mirror.
In the wardrobe there was a bar-sized fridge (not a mini bar) with a couple of wineglasses and icebox, a safe, iron and ironing board plus a couple of luggage racks.
The bathroom had a good-sized vanity shelf either side of the basin, a shower over the bath and a toilet. There were good-quality toiletries provided plus bathrobes and hair dryer.
Our room had a sliding door that opened onto a balcony – very private with a screen of trees.
There are normally three places to eat in the hotel however at the time of year we visited (out of season) there was only Henrys Bar for dinner and the Lighthouse Grill for breakfast (brunch on Sunday). Both venues were very good and the Lighthouse Grill has beautiful views.
The pool had been covered over as we are visiting out of season and the poolside bar – North 41 – was also closed.
There are three choices of accommodation at the Harbor View Hotel – the main building, the Governor Mayhew Building and the Captain Cottages. The Captain Cottages (one, two and three bedroom cottages) are in the hotel grounds and are available as holiday lettings. One of those cottages – the Captain Grafton Collins Cottage was open for inspection during our visit. It had two bedrooms, two bathrooms plus a living room that included a dining and small kitchen area.
We can recommend using the bikes available at the hotel and cycling around beautiful Edgartown. There is a map available at Reception, which shows a cycling route. During our visit (out of season) there was very little traffic and cycling was a wonderful way to see the sights.
We can also recommend taking the short walk to the Edgartown Lighthouse in front of the hotel.
The Harbor View Hotel opened in 1891 and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. We loved this charming hotel for the atmosphere, character, location and welcoming staff – and can highly recommend a stay.
The Harbor View Hotel is at 131 North Water Street, Edgartown, MA 02539 Telephone +1 508.627.7000
Photos of Harbor View Hotel, Edgartown
AccommodationGuru.com
28, 29 & 30 October 2016