Category Archives: Services

Great Ways to Relax on Martha’s Vineyard

There are many great ways to relax while vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard.  Here are a few of our best ideas to get you excited about unwinding this summer!

A Day at The Spa

Treat yourself to a spa day. There are some wonderful locations throughout the island to lay back, relax, and be pampered. Spa days are not just a way to come out looking pretty on the outside from haircuts, nail treatments, or waxing. Enjoying what a spa offers can also make your insides pretty.

Many locations offer facials and body wraps that help rejuvenate and exfoliate, while also detoxifying and hydrating the body. Some examples of wraps include:

Mud Wraps; known for detoxing and revitalizing the body or even dissolving deep muscle tension.

Lemon Grass Wrap; helps exfoliate the skin, while rehydrating the body.

Mermaid Wrap; A fruit scrub said to exfoliate, with coconut that fights aging.

Many spa locations also offer massage treatments. Massages are another great way to relax and relieve tension and help your body to relax while on vacation.  You might find out that a scalp massage is something for you!

Meditation

Meditation is a great way to relax while on vacation. It’s a great way to get some rest, relax your mind and ease your thoughts. Some like to meditate through words, in a journal or aloud. Whichever way you enjoy meditating, what better place is there then on an island, surrounded by the glorious sounds of the waves from the ocean, and the calm atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of a city.

Yoga

Yoga has been found to be a great way to relax and meditate. There are many forms of yoga, including regular, hot yoga, paddle board yoga, or even pre-natal. You don’t have to just be inside to stretch and pose, many offerings are outside in a field, yard, or on the beach. Yoga is focused around breathing, meditating, and the adoption of specific body postures. Yoga is overall great for health and relaxation.

We look forward to seeing you soon here on Martha’s Vineyard!

How Does the Steamship Authority Work?

Matha's Vineyard Steamship Authority Ferry

For those of you that have been to the island of Martha’s Vineyard, you know that the process of bringing a vehicle along on your Vineyard vacation can be very trying if you don’t know the process!  Our island population goes from around 15,000 year round residents to 100,000 August visitors.  You really do need to take a ferry to and from the island.  It is a 45 minute ferry ride from the Cape.

Oak Bluffs Beach Front Rental

Once you have booked your Vineyard vacation rental, you will need to work on making arrangements for getting here.  The Steamship Authority does not take reservations for the summer season until sometime in January.  This year they open reservations online and via mail on January 20th.  Mark your calendars!  They will open the phone lines up on January 27, 2009.

Sometimes it feels like you have won the lottery when you get just the right times for your reservations for your August vacation.   The process can seem unbearable much of the time but following are some tips that might help:

  • Go online to the Steamship Authority and sign up for your profile number and pin prior to making your reservation.
  • Go online as soon as you can on January 20, be patient as you may get bumped off the site due to high volume.
  • Book any time you can on the day of travel or as close to the day of travel and request to be wait listed for your preferred times.

You should know that the wait list system does seem to work out for most travelers that are reserving their tickets this far in advance.   The steamship has represented in the past that they do not completely book all of the boats so they will have some flexibility.  Things do shift around but you may not know for sure right up until travel time.  They do also have a day of sail number you can call to try to change your reservation while you are on the road.

I once had a customer call and book a house one Saturday in August, drive down and get right on the boat and arrive at my office to pay for their vacation home and pick up their key, all in the same day.  This is not the norm and I do not recommend you wait to see if this works but, please realize that some of the systems that may seem very flawed can work well in the end!

#WednesdayWonderings: Rentals with Ferry Tickets

Steamship Authority

With the booking season in full swing, many people are looking to find the perfect rental. What happens when you find the perfect rental but it’s at the worst time?! You find out the Steamship Authority is booked solid during the dates you’d like to rent, and you’re stuck! Well you’re in luck! On the Sandpiper Rentals site, you can search by “Ferry Tickets.”

Sandpiper Rentals Sandpiper Rentals

We have 30 listings that include Transferable ferry tickets to the tenants that rent with them. The dates and times of the tickets vary by owner, so please contact us for more information.

Sandpiper RentalsView our vacation rental properties here
Contact: rent@sandpiperrental.com