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Aquinnah, Chappaquiddick, Chilmark, Edgartown, Families, Martha's Vineyard, MV Rentals, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Beaches, Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury

When Should You Book Your Vineyard Vacation?

November 25, 2008 3 Comments

On Martha’s Vineyard, we begin booking rental homes for the following season before the current one ends! Many families decide they like coming to the island every year for a least one week. If they like the rental property they are staying in, and know they will be back, it makes sense for them to commit to the same house while they are here.

Rental home bookings continue through the fall and right up until the beginning of the season. Critical things to consider when trying to decide when to book your vacation home:

Most owners know whether their repeat tenants are coming back by the end of September. If you are a new tenant or looking to change houses it may be difficult to get a commitment prior to that.
Steamship Authority (vehicle ferry) opens up ticket sales for the summer months around mid January. Tickets sell out quickly for the weekend turnover days during the season.
January is a strong booking month because of the ferry ticket sales and many popular houses will book up quickly.
Rental homes are listed through out the season, to a certain degree, making last minutes bookings a strong possibility.

All in all, you should consider booking your Martha’s Vineyard vacation home ahead of time, especially, if you have specific criteria, price and dates in mind. If you can be somewhat flexible, any time is a good time! We have a house for you with over 500 listings in our inventory.

Martha's Vineyard

Traveling to Martha’s Vineyard: Ferries and Planes

July 3, 2008 1 Comment

How Do I Get to Martha’s Vineyard?

You have two choices for mainland to island travel – by air or by boat. Planes are small, fast and uncrowded. Boats are big enough to walk around in, have a snack bar with clam chowder, some carry cars and all provide the experience of traveling over water and past beautiful seascapes to reach the island.

BY AIR

Cape Air flies direct to Martha’s Vineyard from Boston, MA, Providence, RI, New Bedford, MA, Hyannis, MA and Nantucket. The Boston – Vineyard flight is the longest with a total flight time of 35 minutes. Cape Air operates year round, and flights depart frequently during the summer season and bit less during the winter. Flying Cessna 402’s, Cape Air is the largest independent regional airline in the United States and is employee – owned company. (p.s. each flight, someone gets to ride shotgun next to the pilot!) For more information and flight schedules visit: www.flycapeair.com or call 800.352.0714.

U.S. Airways Express seasonally serves the Martha’s Vineyard Airport from the following locations: New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport (DCA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL), and Hyannis’ Boardman-Polando Field (HYA). For more information and flight schedules visit: www.usairways.com or call 800.428.4322 (Reservations) 800.943.5436 (Flight Arrivals and Departure Information)

MVY Airport
The Martha’s Vineyard Airport is conveniently located in West Tisbury, and supplies bus, taxi and car rental transportation. For more info, visit: www.mvyairport.com.

BY BOAT

The Steamship Authority ferries passengers, cars, pets, bikes and dogs to Martha’s Vineyard all year long with increased trip service from Memorial Day to Labor Day and every weekend. The boats run about hourly and travel from Wood’s Hole to either Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs. The Steamship Authority also runs ferries between Hyannis and Nantucket, including a fast ferry.

The ferry is a classic Vineyard experience, whether you are standing on the deck getting your first bit of island sun, or watching the game on the big screen tv’s inside (some boats only!). A snack bar boasts chowder, baked goods and wine and beer, and the seagulls provide the entertainment. The ride is 45 minutes long…and the ferries are always on time. For more information, schedules and fees, visit their website at: www.steamshipauthority.com or call 508.477.8600.

Hy-Line Cruises is a Cape Cod family-owned and operated ferry company with more than 40 years in the cruise business. This seasonal ferry travels between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs five times per day during the high summer season and four times per day in May and October. For the 55 minute ride, Hy-Line strongly recommends that you make reservations for their passenger ferry (no cars!). For more information, visit www.hy-linecruises.com or call 800.492.8082.

The New England Fast Ferry carries passengers (no cars!) from New Beford to Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs throughout the summer season. With special trips added for weekends, you have your choice of up to 10 trips per day from May – October. The trip takes one hour and offers incredible scenery as you move up the Sound. For schedules and fare, visit www.nefastferry.com or call 866.683.3779.

NOTE: Both Hy-Line and the New England Fast Ferry have added a $4 one-way and $8 roundtrip surchage to all tickets for the 2008 season due to fuel prices.

On MVY
Once you step off the boat, busses and cabs will be at your service, and rental cars and bikes are steps away….or you can always walk to your rental if it’s in downtown Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs.

Martha's Vineyard, MV Rentals

Pre-trip Checklist: Martha’s Vineyard Vacation Rental

June 20, 2008 Leave a comment

Renting a house on Martha’s Vineyard for your vacation is, of course, a fantastic idea. You’ll have a whole house to spread out in and really relax – by yourself, with a loved one or surrounded by the whole family. This pre-trip checklist will help you be prepared so that you can have a wonderful and stress-free getaway.

LINENS & TOWELS. Check your lease to see if linens and towels are provided by the homeowner or tenant. Most houses do not provide beach towels, so plan to bring your own. If packing linens is a hassle you don’t want, you can rent from Takemmy Linen Rental. They’ll deliver a bag of clean linens to the house on the day of your arrival and pick up the dirty linens on your departure day.

BABY EQUIPMENT RENTAL. Don’t feel like you have to lug it all along! Baby Bear Equipment Rental will deliver and pick up whatever you need, and their equipment is kept clean and up to date.

ARRIVAL TIME. Double check your lease for the exact time of check in and try to schedule your travel plans accordingly. Your House Info Packet will be available at the rental office at this time and then, you will be able to go to your house.

CHECK-IN DIRECTIONS. Be sure you have directions for your initial point of contact on the island for check-in (usually the Rental Office). You may have directions directly to the house but most agencies require you come to their office to pick up a check-in packet with keys and directions.

FERRY TICKETS. It is best to book your ferry reservations as soon as you have secured your island rental. Summer weekend boats sell out very quickly if you are bringing your car. Summer tickets typically become available for purchase in early February. Contact The Steamship Authority or the New England Fast Ferry (remember no cars on the fast ferry!)

GROCERIES. If you can, you may want to travel with a cooler full of food staples because rental house kitchens and fridges are usually left free of any food, including condiments.

CAR RENTAL. There are cars available for rent on the island, but this is not the Hertz lot at Logan! – supplies are limited. It is best to reserve a car at the same time you book your Martha’s Vineyard house rental. Try A-A Island Auto Rental (they have Smart Cars – great for our environment!) or Budget.

BICYCLES. With miles of bike trails and beautiful roads, biking on Martha’s Vineyard is extremely popular – Bring your own or rent bikes on the Vineyard.

BEACH GEAR. Like you need a reminder! Unless your lease states otherwise, you will need: towels, chairs, sandals, boogie boards, umbrellas, coolers, tote bags, frisbees, etc.

I’ll see you soon!