The Cottages & Lofts at the Boat Basin

After debating giving this place a 3 or 4-​star review, I landed on the latter for one reason: location. My family rented two neighboring cottages – Catawba and Sea Syren. They both had a tremendous amount of space – the bedrooms were big with a mix of bed sizes (twins, queens, kings) and plenty of common space, with the patio overlooking Harbor Square as a major selling point. The bathrooms weren’t anything special, but fine.
This review was knocked down a star because both cottages need serious upgrades – the AC was hit or miss in the hot summer heat, the floors looked like elephants used to parade the hallways, and there were always issues with wifi. Be forewarned– it’s loud at night with the Gazebo right underneath, but that was what we loved so much about this place. The location can’t be beat with the Gazebo, Provisions, the Marina, etc. all at your fingertips; this is the best spot in town.
Front desk isn’t too far either but with sub par employees, you won’t want to head over there much anyway. The cottages offer free bikes, but it’s better to pony up and rent nicer ones unless you want a sore bum for the rest of your vacation.
Overall, needs some work but I’ll be back in hopes that they make the recommended upgrades during the off season!

We had a lovely mini-​honeymoon at «The Willet» for a handful of nights. Service is great, very dog friendly, and you can’t beat the location. It was our splurge on our wedding weekend, so I doubt we’ll be able to do it again very soon, but it was worth every penny. All around wonderful experience!

We’ve loved staying at various cottages at the boat basin for years because it is convenient as far as location. Unfortunately, the last few years have not been great as the cottages have gone from cozy, quaint and charming to old, musty and beat up. Our recent stay was in the 3 bedroom/​2 bath, Orion cottage which was about $ 1,400+ per night. The bathrooms need serious upgrades as the shower and floor tiles/​grout were filthy and worn. The wonderful house keeping team scrubbed and bleached them to no avail. The dishwasher has got to be the oldest model ever, I’m guessing early 1980s and the refrigerator/​freezer does not have an ice maker-​it has two sad ice trays. When we arrived on a very hot day, there was no Ice available as housekeeping had just refilled the trays with water which was not frozen yet. For $ 1,400 a night, I expect ice. The wifi was intermittent and that was a big hassle. Finally, the master bedroom has a small tv but the two other bedrooms did not have televisions. House keeping was good. Some front desk staff was great but some were not very helpful.
Next year, we’ll chose alternate accommodations… We’ll return once they get the cottages into the 21^st century.

The location can’t be beat but this isn’t luxurious lodging. I got a really great deal on the stay (less than $ 200/​night) but I regret not staying somewhere more comfortable. If I paid their normal rate, I would have been upset. I stayed in the «rambler,» which is likely their low end cottage since we booked such a low rate room. My college apartment was nicer than this place. Note that You will hear EVERYTHING going on in the attached/​adjacent cottage (I literally heard the neighbor snoring all night and dogs barking from nearby). It’s more humble than expected and the unit we stayed in required some renovations. I don’t think spray foam should be used to repair visible holes and the bathroom was pretty makeshift.
The front desk assistants were really helpful and kind. The hotel also has complimentary popcorn, movies, books, bikes for guest use which I found helpful. They didn’t have any hotel transportation available during our stay but we had no problem getting around since the hotel is right in the middle of everything. The full kitchen with a keurig is really great but we didn’t take advantage of this since we were stayed so briefly.

Oh where do I start?! Even though I don’t live far from the island, this was only my 2^nd trip to Nantucket (we usually go to the Cape or Block Island). My 1^st time here I stayed in a private home in Siasconset. This time we stayed for 4 days at the Cottages; in Sea Syren at Straight Wharf, with our dog. We fell in love with the hotel & the island! Upon arrival from the ferry, we were picked up by the bellman in a golf cart & brought to the office where we were warmly greeted. We received a Welcome Goodie Bag, as did our dog! We were then carted over to Sea Syren, located directly behind The Gazebo bar, above Provisions restaurant — the lift got us settled in quickly & w/​o the stress of schlepping bags down cobblestone streets. It is a quaint, charming & sweet suite with a massive deck overlooking the bar/​hub of Straight Wharf. There was a large hammock on the deck where you could relax & see the water from. The rooms were clean, freshly renovated & roomy. Housekeeping was top notch & even arranged our dogs toys, bed & food neatly every day. Our dog received a 2^nd Goodie Bag on night 2 (treats, toys, water bowl, a card from the «House Dog» Ellie — it was SO sweet!) It was nice to have a small kitchen to make coffee & a refrigerator to store our drinks & snacks. It’s fully kitted out so you could make meals there without an issue if you chose (although there are SO many incredible restaurants on this island, I don’t know why you would eat in! LOL). The location was fabulous, you can walk anywhere in Town very easily. Free bikes are available as well & we rode pretty much the entire island. I was really impressed with how dog-​friendly the hotel & entire island are. We walked (our dog) more than 2 hours up & down Jetties & Dionis beaches, off leash… which was fabulous! The front desk attendant/​concierge Liane (she seemed to work 24 hrs. a day!) was incredibly friendly, warm & helpful. We met several other dogs & their parents in the office & everyone was just very kind & friendly. Upon checkout they picked us up in the golf cart again & delivered us right to the luggage bins at the ferry dock. The only minor, minor «thing» was the ferry horn that goes off at 6:30 a.m. every day. Just a couple of quick blasts, but after going out eating & drinking til the wee hours, 6:30 is a tad early for us. Oh & only on 1 day (our 1^st) did Provisions restaurant (directly downstairs), not seem to care that they make quite a bit of noise between 6:30 & 7 a.m. with hotel guests right overhead — lots of chatter, empty bottles being tossed & music. Luckily it only happened the 1 day & it was quick. I will definitely return to the Cottages — they were awesome start to finish!

We stayed in Catawba in June 2013 — there were three couples all in our 20s. Could not beat the location, Catawba is located right behind the Gazebo so we could walk to the bars/​restaurants and not worry about having to take a cab any where. The Hotel provided us with beach chairs (that were dropped off promptly on Saturday morning) and they also provided us with a cooler bag that we got to keep and bottled water for the beach.
The staff was very friendly and accommodating, the cottage was two floors with very comfortable beds (and slippers and robes!). Yes you can hear the fog horn when you’re that close to the docks, as well as the arriving first ferries of the day, but what else would you expect when you’re on an island?! I can’t wait to go back and enjoy the island at the Cottages & Lofts again soon!

We stayed at the Cottages at the Boat Basin this past weekend and were a little disappointed. The staff was friendly and nice, and we were given a nice welcome bag for our dog. We chose this hotel because they are pet friendly, and we had heard positive comments from friends who go to Nantucket often. However, we stayed in a one bedroom loft, and it was very small. It was so small, in fact, that we couldn’t walk past the foot of the bed and had to instead crawl over the bed in order to get out of the bedroom. It does have a small kitchenette, and the lady who handled housekeeping was very nice. The floors, however, were gritty and there was no Wi-​Fi service the entire 4 days of our stay. It had a nice cottage feel but is a bit too rustic and small for my personal taste. Overall, it was okay but not somewhere I’d stay again. Next time, we go to Nantucket, we will just bite the bullet and stay at the White Elephant where the rooms are larger and a bit more modern.

After my stay at The Cottages, I would pick this over staying at a Guest House any day. While not cheap, it was a lot less expensive than The White Elephant, and I can’t imagine that experience could be any better, especially when you consider the proximity to Town for the Cottages vs the White Elephant and the charm of being right on the dock. I usually rent a house for a few weeks with a big crowd and a bunch of cars. For a quickie weekend in which I didn’t want to bring a car over, we couldn’t have picked better by going with the Cottages. We didn’t realize til we got there that the ammenities included use of a van to take us wherever we wanted to go, a golf cart to cart our luggage around and bikes to use whenever we wanted. We thought we were going to have rent bikes and use taxis, so this was a very happy surprise.
I also want to point out the amazing service we got at The Cottages. The mechanism on the shower sort of collapsed while we were there, but it was really no big deal to fit it back on when needed to turn on the water. I realize this could be viewed poorly considering the prices, but as a lifetime visitor to the Island, I seriously appreciate that which is old and not all glammed up like so many things on the Island are now. The sticks in the windows to keep them up used to be a staple of every house I ever stayed in up until about 15 years ago when that all disappeared, so I loved seeing them in The Cottages. Anyway, I guess the chambermaid saw the shower mechanism laying on the tub, so when we got back for the day, there on the table was a gift bag with treats, a bottle of Pinot Noir and a note saying they were taking $ 200 off our bill for the trouble of the shower. They also sent a repairman to fix it. All seriously unnecessary but greatly appreciated.
Vs. staying in a guest house, I loved that we had a kitchenette. I also loved that there was half and half in the refrigerator when we arrived, so we didn’t wake up in the morning without cream for our coffee or, God forbid, the powdered stuff. These little details add up to a ton of appreciation.
My only recommendation to the Cottages is that they supply bungee cords for the bike racks (although the bikes did have baskets). This seems so minor, but just a tip for others who will be relying on a bike to get around… bring your own cord or strap for towels, etc.
If I ever take another quick trip to the Island, this is the first place I would choose to stay. Highly recommend.

I saw the White Elephant on a tv show and was dying to go to Nantucket. While booking online I saw the cottages and we really liked the idea of having our own cottage on the water since we have a rowdy almost 2 year old with us. I tried booking a 1BR for $ 395 (I believe it was, bad memory) but kept coming up with an error. I called and asked about it but was told it was not available. I asked what the price of a 2 BR was, was told $ 1400. But online it was $ 495? No thanks, I’ll book it myself! That one worked fine, and I’m glad we got the 2 BR cottage because the size was perfect for what we needed. Our son had his own room instead of adding a pack n play to ours.
We are here now writing this review, after some confusion with the shuttle bus guys we were brought to the right place. The cottage is awesome! Full kitchen, living room, dining room, back deck, 2 bedrooms, and the pack n play we requested. Everything is clean and airy, the shower has amazing water pressure, and the little guy has plenty of room to run around. I’d recommend bringing flip flops though, we’re all sliding around the hardwoods in socks. The front office staff is beyond friendly and helpful, they really help you get where you need to go. They recommended good restaurants and helped us rent a stroller ($ 20, so worth it to wheel him around town for the weekend), and provided us with movies, etc. The view from the (dirty, only drawback) windows is very nice, calm water and boats everywhere. Ahhh serenity.
We took a walk around the town, wow I love it here! We’ll have to come back when more places are open, it’s still the off season so we did a lot of window shopping and searching for an open restaurant. Amazing food by the way at the Centre St Bistro. The cottages are right next to a grocery store, so convenient for picking up some drinks and snacks, don’t bother lugging your own over on the ferry. Prices are not jacked up because it’s an island, I stocked up for like $ 13.
This review started off as 5 stars, now as I lay awake at 3am having had zero sleep it has dropped to a 3. It is still off season and there are not a lot of people here so I was expecting for it to be quiet. We went to bed exhausted at 10pm and the jerk next door decided to keep us up till midnight talking loudly with his door open 2 ft away from our bedroom. He was in and out banging the door, smoking, and coughing up a lung. The cottages are so close together that it felt like he was in our room! We could even see his underwear-​clad shadow on the door, it was creepy.
Around 12:30 as we finally drift off to sleep, the coffee maker downstairs loudly kicked on. We finally fell back to sleep, then at 2am this obnoxiously loud alarm starts up outside. At 2:30 I call the front desk and he has no idea what I’m talking about. I guarantee this is being heard for miles, it’s like a loud fog horn that sounds every 5 seconds. He said it was quiet where he was (up in town). I thought he was going to offer for us to move to a quieter location. Nope!
3 am, it’s still going. I am beyond miserable right now, $ 500 so I can be kept awake all night? I have a very cranky 2 year old on my hands right now, I wish I was home. Review just dropped to a 2.
3:30 am, still going. About to lose my shit.
4 am, another call to the front desk. You’d think they’d offer us a quieter room or something, there goes my day tomorrow. So tired! (:()
Heard back from the front desk, it is a fog horn as I thought, warning boats that there is land here. He said it will keep going as long as it’s foggy and to «try to get some sleep anyway». Thanks pal. It’s gonna be a loooong night.
I finally passed out around 4:30, only to be awoken at 5:30 by the ancient smoke alarm needing batteries. Really!!! Am I being punked right now!!!
The trusty fog horn is still going but I’m too tired to care, napped on and off until 7 when the alarm clock went off. (No, we did not set the alarm clock!)
We gave up from there, obviously sleeping is not an option here so we got up and packed our stuff. Do not come here if it is foggy, we went from saying we wanted to do this every year to we will never stay here again. Obviously I don’t expect the hotel people to stop the noise. The staff was very nice, and me to them, but I think we should have been offered a quieter room. Somewhere. Anywhere. They have a lot of properties here on the island, and it was still off season so I’m sure there were other rooms available.
Upon picking up our luggage after check out the nice front desk girl asked about the noise complaint, I let her know what all happened and she said the manager wanted to contact me for a complimentary night. We let her know that we would definitely return to Nantucket, but we would not be interested to stay on the water again! Too noisy, we don’t go away to be kept awake all night. Not very relaxing.

This place is AMAAAZZZZING! Went there for a weekend with mom and 2 dogs. THey had everything. The cottages were so clean and equipped with everything you would ever need. The dogs had their own bed (that they simply didnt want to get off from) toys, treats, food & water bowl, specialized name tags, etc. The staf was so friendly. The golf kart that took us to and from the cottage was so convenient. We even got to rent movies, game boards and cycles with baskets at the front desk. DEFINITELY returning to this place!

After such glowing reviews I am a little sorry to throw in a dampener.
For me this just was not up to scratch, at around $ 600 per night I expect more than a tiny 150 sf room. I could barely stand in the bathroom and bedroom.
We had our dog with us which is why we choose the cottages for 5 nights, as it is one of the few places that takes dogs on the island.
It depends what you want, we wanted more space to relax rather than a bedroom overlooking the dock with a tiny kitchen.

If you want to feel like you own a small piece of Nantucket, I very much recommend The Cottages. The Cottages are situated right on the docks/​wharf of Nantucket. Just a short walk from the ferry, they could not be in a better location — walking distance from the small downtown with lots of high end shops and restaurants.
We arrived a little early, prior to check in time, but were greeted by a very pleasant lady at the front desk who offered to take our cell phone number and call us as soon as the room was ready. She offered us bike rentals to keep us occupied, and stowed our luggage for us. The bikes were complimentary! She also gave us a great explanation of the island and a map with highlighted bike routes. We biked our way right over to the Cisco Brewery/​Distillery and enjoyed the afternoon in the sun. And best thing, it’s just a short bike ride away. Probably around 2 – 3 miles.
Every encounter with the staff at the front desk was great. They are knowledgable, friendly, and always with a smile. Very pleasant. And if you like dogs, there’s a very friendly and mellow yellow lab hanging out sometimes. — and with that being said, some rooms are pet friendly.
The cottages themselves are adorable. They feel very «beach house». We stayed in «Young Hero» which was small but had everything you needed for two people — a nice queen size bed (a little firm) but nice, new white linens and a fluffy down comforter, small kitchen with dishwasher, keurig with complimentary k-​cups, and a good sized bathroom (hairdryer’s there). The living room had a flat panel TV, DVD player (ask for DVDs at the front desk), and pull out sofa. The sofa wasn’t the most comfortable — seemed like a couch from a dorm room, but if you need extra sleeping space, it’d be nice to have that pull out. There were no extra linens in the room. I’m sure the front desk would be more than happy to provide them, but I have a feeling there is an extra charge. It was easy to feel at home in the cottages and definitely made you wish you could come back every weekend for the rest of the summer.
We did stay during the off season, so the area was quiet. The property was very well kept. I couldn’t recommend it more. I would return in a heartbeat.

We stayed here for a week in one of the cottages. It was very quaint, clean, well-​kept and close to a lot of the stores and restaurants. I loved waking up hearing the splash of the water outside my window.

Nothing beats the Cottages at the Boat Basin. This place was top notch. We stayed in the Phoebe Studio above the retail dress store Skirtin Around.
Flat Screen TV with DVD, Ipod dock, Super Lux Bed, Kitchenette with dish washer, high end everything. Housekeeping came everyday — total home away from home on the water.
I didn’t want to leave!!!