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The Wauwinet - Part Two

© Fred Durand

The early 1920s witnessed the construction of Polpis and Wauwinet roads, allowing travel to the hotel by automobile for the first time. The resort continued as a social center of the island with the Casino a tradition for an evening of dining and dancing, not to mention an idyllic setting for that perfect wedding. Signatures in the Wauwinet's guest book include Eleanor Roosevelt, Diamond Jim Brady, and Prince Albert of Monaco.

Two years after our honeymoon lunch, the Inn was purchased by prominent Boston developers Stephen and Jill Karp. Following a 20-month, $8-million renovation, the Wauwinet reopened in 1988. What we had thought was a deserted old structure just waiting to be leveled by the next hurricane was simply closed for the season. We left the curious old building without giving it much further thought and headed down the sandy road toward Great Point Light.

Today the Wauwinet is one of the top 4-star hotels in the country with 35 guest rooms and cottages. Room tariffs average $700 - $800 during July and August, the cottages over $1000 per night. Included in the 1988 renovation was the opening of Toppers, the Inn's now renowned restaurant serving both hotel guests and the public. Two dining rooms seat 84 patrons in an understated but sophisticated décor that matches the Inn perfectly. Just in case you were wondering, restaurant guests are served martinis and manhattans by the pitcher and the wine cellar tops 20,000 bottles.

In stark contrast are the 30,000 or so tourists and locals who drive their SUVs right through the middle of the Wauwinet's property each year, beer in the coolers and fishing poles in the ski racks. Wauwinet Road divides the hotel's property, separating the parking lot, tennis courts and ocean beach from the restaurant and main hotel building. Besides being the only public road leading to the hotel, it is also the only land access to Great Point, Coatue and the Haulover. Together, these popular areas form a 7-mile long sand and moor peninsula owned and maintained by the Nantucket Conservation Foundation and other non-profit organizations. Open to the public year round, it is protected open space, home to some of the most gorgeous beaches and finest fishing the island has to offer. The parade of 4-wheel drive vehicles passing the hotel on a daily basis attests to this. It is not uncommon to witness an SUV full of folks returning from a long day of surfcasting and Budweiser stopping at the hotel's entrance to allow a couple decked out in evening wear to cross the narrow road from the parking lot to the restaurant's entrance.

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