My wife & I stay at various B&B's or inns several times a year and always appreciate the experiences which make each stand out. In March 2008, only 20% of the shops on the Vineyard are open. Accordingly, this review would not apply as well if you plan to visit in summer. The 45 minute (and $7!) ferry ride from Wood's Hole was a delight and set the stage for a pleasant mid-week getaway. Walking to the Mansion House from the ferry terminal is a quick six minute jaunt - with a back pack instead of a car. The building was rebuilt following a fire several years ago, so everything is fairly new and with most of the kinks (typical of old buildings) already worked out. The four story structure tightly set in downtown Vineyard Haven uses its space well and has a large pool, whirlpool, exquisite massage facilities (which I highly recommend), an excellent and extensive gym and an adjacent restaurant called Zephrus which was above average in both quality and price. Rooms vary but our fairly high-end room was comfortable, had a water and ferry view (same as web-cam at http://www.mvol.com/webcammansionhouse/ ), of medium size and with a mini-balcony, gas fireplace and 24" (not 42" as advertised) flat screen TV. The king size bed dished down some 6" in the middle making sleeping difficult. The front desk offered no help with a thinner pillow (What! You want like a thinner, dead pillow? No one ever asked for that before!). Wine bottle openers are available if you go down to get one, sign it out and return it - not a high-end response. We could not get the temperature (on the top floor) to go below 80 degrees and opening the slider did not work as the huge kitchen vent below blew in grease-laden air. The stairways contained several fold-up beds making a quick exit difficult should another fire occur. One night, we decided to stay in and order pizza but it turns out no one in all of Martha's Vineyard delivers pizza - oh well. I was pleased that the final bill was exactly as they said it would be. They offer a two-night "mid-week revival" for $229 per person which actually totals $597.80 when you add several taxes, a mandatory 18% gratuity and a water-view upgrade. The Vineyard has this problem: Property is so expensive that commercial purchasers cannot open a normal business and charge normal prices while maintaining their ability to pay their mortgage or rent. Accordingly, many, many things are simply not available. We enjoyed our stay at Mansion House and were glad we went but probably will not return.

Gosh, this place is one we want to love.BUT.......The management lost our reservation, there were some sad looking linens on the bed and we were overlooking the busiest intersection on the Vineyard, the famous 5 Corners. Traffic kicks in early there, so there's no sleeping in, even during the slow winter season. The worst part is the restaurant. The food was dreadful. On an island where food is supposed to be the best, featuring local fish and vegetables, it was appallingly bad, Chewy, waxy calamari, and bland desserts. The lighting in the restaurant is so dark that you can't read the newspaper during your breakfast, which is probably a tactical decision made by management; during my breakfast, We were more focused on the dirty floor than on the morning newspaper. It's so easy to sweep a floor up. Why not do it? It was really a mess on that floor. We went to use the pool and it was filled with about 40 kids. So the whole spa thing was out. We have stayed at the Harborview in Edgartown and would say that would be a better choice.

We stayed in Oct 07. It was just a short walk from the ferry to Mansion House so no need for a taxi. It is a very quaint, beautiful hotel. Our room was large and decorated very nicely. Restaurant was great. Staff very nice. But the best part, which we almost missed, was the deck on top of hotel. The day we were leaving we saw a sign about it in the elevator so we went up to check it out. What a view!!! A great place to hang out if the weather allowed. Mansion House is located downtown, close to all shops. Highly recommend it!

We had the most wonderful celebration of our 15th wedding anniversary at the Manion House this past 4-day holiday weekend. The room had a fabulous king-sized bed, a gas fireplace with all the finest island-styled furniture and cheerful decor. Everything from top to bottom of this treasured getaway was iin perfect order and immaculatey spotless (not like some so-called 'year-round' island hotels that skate by during off-season. Even the off season rates were reasonable. I'll gladly trade the absence of warmer weather to avoid contending with the hoards of summer tourists.

We have absolutely no complaints about anything to speak of. The service was friendly and helpful. The place has been fully restored to perfection, only better than it was before the fire that burned it to the ground in 2000. It has all the amenities and charm of a 19th century landmark without the damp, musty smell , the creaky floors, or paper-thin walls!

The view from the cupola is spectacular, even on a snowy day in January. The quality of the food at the Zephrus Restaurant was excellent with quite a variety. The actual Olympic sized lap pool pleasantly surprised my wife, who swims a mile daily and is normally a pool 'snob' when we go on vacation, but not this time!

The Manion House was a convenient walk to many shops, stores, and restaurants that were thankfully open during this frigid time of the year, unlike shops in most other towns on the Vineyard. We were only a stone's throw from the famed "Black Dog" Tavern, where we ate lunch twice.

We enjoyed much of our time just hanging out in the hotel, lounging around in the lovely lobby or warming by the fire in the hotel library reading or playing backgammon. What a double treat to stay holed up in our room all Sunday afternoon, watching both the NE Patriots and the NY Giants make history by winning the playoffs. What better place to see it all from on our large plasma-screened TV, right in the middle of our comfy-cozy king-sized bed!

To top it all off, we scheduled a double massage for my wife and I in the Spa and enjoyed a little slice of heaven. I have had many therapeutic massages in my day from certified therapists all over the world, but this was without question the best of them all.

We can't wait to come back to Martha's Vineyard in the spring and enjoy another unforgetable weekend at the Mansion House.