After reading the post dated 3/22/08 I had to laugh and write. On 3/22 we had checked in at around 1:00 and got the king water view, fireplace, plasma t.v., balcony along with the 80 degree temps. Not good for severe asthmatics I assure you. Opened the two windows behind the bed and boy did the fan from the restaurant below make the room smell like a New York Sirloin! How anyone could handle that smell is beyond me. Thankfully the inn was not fully booked and they were very accommodating and moved us, otherwise I can say we probably would have left the smell was that horrible. We were moved to a lovely suite on the 2nd floor, facing downtown, nice large balcony and separate seating area. I would also find this room to be wonderful for anyone traveling with children as the bedroom and seating area is sectioned off by glass French doors.

The room was tastefully decorated, new carpeting. Although the furniture did show a bit of wear with some stains on the cushions. But no dust, bathroom spotless and we found the bed to be extremely comfortable and clean.

Tried to use hot tub in spa area and was just way too hot for either one of us so that was a bit of a disappointment but that’s o.k.

Dinner at Zephrus was excellent. They have no problems with you bringing in your own wine or spirits to the table. Service was consistent and atmosphere was candle lit and very inviting. We had breakfast the following morning which consisted of “help yourself” continental which included sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs and home fries, various breads, juices and coffee. Service was non-existent with a young lady whom was more interested with changing the radio station and looking bored.

Our prior experience last May with the front desk staff was not warm and inviting, but I can honestly say this experience was excellent. I am sure it also has to do with it being off season and not the craziness of being fully booked.

We will return to the Mansion House without hesitation but would also not be traveling to M/V during high season due to preferring the more laid back true M/V feel without the traffic and craziness.

A special thank you to Jen for our wonderful room change and to Nancy for her amazingly warm and friendly personality. Hope to see you again soon!

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!