Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Nantucket / The Wauwinet
The Wauwinet
Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States · White Elephant · High Luxury
Nantucket's only Relais & Châteaux hotel first welcomed guests in 1875 as the Wauwinet House, named for a historic sachem of the island's east end, and still sits at the edge of the Great Point Wildlife Sanctuary with private beaches on both bay and ocean. Topper's has held Wine Spectator's Grand Award every year since 1996 and is reached by land or aboard the Wauwinet Lady. A MICHELIN Key and Forbes Four-Star cover the clapboard inn's rooms, cottages, and villas.
- 32 rooms
- Opened 1875
- Neighborhood: Wauwinet
About The Wauwinet
- The Wauwinet House opened in 1875; an 1876 Inquirer & Mirror shore dinner drew 163 guests calling for more chowder.
- Topper's has received Wine Spectator's Grand Award every year since 1996, with a cellar of about 2,000 wines and oysters harvested a few hundred yards away.
- Guests can reach Topper's by land or aboard the Wauwinet Lady, a 20-passenger boat that also shuttles to White Elephant on the harbor.
- It is Nantucket's only Relais & Châteaux hotel, with a MICHELIN One Key (2025) and Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026).
- The Karp family bought the inn in 1986 and reopened it in 1988 as The Wauwinet after a full renovation.
The setting
1.8 miles from Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge. 7.6 miles from Nantucket Downtown Historic District.
Restaurants and bars
- TOPPER'S — Restaurant · Chef Kyle Zachary
- Wauwinet Casino — Restaurant · steaks, lobster, clams, fresh fish
Experiences
- Season Finale Murder Mystery Dinner — Themed interactive murder mystery dinner with a three-course menu, optional wine pairing and a three-part show.
- NantucketGrown Dinner — Four-course menu in TOPPER'S featuring Nantucket's seasonal harvest and island purveyors, with optional wine pairing.
- Castello di Ama Wine Dinner — Four-course menu with five Castello di Ama wines, presented by winery owner Lorenza Sebasti, in the private dining room.
- Shore dinners and island dining — Good food on the shores of Nantucket, in the tradition of the historic shore dinner.
- Sailing, swimming, fishing, tennis and picnics — Summer days of sun, sea and sand with sailing, swimming, fishing, tennis, parties and picnics.
Amenities
- Spa
- Tennis
- Private beach
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
- Wine Spectator Grand Award (Topper's) (2025)
Open The Wauwinet in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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