It raised a few eyebrows among the world travelers, but came as no surprise to those of us who visit and call Nantucket home, when National Geographic recently named Nantucket #1 on their “Top Ten Best Islands in the World” list. If you’ve never been to the island or only spent a brief few days here, this prestigious award might leave you scratching your head. Better than Tahiti? Better than Little Palm? Best in the whole wide WORLD? Really? But if you’re one of the many lucky Nantucket loyalists who were born and raised here or simply “washed ashore” for a vacation or summer home purchase, you have a keen understanding how the National Geographic author so easily fell in love at first sight.
As I sit here trying to define or describe what it is that so many of us know intuitively, it isn’t easy. Just what is it that makes this little island paradise “the best?” If you break it down into small parts, there are dozens (hundreds maybe?) of little “bests.” Best beaches, best restaurants, best sunsets, best sunrises, best starry sky, best singing birds, best historical preservation, best climbing roses, best Main Street, best art galleries, best flower gardens, best harbor, best cobblestones, on and on and on. Any of these charming Nantucket features might be reason enough to consider the island #1, but I think the rationale for the decision lies in something deeper, something intangible…something we like to call the “Nantucket Experience.”
Over the years, we’ve had dozens of summer guests…every single one, to a person, have fallen in love with Nantucket. Many of them declaring it the best vacation they’ve ever had. Several of them went home and tried to recapture their experience by creating Nantucket themed rooms and décor. All reporting it just isn’t the same as being here. One of those friends recently returned for their third visit to Nantucket and is now in the process of purchasing their first Nantucket home. They’ve decided, like many before them, to make the “Nantucket Experience” part of their permanent family legacy.
Whether you’re planning your first visit to the island, settling in to your Nantucket rental or summer home for the season or are lucky enough to live here year round, pause this summer to reflect on and fully enjoy your own Nantucket Experience. Celebrate the opportunity to spend time on “the best island in the world.” In the indelible words of Tina Turner….it’s “simply the best…
…better than all the rest.”
Shellie Dunlap
