White Elephant
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About
#14 of 52 hotels in Nantucket
Location
4.8
Cleanliness
4.7
Service
4.5
Value
4.0
An island landmark, the iconic White Elephant, has been named among the finest luxury hotels on Nantucket Island for decades. Steeped in island charm, surrounded by the natural beauty of Nantucket's timeless surroundings, our waterfront resort has grown to include chic rooms with abundant natural light, spacious suites many with balconies and magnificent harbor views, garden cottages, luxurious residences and downtown lofts. Edging the harbor, White Elephant is steps from Children's Beach, the Brant Point Lighthouse, and Nantucket Town. Relax by the outdoor heated pool in a private cabana or hop on a bike and explore the area. Enjoy steaks and seafood, sip cocktails on the Harborside Lawn, or rejuvenate in our spa. Take in the sights of Nantucket Harbor and experience the beauty, serenity, and romantic nature of Nantucket Island.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Outdoor pool
Fitness Center with Gym / Workout Room
Bar / lounge
Bicycle rental
Bicycles available
Children's playground
Parking
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Heated pool
Fence around pool
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Breakfast in the room
Complimentary Instant Coffee
Kids' meals
Outdoor dining area
Snack bar
Special diet menus
Wine / champagne
Poolside bar
Highchairs available
Strollers
Business Center with Internet Access
Conference facilities
Banquet room
Meeting rooms
Spa
Body wrap
Couples massage
Facial treatments
Baggage storage
Concierge
Gift shop
Non-smoking hotel
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun umbrellas
Doorperson
First aid kit
Umbrella
24-hour check-in
24-hour front desk
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
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Room features
Air purifier
Bathrobes
Air conditioning
Desk
Housekeeping
Interconnected rooms available
Flatscreen TV
Walk-in shower
Private balcony
Room service
Safe
Telephone
Wardrobe / closet
Bottled water
Clothes rack
Iron
Private bathrooms
Tile / marble floor
Wake-up service / alarm clock
Bath / shower
Complimentary toiletries
Hair dryer
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Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Great View
Luxury
Languages Spoken
English
Location
50 Easton St, Nantucket, MA 02554-2258
White Elephant
Getting there
Great for walkers
Grade: 99 out of 100
99
Nantucket Memorial Airport
2.9 mi•
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Barnstable Airport
27.9 mi•
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Rental Cars
59 Restaurants
within 0.3 miles
568Reviews5Q+A100Room tips
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Overall this was a disappointing stay. The rooms (which supposedly have been redone) are still in need of repair ( wood rot around the shower stall for example, windows that were rotten causing screens to fall out). Even at the off season rates, this place charges top dollar-but the facilities don't match the price. Service was iffy--some staff were good and others were not. Food service was pedestrian.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: The pool is tiny-and getting a spot can be difficult.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
We stayed in a suite in the Residences building (highly recommend). Was quiet, easy access to town, appreciated the pastries/cookies/cheese out during the day, used one of their bicycles one day for a ride around the island (lots of bike paths). Super comfy bed. Excellent customer service.
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip: Excellent location, free parking and nice rooms. We really liked the suites in the Residences.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
My husband and I recently visited Nantucket and stayed at The White Elephant on a trip with several other couples. The Pros: the grounds are absolutely stunning. The location is amazing - you're right on the water with a view of the boats. You can also easily walk to most spots in the heart of downtown. It's a larger hotel and has nice amenities, though we never used the pool or spa, etc. But the food and drinks were excellent! The Cons: the prices are as though you're staying in a 5-star hotel in Japan, and the service does not even come close to meeting the prices. To me, the Montage is an excellent example of service / an entire experience worth paying for. But in addition, the rooms are dated and have very little privacy if you have a water view (everyone can walk right past you on the walkways outside of each room that are between your room and the view unless you pay even more for your own private balcony that no one can walk past). Also, if you decide to book a room anywhere near speakers beneath you from either the spa or the restaurant to save a few bones, be prepared to be awakened in the morning to the bass below that "they have no control over". I'm a night owl and we were out with friends each night, but I would be awakened each morning by the music beneath by 6 or 7am. The first night, it was never even turned off overnight. I had to request it the next day. But the service is really what turned our entire group off. Without going into way too much detail, basically every basic request we asked for was a NO. We were joking about it as a group that literally every single thing any one of us had asked for was met with a no. And there are A LOT of rules, and there is no bending them. The customer is NOT always right at The White Elephant - the customer is always wrong, and I do not think that is appropriate for the price. …
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
+1
For years, we have wanted to go back to Nantucket and stay at the White Elephant. Finally, we stayed three nights in July at the Inn in a King room. The room was basic as we expected and had not been recently remodeled like the Harborside Hotel and Garden Cottages. The front desk staff was professional and responsive but blasé. The prominent location of the sprawling White Elephant property is exceptional – within walking distance to almost everything. Although we did not have the opportunity to take advantage of all the resort amenities, we did enjoy the complimentary bicycles and took advantage of the in-town complimentary courtesy vehicle service to go to restaurants, etc. Every day at 4:00pm port and cheese were served in the lobby of the Inn which was a nice touch. The infamous Boston Grill 23 opened a Pop-up restaurant at the Inn which drew quite a dinner crowd. Other than that, it was rather uneventful at the Inn. We did enjoy dinner at Topper’s in the sister property, The Wauwinet, where we celebrated a special occasion. It would have been our preference to take in the scenic waterfront during a 45-minute boat ride to Topper's, but the boat schedule is very restrictive, and we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the sunset. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay. Our main complaint was regarding the shower which was outdated, not well maintained or thoroughly cleaned. Upon arrival we noticed the water from the shower severely leaked out the door and onto the floor. We reported it and although maintenance addressed it immediately it was a very unskilled, ineffective repair. …
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
We’ve visited Nantucket a few times and have stayed at the White Elephant a couple times. This particular time we felt disappointed. Carpets were dirty, pastries in the morning were stop and shop quality, (where there are fabulous pastries available in town), room quality was not more than ok. Not appropriate for the room rate. Our room was very tired. Nothing special. Concierge, Lily was excellent. Pool staff very good. Main hotel was nice, we stayed in the INN. Since the residences are removed from the hotel, more care should be taken to ensure they are special. And that’s not the case.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
We just returned from a wonderful 4 night stay. It was our2nd visit to the island and our 1st visit to the White Elephant. We will return and have already decided on a week long stay next summer. Hotel is very expensive as is everything on the island but you get a quality product for your money. Loved our room, very comfortable. Every employee we encountered was very friendly and helpful. Loved the location as we enjoy being able to walk everywhere, but still liked being a little removed from the busy harbor/main st area.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
We went here Thursday and Friday & left on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. We loved this hotel and it’s location. The staff here are great and really know what customer service is all about. We so enjoyed the complimentary shuttle around town which made it very easy to not have to have a rental car. We would just call them and they would come right over to pick us up, it was excellent. The hotel room was gorgeous and we really loved the separate sitting area and don’t even get me started on the shower…it was one of the nicest showers we have ever had in a hotel! All the bath products were top of the line too and they gave you plenty of towels with extra large size bath towels which is always appreciated but never expected. I loved the expresso coffee machine too…what a nice touch. Nice fluffy robes you can use during your stay and even some slippers to take home with you. We would not hesitate a second to stay here again if we ever find ourselves in Nantucket in the future. Thank you everyone for a beautiful first visit to Nantucket, but hope it’s not our last. We didn’t have the opportunity to try their restaurant but maybe next time.…
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Date of stay: May 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip: Run don’t walk to this place!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
My wife and I just finished four magical days on Nantucket at The White Elephant Hotel to celebrate my 70th birthday. We’ve stayed at the White Elephant many times over the years and it never disappoints. The location is perfect, the staff is incredible, and we can’t wait to get back.
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Date of stay: June 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
We came here for our honeymoon last summer and have to say it was a very disappointing experience. I can not believe that we paid north of $800 / night for this poor level of service and dated hotel and lack of amenities. The only redeaming quality of the hotel is the location, but otherwise the hotel is quite dated and in desperate need of a top to bottom renovation. The room smelled of old furniture / carpeting and had a view to a construction site which was too bad. We could not believe what consistuted the gym. A tiny, windowless room that must have been a former closet with two broken treadmills. It was so crowded and hot we ended up leaving after 10 minutes which was incredibly disappointing. The spa was also closed all week due to water damage which I could not believe. Finally, in an attempt to salvage the honeymoon, we booked a massage in room through the front desk. We waited in our rooms for 30 minutes and the masseuses never showed. We called hte front desk repeatedly who gave us attitude and then were charged 3 days later for a massage that never happened! I genuinely cannot believe that this is a 5 star hotel and able to command the prices it does and am incredibly sad that we spent our one and only honeymoon here. I would strong strongly strongly recommend you look elsewhere. …
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Effectively no gym as it is a tiny cramped windowless room. The spa was closed. Rooms are dated.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Every experience with the two ladies at the front desk during the week was dreadful. Would love to know why. My mom and I were there a week and I was so afraid to speak to either of them because I knew it would be a hostile encounter. Thank goodness for Damien. He was the only bright light there.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Bettina Landt, General Manager at White Elephant
Responded May 7, 2023
Dear A6690ROjackw; Thank you for the review. I apologize for the behavior of the two ladies at the front desk during the week you were here. I cannot imagine why they would do such a thing. Regardless, of course, this should not ever happen. We have incorporated this feedback into our end of season reviews with the team that was there in October. Damien is wonderful! He is truly an asset to the team. Sincerely, Bettina Landt
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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PRICE RANGE
$416 - $1,133 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
white elephant nantucket
LOCATION
United StatesMassachusettsNantucket
NUMBER OF ROOMS
117
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Claim Your ListingWHITE ELEPHANT - Updated 2023 Prices & Hotel Reviews (Nantucket, MA)
Frequently Asked Questions about White Elephant
Which popular attractions are close to White Elephant?
Nearby attractions include Whaling Museum (0.09 miles), Brant Point Lighthouse (0.2 miles), and First Congregational Church (0.2 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at White Elephant?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge.
Which room amenities are available at White Elephant?
Top room amenities include air conditioning, a flat screen TV, and a desk.
What food & drink options are available at White Elephant?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and a poolside bar during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to White Elephant?
Conveniently located restaurants include b-ACK Yard BBQ, The Juice Bar Homemade Ice Cream, and Dune.
Are there opportunities to exercise at White Elephant?
Yes, guests have access to a fitness center and a heated pool during their stay.
Is White Elephant located near the city center?
Yes, it is 0.2 miles away from the center of Nantucket.
Are any cleaning services offered at White Elephant?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Does White Elephant offer any business services?
Yes, it conveniently offers a business center, meeting rooms, and a banquet room.
Are there any historical sites close to White Elephant?
Many travelers enjoy visiting Oldest House (Jethro Coffin House) and Kitchen Garden (0.4 miles), Greater Light (0.4 miles), and Hadwen House (0.4 miles).