Renting 20 West Chester Street

For July and August, between October and February for the following summer. Returning guests get first refusal in October and the remaining prime weeks are usually gone by the end of February.

June and September stay available considerably longer and can often still be booked in the spring — which, given how good September is here, is the best-value fact on this page.

Exclusive use of the whole house, all linens and bath towels, a full clean before arrival and after departure, utilities, air conditioning, Wi-Fi, firewood for the porch and firepit, and welcome provisions.

There is no cleaning fee bolted on at checkout, no service fee and no platform commission, because you are booking directly with the owner’s office. Massachusetts state and Nantucket local short-term rental taxes are additional and appear as a separate line on the agreement.

Not in the summer season. The house lets Saturday to Saturday with a one-week minimum. Shoulder-season stays outside July and August are occasionally considered, so ask.

Fifty per cent on signing, the balance sixty days before arrival, along with taxes and a refundable damage deposit. Bookings made inside sixty days are payable in full on signing.

Sums paid are refundable only if the week re-lets at the same rate, which is standard on Nantucket. Travel insurance is strongly recommended. The rates page sets this out in full.

Ten. Four en-suite bedrooms — one on the first floor, two guest suites and the master on the second — plus a third-floor playroom with two built-in full-size twin daybeds and a half bath. On paper it is a four-bedroom house; in practice it functions as a five-bedroom.

Yes. August on Nantucket is humid often enough that this matters more than people expect when they book in January.

No. The outdoor space is a sunny bluestone patio with a dining table and a firepit conversation area, a covered side porch, and a rear garden bounded by protected woods. Jetties and Steps Beach are both about fifteen minutes on foot.

No to both. The house is non-smoking, does not accept pets, and is not available for events, parties or commercial photography. The occupancy limit of ten is firm.

In at 3pm Saturday, out at 10am the following Saturday. The gap is what allows a full turnover clean, and it is not flexible in season.

By ferry from Hyannis. The Steamship Authority runs the car and passenger ferry, about two and a quarter hours; Hy-Line runs the fast passenger ferry, about an hour. Both land a ten to twelve minute walk from the house, which is the single best argument for this address.

By air. Nantucket Memorial Airport (ACK) takes seasonal direct service from New York, Boston, Washington and other East Coast cities. Ten minutes from the house by car.

Not for this house. Main Street, the ferries, the Whaling Museum and Children’s Beach are walkable; the bike paths reach Surfside and Cisco. Most guests hire bicycles for the week and would tell you the car was the thing they used least.

If you do want one, ferry car reservations for July and August need to be made months ahead — often before your rental is even confirmed. Hiring on-island is the simpler route.

Late July and the first three weeks of August are warmest and busiest, with the water at its best in August. Mid to late June is quieter, with the longest daylight of the year.

September is the island’s secret: warm water, empty beaches, restaurant tables you can actually get, and reliably fine weather through mid-month. The guide goes week by week.

Yes. Provisioning before you land, a private chef for one night or every night, mid-week housekeeping, beach permits, bicycle hire and boat charters are all arranged on request and billed at cost. Tell us when you book rather than when you arrive — the good people are spoken for early.