The Loft at Ginsey
Oak Bluffs Arts District Vacation Rental - ID 42077

My family's connection to Martha's Vineyard goes back more than 60 years. My parents first brought me to the Island in the summer of 1964, when I was barely six months old. My mother had been invited by a friend, and our family fell in love with the Vineyard.

In the early 1970s, my parents purchased the land where our home stands today. With five children to raise and educate, building a house had to wait. We continued to rent. In the early 1990s, my father and I finally took out a construction loan together and had both the main house and the garage apartment built.

The property has been part of our family ever since. Although both of my parents have passed away, I have maintained it as a family home that I continue to share with my siblings and extended family, as well as my wife and son.

Even the name reflects that history. My mother was Virginia, known to everyone as Ginny, and my father was Seymour. We combined their names — Ginny and Seymour — to name the property Ginsey, and the apartment became the Loft at Ginsey.

The Vineyard has been part of virtually my entire life, and the Loft gives us an opportunity to share a small part of our family's history with our guests. We hope people who stay here come to enjoy Oak Bluffs and Martha's Vineyard as much as generations of our family have.

What is special about this property?
What we love most about the Loft is the combination of privacy, convenience, and location. It is a completely separate second-floor studio above our detached garage, so guests have their own space while staying in an established residential Oak Bluffs neighborhood.

You can leave the car behind and walk about 15 minutes into downtown Oak Bluffs for restaurants, shops, nightlife, the harbor, and everything else that makes the town so much fun. Inkwell Beach is less than a mile away, and Tony's Market, Black Joy Restaurant, and the Arts District are only a few blocks from the house.

The Loft itself is fully furnished and equipped so guests can arrive and begin enjoying the Vineyard rather than setting up a household.

For us, its greatest asset is that you can be close to the energy of Oak Bluffs without having to stay right in the middle of it.

What is special about your town?
I have always thought of Oak Bluffs as a living, breathing theme park. There is something magical about it—the historic Flying Horses Carousel, the colorful gingerbread cottages, the harbor filled with boats, the beaches, shops, restaurants, music, and nightlife all come together in a compact, walkable town. Yet unlike a theme park, Oak Bluffs is also a real community with a rich history and a personality all its own.

From the Loft, downtown Oak Bluffs is about a 15-minute walk and the ferries about 20 minutes, so it is entirely possible to visit without bringing a car. Inkwell Beach is less than a mile away, and Island bus service makes it easy to explore Edgartown, Vineyard Haven, and the rest of Martha's Vineyard.

Summer is when Oak Bluffs is at its most vibrant, but there is much more to the town than the summer season. Spring and fall bring a quieter pace while still offering beautiful beaches, walking, biking, restaurants, and the opportunity to explore the Island without the summer crowds. Winter brings the quiet intimacy of a small Island town.

After more than 60 years of coming to the Vineyard, Oak Bluffs still feels special to me. There are certainly quieter and more formal places on the Island, but few combine history, beach life, entertainment, community, and a sense of fun quite the way Oak Bluffs does.