The National is the building on the postcard — the long white Victorian with the flag-topped cupola that greets every arriving ferry. Staying here is the island’s most convenient move: you walk off the boat, cross the street, and your vacation has started before the rest of your ferry has found its luggage.

What it’s like

Forty-six rooms with the essentials handled — air conditioning, private baths, TVs — in a genuine 19th-century landmark. The famous porch runs the length of the front, and the restaurant on it serves lunch and dinner with Old Harbor as the floor show. Out back is the modern surprise: a firepit yard with eight fire pits, food service, and live entertainment nightly in season — the rare hotel backyard that’s a destination on its own. There are even a handful of shops inside the building, for the full village-under-one-roof effect.

The honest trade-offs

The center-of-everything address cuts both ways: Water Street is lively on summer nights, and light sleepers should ask about room placement. This is the hotel for people who want to be in it — if your island fantasy is silence and stone walls, look at the countryside inns instead.

Who it fits

First-timers, no-car travelers, and anyone maximizing a short trip — the ferry, the restaurants, the shops, and the beach are all on foot from the porch. Weigh it against the quieter options in the full hotel rundown, and lock summer weekends early — landmark buildings with this address do not sit unsold.