The Lambert’s Cove Inn changed hands back in April, and new owner John Cain came in with a couple of ideas.
“This is a dream come true for me,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to own a hotel here.”
John and his wife have a 7-year-old daughter. “We bring her everywhere,” Cain said. “We want everyone to feel welcome here.”
That inspired the first big change at the West Tisbury inn, restaurant, and farm. Under prior ownership, the place wasn’t as family friendly. Now that kids are allowed, Cain had some design changes to make.
“Before, it felt very dated,” Cain said, as he walked through the entrance and into the lobby during a recent tour. “This area right here,” he pointed to the right of the entrance, “this was a ‘sitting room.’ I don’t even know what that means.”
Now that room is a lounge with a couch, chairs, a television, and game table. It overlooks a large lawn equipped with summer essentials — corn hole, ladder ball, and other lawn games.
The room to the left of the entrance used to be another sitting room which Cain has transformed into a general store. It’s stocked with Island art, books, jewelry, and snacks for sale. Every day at around 2 pm, freshly baked cookies are put out in the general store for guests, and there’s free coffee all day.
“We wanted to get creative with all the space we have,” Cain said.
Then, he walked back through the lobby and into the restaurant bistro, which used to be a library. The space has brand-new white and blue subtly striped wallpaper, black painted light fixtures, and farm-style furniture. The room is lined with booths with benches and dark blue cushions. The grand piano was replaced by a small cocktail bar.
Black painted French doors separate the bistro from the dining room, a larger space with more dining tables.
“We ripped out the carpet that was here and replaced it with these hardwood floors,” Cain said. “Every square inch in all four buildings has been repainted. There’s new furniture, new light fixtures, and new art in every room.”
The main building at Lambert’s Cove Inn has seven guestrooms, and the other three buildings spread throughout the property have four guest rooms.
“This building was an old wagon house in the 1800s,” Cain said while we walked to the guest building located on the side of the property. We walked into one of the rooms and it smelled brand new.
Striking white walls and white bedding open up the space with bright light and an inviting aesthetic. Modern rustic dressers with silver detail rest on the re-carpeted floors. A white-framed piece of Island art hangs over the bed. The bathrooms were also refurbished, and sparkle with an unmistakable newness.
If you head out back, you’ll notice another major addition to the Lambert’s Cove Inn — a farm. Four alpaca named Butter, Toast, Hamilton, and Marco, now have a home at the West Tisbury inn. There’s also a chicken coop with 50 chickens, providing fresh eggs to the restaurant every morning.
As you walk to the back of the property, there’s a new firepit with red Adirondack chairs for guests and visitors to use. Adjacent to that is the pool space, which is one of the only areas that remained largely unchanged, according to Cain. There’s a pool, a small stone waterfall, and a hot tub.
Out front, another addition to the inn is a shuttle service that brings guests to and from Lambert’s Cove Beach. There’s also a golf cart, bicycles, and e-bikes for rent. Eventually there will be a Tesla charging station — which will be one of three on the Island. The two other Tesla charging stations are at the Harbor View Hotel, and the Thorncroft Inn.
Lambert’s Cove has also introduced pop-up dinners, poolside barbecues, and brunch on Sundays. They’ve increased their staff to include a general manager, assistant manager, event manager, caretaker, drivers, hostesses, bussers, servers, and front desk staff.
“I think our staff is about 10 times larger than it used to be,” Cain said.
Cain wants to make Lambert’s Cove Inn, Restaurant, and Farm a wedding destination, and hopes to build a barn where the tennis court currently sits. Just last week, a couple toured the property.
“They basically took one look around and said, ‘Alright, who can we make the check out to?’” Cain said.
The outside landscape is maintained by Garden Angels, an Island company. The interior design, which Cain calls modern or chic farmhouse, was established by Roberta Sobran of Delicious Designs out of Hingham.
“This is just phase one,” Cain said. “There are so many plans in the works. I’m having so much fun.”
Lambert’s Cove Inn, Restaurant, and Farm is located at 90 Manaquayak Rd., West Tisbury. For more information visit lambertscoveinn.com, or call 800-535-0272.
