WHERE TO STAY
Nantucket has about 1,200 hotel rooms, in bed-and-breakfasts, inns and guesthouses. You shouldn't have a problem finding a place - if you book in advance. But my advice - because hotel rooms and restaurants aren't cheap -- is to rent a house for your stay. There are all kinds of houses available (not just my brother's, which you will soon learn about!), and you can rent by the weekend, week, month or season. Nantucket real estate agents offering rentals include: Denby Real Estate (tel.: 508-228-2522), Nantucket Real Estate (tel.: 800-228-4070) and Edith Delker Real Estate (tel.: 508-257-9698).

MADAKET
My brother Frank has two houses on Nantucket (lucky guy, huh?). Frank's a smart businessman, and uses these houses mainly as vacation rentals. One house is just a few blocks from the center of town (I wrote about it last year). His other house is in Madaket. Madaket is 5 miles from Town Center. Native Nantucketers actually used to have summer houses there, because it's cooler then the Town Center. Madaket is the perfect place for a family vacation. It's quiet, the unpretentious houses are not right on top of each other, and it's on the beach. Warning: The Madaket surf is rough. There are lifeguards, but you really have to watch out for the little ones.

FRANK'S HOUSE
Frank's house is just a five minute walk from the beach. It has three bedrooms (1,2,3), three baths (including a one bedroom/bath cottage with fancy toiletries), and sleeps six people comfortably. The big difference between his other house and this one is that when you go to sleep with the windows open you can hear (and smell) the ocean waves crashing nearby. The house also has an outdoor shower, wireless high-speed internet, and a washer/dryer. For more information on how to rent Frank's house, log on to this website. If you're more of a "town" person, here's the link to his house on Cliff Road.

YOU DON'T NEED A CAR
Another plus about vacationing in Nantucket is that you really don't need a car. One option is to ride bikes. Nantucket has beautiful flat terrain. There are over 24 miles of bicycle paths, so it's an ideal place to cruise around. Most inns and house rentals (including Frank's) are stocked with bikes. If yours does not have one, there are plenty of bike rental shops (some even deliver). I love riding around. Not only is it relaxing and a good workout, but you can read all the houses names without stopping (almost every house in Nantucket has a name). Some are pretty funny, like "Thar She Blows". Frank calls his house "Frankie Starlight." It's nice, but it sounds better suited to a porno star or mobster. For those who don't ride, the NRTA (Nantucket Regional Transit Authority) Shuttle operates every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. There are stops all around the island. The closest to Frank's house is just 100 yards away, in front of the West End Market. From there it's a quick 20-minute ride into town. All NRTA rides cost $2.

GROCERY STORES OR TAKE OUT CLAM BAKE
The best part about renting a house is that you can live like a local by going to the grocery store and cooking at "home." The island has two supermarkets: Grand Union and Stop & Shop. The prices are not much higher than the mainland (here's a comparison chart). Almost every meal we had was at Frank's house. The one night we didn't feel like cooking, we ordered a takeout clambake from Sayless Seafood (no one wanted to personally kill the lobsters). $35 a person gets Nantucket clam chowder, half a pound of steamers, half a pound of mussels, corn on the cob, steamed red potatoes, and a 1-� -pound lobster with butter and broth. Sayless Seafood, 99 Washington St.; tel.: 505-228-4599. For more click HERE.