Cape Cod - Martha's Vineyard Help

[earpiemom]

We are planning a vacation in June to the Cape Cod area. I am so overwhelmed with all of the info I have found. I have no idea where to stay. Would love to be beachfront but I know that may be very pricey. Any advice? Family of 4.

 

[a1tinkfans]

did you check out tripadvisor?

 

[jackie101]

http://www.baysideresort.com/

this is in Yarmouth not on the beach, but a very nice family hotel. Not sure if you are set on the vineyard or just cape cod.

Hyannis is also a nice part of the cape

 

[Maggie'sMom]

did you check out tripadvisor?

DD and I took a trip to the Cape and Boston last summer and I relied heavily on Tripadvisor. It gave me great ideas and steered me towards decent hotels that were affordable. We stayed in East Dennis, which is mid-Cape. We weren't beachfront though.

 

[lindsmom]

We are planning a vacation in June to the Cape Cod area. I am so overwhelmed with all of the info I have found. I have no idea where to stay. Would love to be beachfront but I know that may be very pricey. Any advice? Family of 4.

It definitely matters if you are tied to Martha's Vineyard, which is extremely pricey. If you're flexible on locations, there are many beautiful areas here. Wellfleet or Eastham (close to my heart) are quieter areas - lots of beach, close to good whale watching. Wellfleet has an authentic drive in which is a classic. Mini golf, fried clams, and bike riding along the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Also take a day trip to PTown (if you dare) depending on the ages of your children

Not quite so far down the Cape, Dennis and Yarmouth are more active but still with beaching available. This is a more interesting section for rainy days, as the Mall is in Hyannis, or shopping in downtown Hyannis. Similarly, Falmouth is a very active area with enough to do in addition to beaching.

Nearly everything is within an hour of anything else, with the exception of far outer Cape (Wellfleet - PTown) and Falmouth.

I would look at vrbo for a beachside home rental, if that interests you. If you're going for a shorter stay there are TONS of "resorts" that tend to be highly overrated but if you double check tripadvisor's review that will likely help a lot.

Now is a good time to look for a place to stay, especially if you're looking at homes, as we are starting to book already around here.

 

[3boymthr]

Be aware that unlike other parts of the country unless you pay thru the NOSE you will NOT find a hotel with direct beach front access. It just doesn't happen on Cape Cod, there are NO soaring sky scraper type hotels or condo units with beach front access. For the most part, only the really high end resorts have direct beach front access. IF you can find one, even the cheap and cheasy hotels that have direct beach front access are very pricey for what you are getting especially compared to what you find in a place like Ocean City or Rehoboth Beach.

Even while not direct access most of the hotels are nice, but like most resorts overpriced for what you get.

Martha's Vineyard, again, while very nice is very very pricey be it hotel, cottage, house or B&B and unless you are set on going there I'd go for the cape itself and make MV a day trip.

I second Lindsmom, the outer cape is where my family prefers to go - we love Eastham and it's proximity to the National Seashore and P-Town. Also love being able to watch the sunrise over the ocean in the morning and drive across town to watch it set over the ocean in the evening - this is actually a thing that many people do down there. Areas like Hyannis are more developed, but still don't come near to the development that you will find in more southern beach towns.

If you are planning on staying a full week, I strongly recommend renting a cottage/house. In contrast to southern beach locales most of the rental units on the Cape are not palatial and are set up to accomodate single families not huge groups so it's very possible to get a place right on the beach, and less expensively a place very close to the beach (walking distance is considered 1/4 mile or less). VRBO has a good selection of cottages, but I also recommend checking out local realtors as VRBO doesn't have as huge a catalog on the cape as you will find as if you were renting on say the OBX. Most realtors have great selection of cottages/houses and the added on rental fees are usually very reasonable (@$50 plus cleaning and sec deposit is what we've usually paid).

ETA - I noticed that you are planning on visiting in June - I'd strongly recommend going later in the month as opposed to earlier in the month; Although the beaches will be empty during the week early in the month (Elementary and High Schools here let out mid to late June - my kids get out the 16th), the water will be so cold you won't be able to enjoy it. We've gone in early August and had water temps in the high 50s. If you do plan on arriving in early June I'd plan for south coast. MV will still be extremely cold thru June too. Also, you may want to avoid Chatham. In recent years, especially in June, they've had to close the beaches because of Great White sharks, which are there to get the seals (makes for a fun day trip on a boat though!)

 

[TrulyMadlyDisney]

I live on Marthas Vineyard. Where are you looking. Vineyard Haven and Oak bluffs are the most budget friendly. Edgartown very pricey. Beach front probably not in your budget. The Surfside in Oak Bluffs is the most popular and only steps from beach.

 

[earpiemom]

Thanks to everyone for all of the info so far. I have looked at trip advisor but have gotten confused as to what area we would want to stay in. I would love to be beachfront but I do understand that it would most likely be pricey. I guess I really don't know what area we need to stay in. We would be there the week of June 10th. We are a family of four but a little odd in the fact that we have two boys that are 13 years apart. My oldest son is 20 and my other one is 7.

 

[capegirl]

True, you will pay $$$ for ocean front, but wherever you stay on the Cape you will not have far to drive to get to the beach. There is a very nice Sheraton 4 Points Resort on Route 6 in in Eastham, and they have indoor and outdoor pools. The hotel is a only stones throw from the National Seashore where the scenery is absolutely majestic, but the water is absolutely frigid. You will also be close to Provincetown...lots of fun eclectic shopping, and dinning. Main Street in Hyannis is also great for shopping and dinning, and just a stones throw away from the boats if you want to explore the islands on a day trip. The Cape Codder resort is located in Hyannis, and great for young families; they even have a wave pool...good for rainy/cold days. Don't miss route 6A.. very pretty drive with quaint shops and restaurants along the way;stop by Grumpy's in Dennis for a fabulous breakfast. Each area of the Cape has it's own unique personality; you can be as busy, or relaxed as you choose to be. I'm sure your family will love it.

 

[jodifla]

We've gone to Eastham the past 25 years ago and just love it there. It's well situated for families with the drive in, mini golf, gulfside beaches, the National Seashore, etc. And it's not far from Hyannis and Provincetown.

We stay in a cottage that have a view of Town Cove.

Cape Cod doesn't have a lot of beachside with hotels on it. The Cape isn't set up that way. Much of the beach there is protected seashore.

 

[PinballFamily]

OP - the Boston area news stations were reporting last week that Cape rentals have been really booming this year. Much earlier bookings and filling up faster than in the past couple of years. Lots of guesses as to why things are so much busier - economy, etc. - but FWIW, you may want to nail this down as soon as you can. You may be fine though, as most schools here are still in session through mid/end of June and the news bits *may* be referring more to July/August dates, which is more prime time.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

 

[kmacht]

Thanks to everyone for all of the info so far. I have looked at trip advisor but have gotten confused as to what area we would want to stay in. I would love to be beachfront but I do understand that it would most likely be pricey. I guess I really don't know what area we need to stay in. We would be there the week of June 10th. We are a family of four but a little odd in the fact that we have two boys that are 13 years apart. My oldest son is 20 and my other one is 7.

I can't help with the accomodations but do have a suggestion on something to do for a 20 and 7 year old boy on Marthas Vineyard. If you go all the way out to the tip by Katama there is a small airport with a big grass runway. During the summer there are small planes taking off and landing there all day. There is a resteraunt (burger joint) on one side of the airfield where you can eat lunch and sit out on the porch watching the planes. When you get bored of that you can walk down the road to the other side of the airfield and there is a beach right there. If you want some more adventure there is a guy at the airport that sells glider and bi-plane rides for not too much money during the afternoon. I am no way affiliated with these guys, just have gone there a number of times and enjoyed an afternoon plane watching.

Keith

 

[cah5525]

we stayed at a nice place in south yarmouth...not fancy but I loved it! I love Cape Cod in the off-season when it's still quiet. They claim that it is kept to give you that "old" New England feel - maybe a reason to not refurbish. They advertise some ocean view rooms - obstructed by trees! It is right across the road - a quiet road - from the beach, just walk right over. Ordered from Seafood Sams and picked it up to take back to the room - YUM!
http://www.vgreenmotel.com/

On MV...an affordable, quaint and not fancy option, walking distance to the beach:
http://www.titticutfollies.com/

 

[maryisme]

Hi,

We are also going to the cape this summer. I began and ended my research using these two sites as well as poking around trip advisor. I found them to be very helpful in locating a summer rental for our large group plus dog.

http://www.weneedavacation.com/
www.homeaway.com

Good luck!

 

[3boymthr]

Thanks to everyone for all of the info so far. I have looked at trip advisor but have gotten confused as to what area we would want to stay in. I would love to be beachfront but I do understand that it would most likely be pricey. I guess I really don't know what area we need to stay in. We would be there the week of June 10th. We are a family of four but a little odd in the fact that we have two boys that are 13 years apart. My oldest son is 20 and my other one is 7.

As PP mentioned there are beaches everywhere and access is generally no more than 1/2 hr drive - in heavy traffic - no matter where you're staying on the cape. When we stay in Eastham whether in the northern or southern part we can be at the beach in as little as 10 minutes no matter which beach we go to. With the exception of a few which are rocky and a few others which are muddy most beaches are really nice.

It really comes down to what type of atmosphere you are looking for. Lots of Night life and chic/artsy shopping = outer cape with easy proximity Provincetown; lots of scenic beaches, a moderate amount of shopping and lots and lots of out door type activities = outer cape/national seashore; shopping til you drop and ease of access to the ferry's = falmouth/hyannis. Lots of vacation type activities = upper mid cape to upper cape (Sandwich/Bourne area). Bike trails are in all areas difficulty increases as you go further out on the Cape. Lots of antique shopping - any where along 6A (northern cap areas) especially on the lower cape.

Most of the towns have mini golf and if you are near the upper cape there is a water park west of the bridge in Wareham on rte 6/28 (Water Wizz which was featured in the movie Grown Ups) and a go kart place not too far east of the bridge on Rte 28. Movies are in Wareham, Hyannis and Wellfleet. Historic places are all over the place.

As opposed to trip advisor try this.... http://www.capecodchamber.org/

In addition to the online you can order a catalog that you can look at at your leisure.

 

[lindsmom]

Just a quick clarification when you hear us regulars talk about the Cape:

"Upper Cape" refers to the first part of the cape as you cross over the bridge (Falmouth / Sandwich.

"Lower Cape" is also the "Outer Cape", generally from Orleans out to PTown. If you look at a map of the Cape, this is confusing to many, because PTown is actually higher (hence it looks like "upper") than the rest of the Cape.

Mid Cape is obviously the part in the middle basically Hyannis through Dennis.

 

[swilshire]

The good news is that rates will be lower in June. The season on the islands doesn't really start until around July 4. The bad news is that you'll probably find the water too cold to swim that early.

I've never been to the Vineyard, but we try to go to Nantucket every year (in June).

Sheila

 

[Vivianne]

We've stayed 3xs at this place. I found it using Tripadvisor. It's very clean with nice views, kitchenette & very close to the National Seashore spots & Provincetown. There are alot of cottages to be found using Homeaway, if price is not a factor you may find a very nice one.

http://www.caperesort.com/

We've done the Martha's Vineyard day trip.

 

[buffettgirl]

Thanks to everyone for all of the info so far. I have looked at trip advisor but have gotten confused as to what area we would want to stay in. I would love to be beachfront but I do understand that it would most likely be pricey. I guess I really don't know what area we need to stay in. We would be there the week of June 10th. We are a family of four but a little odd in the fact that we have two boys that are 13 years apart. My oldest son is 20 and my other one is 7.

oh - really - the beach in early June is not really what you're going to want. LOL. it could literally be in the mid 60's here in early june (or it could be in the 80s) most likely it will be far far too cold to sit on the beach and WAY too cold to swim. LOL.

You also have to decide if you want the ocean or the bay. Big differences when you're talking "beachfront".

 

[Dizzyworld]

I hope you don't mind me jumping in here with a question too? My DS will be starting at Mass. Maritime Academy in the fall. This is in the Buzzards Bay/Bourne area. We have a reservation in falmouth for the drop off date, but I'm looking for suggestions of where to stay when we need to be there Labor Day weekend for 3 nights. This will be the weekend we will be moving the rest of his stuff into the college and attending the orientation graduation. Thanks.