Hi,
We are planning a trip to the states in June which will involve a week in NYC. We are hoping to be in the US for about 17 days and were thinking of flying into Boston for a few days, then heading to either Cape Cod area or Hamptons area for a week R&R by a pool or beach before hitting NYC.
IT will be in late June, hoping to hit NYC by 1st July. NYC leg is definite but can anyone advise as to whether the Boston/Beach section is a good idea. Would we be better off going somewhere else before NYC. City and resort would be a bonus but resort is the more important of the 2.
Hope this makes sense and thanks in advance.

If you are planning on actually swimming, then you had better have access to a pool as well as beach, unless you are coming from Siberia. The ocean water in June is really cold!

Otherwise, it sounds like a good plan.

I agree with Anonymous on the temp of the water in June/early July. Paricularly on the cape it will be COLD. Remember that July 4th is a holiday here and it falls on a Mon. this year which means the weekend of July 1-4 will be a big holiday weekend with massive traffic etc. so I'd plan around that.

Not sure what your question is. If you're asking which is better, the Cape or the Hamptons, either would work. I know the Hamptons quite well so could advise on places to stay if you provide some input on budget etc. There are not really any classic "resort" hotels in the Hamptons. The closest would be the Westhampton Bath and Tennis which is on the beach and part condo part hotel. Then there are a few places in Montauk (all the way at the end of Long Island past the Hamptons. The Montauk Yacht Club and Gurney's Inn. Then there are some motel type places on the beach in Montauk (the Panoramic View). Some of the nicer properties are Inns but not all have pools.

If you end up on the Cape, I'd recommend the town of Chatham. Check out the Wequassett Inn, Chatham Bars Inn, and the Bradford Inn for lovely lodging.

If you should decide to drive to NYC, you may want to stop on the way in Newport, RI for your beach stop. The Marriott is very nice right downtown, or the Castle Hill resort is out on the ocean/beach.

I think Boston would be a great stop, especially if you've never been before. It doesn't have the "big city" feel of New York, but you could do some of the more unique things to the city: Swan Boats, Duck Tour, Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum, North End Culinery Tour, Red Sox baseball game (if you are willing to spend a small fortune! ) or just a pre-game walk through Yawkee Way, Sheer Madness, shopping/strolling on Newbury
Street, etc.

Good luck! Best wishes for a great trip.

Thanks for the replies so far.
I like cities (as does my wife) but she would also like a few days relaxing in the sun reading etc. Hence the start in Boston maybe 3 nights, then a week of relaxation. Swimming obviously a no-no, we're Irish but not mad. At least we have the Gulf-Stream to make the North Atlantic bearable.
Also we want to be out of the resort by the 4th July weekend and in NYC.
So I suppose what I'm asking is , which is better, Cape Cod area or the Hamptons. We want nice beach, good accommodation and decent restaurants ( not a problem in either destination I would imagine ) and not too remote (Sunshine would be nice also ). Budget wise, would probably try to keep accommodation under $250 per night (excl taxes) in either resort.
I would drive from Boston to the Cape but if going to the Hamptons would get a train to NYC from Boston and train out to the Hamptons ( Make Sense ?).
I'm willing to do plenty of legwork on Tripadvisor and her etc. but obviously a lot of you will be able to confirm if the whole concept is good or mad.

Sorry for the length of the postings.

P.S. I've never been to Boston but my wife spent a pre-skiing weekend there. We are both very familiar with New York but may pick your brains on certain things.

Thanks again.

You can certainly train out to the Hamptons - but really a car is better in terms of exploring - different towns, restaurants, beaches, wineries, shopping etc. - otherwise you can be somewhat limited.

Have never been to the Cape in June so don;t know how cold the water is - but grew up on Long Island and we started going to the beach - and into the water - at the end of May - and while it's chilly, it's not arctic. But then, I've never understood the point of heated pools - to me water should be very cool and refreshing - I don;t want to be cooked like a lobster.

I've never been to the Hamptons, but the Cape is wonderful in June. Perhaps some annoying flies, but it isn't the height of tourist season until the July 4th weekend.

The water will be cool, warmer in Rhode Island, but you can't go by me. I swim in Maine!

If you look up some of the towns/resorts on the internet, you may get a better feel for which appeals to you.

Not sure, but I think there may be more areas to "explore" on the Cape, if you are so inclinded. Lots of great restaurants, especially along Rt 6A around Dennis, and in the Chatham/Harwich area.

I can't really help you choose between the Cape or the Hamptons but can offer some travel options/info that might help you decide. The drive b/w Boston and the Cape is about 2 hrs. I'm also a big fan of Nantucket which is an island off the Cape. You could fly from Boston to Nantucket and then Nantucket to LGA airport NY. Not cheap, but gorgeous beaches, lovely towns etc. Since it would be early in the season and really not sea swimmable there, I'd reco a hotel with pool. Don't know how pricey they'd be at that time. Martha's Vineyard is another option (also an island off the Cape).

I agree that to best enjoy the Hamptons/Montauk area you need a car to get around locally. You could either rent one in NY, or take public transport from NY to Hamptons and rent a car once arrived in the Hamptons. In addition to train service there's also an upscale coach service Hamptonjitney.com that offers connections from the airports so you wouldn't have to go into the city if you flew to NY.

Options b/w Boston and NY are fly, train, bus or drive. Barring stopping along the way, all will get you to NYC in about the same amount of time (4-5 hrs). There is a route to drive from Boston to the Hamptons using ferry services part of the way which makes for a more pleasant/interesting trip.

I should add the price of train b/w Boston and NY is surprisingly steep with service that doesn't really warrant the price (ie it's no faster than bus). There are a number of discount bus services that go from Boston's Chinatown to NY's Chinatown that cost about $15-20/person. Here's some info on many of the options
http://nycbos.smithhallalumni.org/

From a convenience standpoint, as I write this to you, I think somewhere near Boston may make more sense. I would go to wunderground.com and check differences in historic weather between the 2 locations.

I should also add, you don't need a car in Nantucket.

For a nicer bus experience between Boston and NYC try www.limoliner.com. I'm not sure how far in advance you can book.

Regarding Cape Cod, the Atlantic will be very cold in June but the Bay side is much warmer. Ocean Edge is a resort in Brewster on the Bay side. It is on 6A, the longest stretch of antique houses in the US. Many were sea captains homes. Lots of galleries and antique shops and restaurants.

The Wequassett Inn is between Orleans and Chatham (both lovely towns). Great place as is the Chatham Bars Inn.

There is no telling what the weather will be. Could be beautiful and quite warm or chilly. New England weather is fickle!

Here's my suggestions...fly into Boston and spend a few days in the city...sightseeing, a whale watch out of the aquarium, all of the usual tourist sights, no car needed here.
Then, rent a car and drive to Newport, RI. Enjoy the great weather that we usually have in June and Newport will be less crowded before July 4. From Newport, you could take day trips (if you wanted) to Mystic, Martha's Vineyard by the high speed ferry, Block Island...Or, you could just enjoy the beauty of the area.
Next, drive to New London(about 45 minutes) and take the car ferry to Orient Point on Long Island.From there, you can visit Montauk, the Hamptons or any other spot on Long Island.
Finally, you could finish your trip by visiting New York City...perhaps returning the car closer to the city. Good luck!

Thanks for all the suggestions. Will now need to do some research on those and get some indications of prices etc.