TOPSHELF

1st week in August. 2 families with kids ranging 2-8 years of age. Looking for convenience to shops,beach,restaraunts etc. Any suggestions on where to start would be greatly appreciated!

ccrosner

Hi Topshelf,

Have you ever been to the Cape before? You will not be disappointed; however, you may want to narrow your search before too long. The Cape has many towns and they can be quite different.

Do you want a hotel room, condo or rented cottage (the latter will be hard to pull off a this late date but you could try)? Staying for a week? With a group that big and with young children you will probably want to be in towns near or in larger areas for conveniences (like rainy day activities). Give me some sense of budget and preference for areas and I'll try to be more helpful.

ccrosner

O.k. I just reread your post and read the "give me an idea where to start" line. So I'll give it a stab.

Hyannis area - lots of conveniences (stores, malls, beaches, boat tours). Not quintessential Cape Cod but might be good given ages of kids. Lots of dining options.

Chatham/Orleans/Brewster - more of the Cape Cod charm. Bayside beaches are warmest water and great for young children (at low tide, beach goes out for a mile) and Nantucket Sound beaches are warmer as well. Chatham would be considered "preppy/upscale" if you had to pin a name on it. Orleans has lots of conveniences without the overt commercialism of Hyannis. You can also access the beautiful Atlantic Ocean from there (Nauset Beach) which is definitely worth seeing.

Wellfleet/Truro/Provincetown - more remote. Bay and ocean access. Ptown is probably too tough to get around with young children (at least I would only want to do for one day of whale watching/climbing the Pilgrim monument/biking the Beech Forest bike trail. Lots of motels in South Wellfleet/North Eastham.

One idea is to rent condos at Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster. While you would have to take the shuttle or your car to the beach, you can walk to pools and they have indoor pools for inclement days (which we don get!). You'd have the convenience of kitchen facilities, more than one bedroom. Search www.weneedavacation.com or cyberrentals.com for some last minute deals.

Any other questions? Ask away. We have a house in Brewster and family in Eastham and have been going to the Cape for many years. Don't know everything (especially about places like Sandwich and Falmouth) but will try.

capecodshanty

Go to www.boston.com. Search under yesterday's Boston Globe's articles, one on Wellfleet, one on Eastham and Brewster. All the Cape towns have wonderful activities for children during the summer. From Square Dances on the pier in Wellfleetevery Wednesday evening during July and August for the whole family (every child in town turns out with parents), to a town playground across from the bay beach, to visits to the lighthouses(climb to the top on special days- look on the National Seashore websites)- rainy day activities at the library, pedal boats on the pond, waves and sandcastle building at the ocean- you need to research the respective towns, and see what appeals to you. To me, having raised two grown daughters summers here, there is nothing like the Lower (or Outer) Cape. Each town has its chamber of commerce, which can be very helpful. Once you choose a town, we can probably answer more definitively.

nina

A hotel for all those people would be killer expensive, so I'd get cracking on renting a house, but you are way late in the process, most everything is rented.

Check out vrbo.com, weneedavacation.com, cyberrentals.com and call some realtors on the cape, you may be able to find something. As ccrosner says, there always seem to be plenty of rentals available at Ocean Edge in Brewster. While they aren't the charming Cape Cod cottages you might be thinking of, it's a nice resort with a big pool and ocean access in a good location(though you'll probably have to drive or take a long walk to the beach). The rents there are reasonable too since there are so many on the market, you should be able to find something for both families.

Come back for more advice after you have lodging!

stellablue

I read in the Globe a couple of weeks ago that there are still lots of rentals available. June used to be considered late for finding a rental, but apparently since 9/11, lots of people bought vacation homes on the cape, intending to rent them for all but the 2 weeks they use them, and now there is a glut of rental properties that used to be year-round homes.

Do a search for a realtor on the cape and make some calls. Supposedly there are still a lot of good places available.

charlesaf3

Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard would be perfect for you.