My husband and I are trying to put together a last minute trip to Cape Cod or Martha's Vineyard from September 22-25 (Thursday-Sunday). We will be flying from St. Louis and would prefer not to rent a car. I need suggestions on where to stay please! Also, any ideas on things to do would be greatly appreciated! Here are some of the things we are looking for:

-area with a nice hotel, don't want to stay in a small inn. Hopefully on the water with some nice views!
-would need to have many things to do in walking distance since we are hoping not to have to rent a car. But hopefully not a "big city" feel.
-would like the area to be relatively close to an airport, and would need to have taxis available to get us to and from the area.
-whale watching
-little interesting shops, bars, restaurants
-some nice hiking areas would be nice, maybe good place to walk through fall foliage?

Any responses would be greatly appreciated! It is very overwhelming just looking around on the internet since we are not familiar with the area at all.

You want Chatham, Cape Cod, MA

You can fly to Hyannis or Provincetown or Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket from Boston.

It's difficult to see the Cape without a car. You could certainly stay in Provincetown for a couple of days but perhaps you should consider one of the islands. Take a look at PeaceOut's recent trip report from MV: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ek-in-july.cfm

If I were planning the trip, I'd rent a car, stay at the Chatham Bars Inn, spend a day in Provincetown and take a whale watch, and hike in the National Seashore. But if you really don't want to rent a car, I'd consider one of the islands.

That time in September is early for foliage in Southern Mass. You'd have to go much further North to see anything.

What cw says is very good.

If you decide on an island, you do not need a car in Nantucket and can stay at the White Elephant, a largish hotel in town within easy walking distance of everything. Its restaurant is top drawer, and there are many others within an easy walk. Tours are available to the rest of the island, and you can take a sailing excursion on the sloop Endeavor.

Flying from Boston is not cheap, but time is money, and you save a lot of time.

You won't get a "big city" feel from any town on Cape Cod. Hyannis has a downtown with a somewhat urban feel, but not in a high-rise sense.

Provincetown sounds like your best bet. There are plenty of places to stay, as well as a very eccentric but fun downtown area full of shops and things to do and good places to eat. You can also hook up with a whale-watch cruise from P'town. Beaches and forested walking areas leading up to them are a hefty hike or modest cab or bike ride away (you're probably too late in the season for the seasonal summer beach shuttles in the area that reach them).

P'town is also well connected via bus with most of the rest of the Cape. Both the Plymouth and Brockton bus and the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority have buses that fit the bill. And there are several towns worth exploring that can be reached this way from here, such as Wellfleet (charming and artsy town center) and Chatham (upscale feel to its downtown). The only places on Cape Cod you can't reach this way are the National Seashore beaches and most of the Rt. 6A stretch from West Brewster to Barnstable and Barnstable to Sagamore -- though these are among the Cape's highlights.

Getting to P'town from Boston is easily accomplished either via fast ferry or plane.

Unless you stay in Provincetown you will need a car. Take the ferry from Boston to Provincetown, whalewatch while there, many restaurants to choose from, bike to the beach or walk along the dunes in the Provincelands. There is a small airport in Provincetown.

The Cape, especially the outer cape, is not known for its hotels, but rather it has many small inns, B+B's, motels and cottages. There is one hotel in Eastham, the Four Points Sheraton (but it is not on the water), and several larger inns in the area, mostly in Provincetown. If you want a hotel resort feeling with water views then take cw's advice and book at Chatham Bars Inn or perhaps the Wequassett Resort in Harwich/Chatham. You will pay dearly for both of these places but they have the amenities you may be looking for including on-site restaurants. Do note that the Wequassett Resort does not have an in-town location but it is only a 10 minute drive to either Orleans with many fine restaurants, or to Chatham with shops and a walkable town center. If you stay in Chatham you will need a car to see the other parts of the Cape.

Personally, I prefer the National Seashore towns (Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown) that bachslunch mentioned, both for their natural beauty and charm. But I am not a "hotel" person so you may be better off staying in Chatham.