Cape Cod vs. Nantucket: Long weekend, summer trip.
 

First Question: Cape Cod or Nantucket?

Group Size Traveling: could be anywhere between 10-25 people.
Group Age: 24 to 29 years old.

More Concerns/Questions: In both the Cape and Nantucket, what is the availability of sizable house rentals that could fit up to 25 of us?
What's the night life like in both areas? We're at the age where we enjoy going out for a few drinks, but not until 5am. We like finding nice places that aren't run down, but aren't insanely expensive either.
What are the beach areas like in both the Cape and Nantucket? Busy? Typical age demographic of those populating the beach? We'd be more comfortable being around others our age (not tons of children).
What is house rental pricing like in both? Which area is cheaper? Which area has "nicer" house rentals?
Which area has more to do, ie. golf courses, boardwalk, etc.? A handful of us that would be going are golfers, ranging from beginners to advanced. Although we would be okay with just lounging on the beach most days.
Lastly, what is the best time to go? We're aiming for some time during the summer (end of May through beginning of August). Ideally, we'd like to try to go for about 4-5 days over 4th of July weekend because we all have the extra day off from work.

Any help and insight would be greatly appreciated! We're still in the very preliminary stages of planning this, so I can adapt to any information I'm given. :)

Well, Nantucket is fabulous. It has everything you're looking for, good restaurants, bars, golf, beaches, shops, etc. It is very much a see and be seen place. But, it is very expensive. You can find beautiful house rentals, but with a group that size, you're looking at $20K per week minimum.

The Cape has some nice places to go and plenty of golf and activities. Look at Harwichport, Chatham, Wellfleet, Truro or Provincetown. Considerably less expensive than Nantucket.

Well, I live in Nantucket and think it is the most fantastic place in the world, but . . . .

If you haven't already rented for 4th of July in Nantucket, you are almost certainly out of luck, especially for a group that size. More money might open a door or two, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Group rentals of the kind that are common on Long Island, for example, aren't easy to find in Nantucket, especially within walking distance of any kind of action. Beach, yes; action, no.

If you are not in walking distance, how many cars would you need? It would cost you $400 per car round trip to the island plus about $67 per person round trip. This assumes you can still get a car reservation for that week.

In your position, I would go to the Cape, but even there be aware that the traffic down if you have to go on Friday or Saturday will be monumental and that it can take four hours to drive off Cape after a holiday weekend. This matters a lot if some of your group need to fly from Boston. I still apologize to the friends who missed their flights when there was a tieup on the bridge.

One thing you might look into is renting in or near Provincetown and taking the ferry from Long Wharf in Boston. No one was ever bored in Provincetown. You would want advance reservations on the ferry, but the beaches are good when you get there and bicycles will get yu anywhere you need to go.

WOW! I really appreciate both of your replies. I had no idea of any of this information (I guess that's why I posted in the first place) but I sure am glad you've made me aware. I'll obviously have to do some discussing among the group invited, but I'm sure I'll be posting with more questions in the near future. Thanks again for all of your help!

No problem. You might want to also consider Martha's Vineyard. It's really my favorite, and it's less expensive than Nantucket.

If you do not have to all be in one house you might consider renting several condos at Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster. I would also suggest the Wequassett Resort in Harwich and Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham, but you will be running into some serious money issues in both those cases. Take a look at some of the for-rent-by-owner sites like www.weneedavacation.com to get an idea of price and size. The Cape has everything you need, with National Seashore beaches, walking, shopping, entertainment etc. If you end up on the outer cape, from Eastham to Provincetown, make sure you check out the Beachcomber for entertainment, on Cahoon Hollow Beach in Wellfleet.

On Nantucket, the kind of really big rental houses that you see in Nag's Head, for example, just don't really exist, or if they do are so rare that I don't know about them, which is not impossible.

To sleep 20-25, you would have to rent multiple properties or have a lot of people sleeping on the floor, sofas, etc. Property owners and rental agents are very much onto this and try to prevent it.

No one who can rent to a family or two sharing a house is going to rent to a group of singles, esp singles under 30, though the OP didn't suggest an age group. So Nantucket is not a good place for a group this size.

Check VRBO for these 2 listings in Chatham, Mass on Cape Cod:

1. Quasson Lodge sleeps 21-26 in 9 bedrooms.
2. Our Great Gatsby sleeps 21-25

Both rentals are well under the $15,000.00 mark and I think Quasson Lodge was 'only' $8500.00

I didn't check your dates for availability, but considering the large size of your group you might consider visiting this area when a rental is available rather than having rigid dates. :)

Coming belatedly to this thread, I just want to offer my take on rentals for a group this size - it's very hard to find properties and owners that will accommodate this many guests. I would estimate 3 rental properties to keep to the terms of a rental agreement's maximum occupancy for the majority of properties on the island (assuming 4-5 bedrooms and a sofa bed).

I don't know of any properties or owners that would rent their home to ten or more "unaffiliated" young adults. Many owners prefer to rent to families / extended families / multiple couples. It's considered risky, rightly or wrongly, to rent to "unaffiliateds".

I don't have any leads to offer; just my experience as a rental property owner to caution against exerting too much effort into something that's not likely to be possible.

But, others may have a different opinion or experience arranging for a house(s) for a group this size.

Having said all of these negative things (!), I do hope you are able to plan and enjoy a wonderful vacation!

Typically in either place houses rent for a minimum of a week. This is esp true of large houses - so assume you will have to pay for a week. How will so many people get around - are you going to rent multiple cars (or bikes for Nantucket)?

I know people who have already rented their Hamptons houses for this summer (smaller houses for a family or small group). So I wish you good luck - but I would get moving soon since you are looking at either a really big house (they won;t let you put 25 people in 5 or 6 bedrooms) or a couple of adjoining ones.

You may do better in June - but the water can still be really cold.