Myself, husband, 15 y.o. daughter and 11 y.o. son are planning a vacation to Boston in July. We have never been in this area. I have the hotel and a rough idea of what-to-do but I wonder how many days would you stay in Boston and would you consider a couple of days in the Cape? This is where I am very confused as I have no idea where to stay. My son LOVES the beach. Thanks in advance.

You will get more responses if you ALWAYS put the location in your post title. Even if you picked Massachusetts when you posted, your question still shows up on the main US board and we have no idea where you want information for. If you don't put the location in your title, people like me who can't help you waste time reading your question, and those who could potentially help may not even click on a post with such a vague title.

Imagine if you had to open and read every post to figure out where people wanted info for - it would be an impossible task. Help us help you by putting your location in the title. Good luck!

I found your message on the Masschusetts site which makes sense to me.

I live next to Boston and also have a house in Brewster (Cape Cod) so I will give you some thoughts.

Depending on when you are arriving, whether by car or plane, I would encourage you to spend no fewer than two full days in Boston--just to see the sights in the city. Cape Cod is terrific and has Atlantic Ocean beaches (cold but beautiful), bayside beaches (warm, tidal flats, really interesting) and Vineyard Sound beaches (combo of the two). I would say two full days on the Cape would give you a flavor of our area--more would be more relaxing. I'm partial to the Brewster/Orleans/Chatham area and would encourage you to do some biking and to get to Provincetown for good restaurants, beautiful natural scenery and whale watches.

Hope that's helpful. Oh yeah, and be careful which days you chose to drive around here. Friday night/Saturday morning to the Cape can be a challenge as is Sunday afternoon back to Boston.

I'd spend as long as you can in each area...there's lots and lots to keep you busy in Boston/Cambridge, and the Cape Cod beaches are wonderful. Many people vacation for a week at the Cape in the summer. Did you have specific numbers of days you were trying to choose between?

I found your question in the MA board also, which was just fine.

OK, to clear this up...

As I said, EVEN IF you click on Massachusetts when you post, your question STILL APPEARS on the main US board, as do all posts. So, for those of us who scroll thru the list of posts for the US (the one that comes up when you click on US from the main forums page), vague titles like "help with length of stay" could be looking for information on anywhere from the Keys to Alaska. THEREFORE, it is always best to put the location in your title.

Thank you for everyone's advice up to now. This was my first post so I am learning this boards etiquette as I go along.

Also..... I am looking to spent a couple of days only in the Cape. I guess my hang up is the fact I am use to hotels being right on the beach. It sounds like the majority are not. I'm still confused where to stay.

You can find a few hotels on the beach on Cape Cod but they will cost you some $$$. Chatham Bars, Wequassett and Ocean Edge are all lovely resorts that are on or across from the water. There are other in parts of the Cape that I don't know (Lighthouse Inn?) so other could comment.

Much of the coastline on the Cape is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, or is privately owned by individuals (to the tideline, at least!). Thus, there is just less shoreline on which to build hotels. Also, the Cape is merely a giant sandbar, with a constantly changing terrain. and so insurance might be hard to get for a major building. Finally, most towns on the Cape want to preserve some remaining shred of the "Old Cape Cod" feeling and would never issue permits for a big hotel near the beach.

If you do a search of the Fodors board, for past references to Cape Cod, you'll probably get some good suggestions. As others have pointed out, with such a general title your post will be overlooked by many of us who look at the overall US board rather than a state-specific board.

All depends on total length of your trip. Cape Cod beaches are wonderful, especially National Seashore. However, if your trip is short, it might not be worth the drive for a beach. You could instead visit beaches on Cape Ann or even southern Maine - either as day trips from Boston with a rental car or as a place to stay for a few days. That way you could make changes in your schedules based on weather.

The beaches on Cape Ann lack waves, but southern Maine has plenty of waves but even colder water.

In good weather on a weekend, the traffic to Cape Cod will ruin your trip. If you hit a stretch of bad weather, the traffic on the Cape (people trying to find something to do in the rain) will ruin your trip.

How many days do you plan for Boston? That would help determine whether it's worth it to go to the Cape or not. But I agree, don't do it if you'd have to head that way on a Friday or on a Saturday morning.

I've not stayed in hotels on the Cape, just cottages or B&Bs, so can't help you there. Perhaps you can research on here and tripadvisor.com and find a B&B that would be good for your whole family?

Thanks again for all the help. We have a week off consequently dividing those days up are where my confusion lays. We are arriving in Boston on a Sunday