Martha's Vineyard or Chatham?
 

Hello,

I am considering a trip to either Martha's Vineyard or Chatham in August. I will be traveling with my husband and two boys ages 4 and 6. I have never been to either place. I was considering Chathams Bar Inn or Winnetu Oceanside Resort. Any suggestions? We are a busy professional couple. When we travel we look for upscale resorts that excel in service. My boys are young so I would want to go to the place that caters to them the most.

Thanks for any feedback!

First, call each place with your dates and find out if either has availability for those dates.

If Obama is doing his annual golf thing on the Vineyard, it will be very, very crowded.

If you go to the Chatham Bars Inn you will not have to worry about ferry reservations for your car, but beaches have had to close because of sharks.

You might look at the Wauwinet and the White Elephant in Nantucket. People I know like the service and food at the Wauwinet better, but it is out of town, though it has complimentary limos to town. The White Elephant is in town. Both are owned by the same people. Both have pools and nearby beaches.

The problem with Nantucket in August is Race Week, beginning August. It is wonderful, but hotel and restaurant reservations can be hard to get. It clears out beginning August 17 when all Fairfield and Westchester Counties return home for the beginning of school.

If you prefer to fly in (Hyannis or Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket) and rent a car locally, it would be a good idea to reserve the car now and reconfirm. They do run out.

Just some things to think about.

If you've never been to the Cape, start with Chatham. The islands might be more enjoyable when your children are teens/adults.

Look at Lighthouse Inn in Dennisport which has lots of supervised activities for kids ie relaxation time for the parents.

Also look at Ocean Edge in Brewster on the Cape.

Chatham. But as others mentioned reservations at this date could be an issue.

You might look at the Commodore Inn/Motel in West Harwich. They have a pool and are 1 minute from the beach. Near Cape Children's Theater, trampolines, little cars that go around a track, lotsa ice cream places and restaurants, near Chatham and not too far from Hyannis.

You might if interested google children's activities in West Harwich.. I missed a few above. Those little cars are go-carts. There's also miniature golf nearby etc.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! I'm going to research some of these options.

Re-checked reviews for Lighthouse Inn and seems it's gone downhill since our stay about ten years ago. Chatham Bars Inn advertises "award winning children's programs".

The Red Jacket resorts have a "kid's club" from 9:30am to 1pm daily which gives parents a scheduled break but also plenty of family time afternoons & evenings.