I am looking for a summer beach vacation in new england. I know nothing of this area. I would like to stay in a small quaint town, nightlife not important. Nice coastline a plus. reasonable accomodations-150/night.
are there any white sand beaches and blue waters up there?????

Cape Cod has beautiful beaches and some quaint towns while some areas can be "strippy". If you want to stay right on the beach, it will cost you lots more than $150/nt. You could get that rate a bit inland. Some "quaint" towns, IMO, would be Wellfleet, Truro, Yarmouthport (NOT the other Yarmouths), Harwichport, Chatham and some others. I wouldn't describe Hyannis, West Yarmouth or even Provincetown as quaint. Others may disagree. It isn't too early to book now if you want a nice cottage. When we owned there, our cottage would be totally booked in early Jan. for the next summer. Go on VRBO and see what's available.

thank you. would you mind telling me what to expect there...i am in my 40s and will be taking my mother,she likes to shop, I like to lay in the sunHow about prices for food ? expensive?

While the beaches are beautiful, the sand is not white nor the water the blue you may be picturing. I agree with Jacqueline about the towns, esp. Wellfleet and Chatham. Orleans is a lovely town with an ocean beach (Nauset) and bay beach (Skaket). Rock Harbor is where the fishing boats go out. You must pay daily for parking (around $10.00) or buy a weekly pass (around $40.00). This applies to all the towns. Many art galleries and shops and restauants. Fine dining will range from $18-$30 per meal with other more casual and less expensive options.

August is much busier than July. Mid to late July is a nice time. There is no guarantee about the weather. This is New England!!

Southern Maine has some great beaches, specifically the towns of York, Ogunquit, Kennebunkport. There is lots of reasonably priced lodging along the southern Maine coast.

Hope you know that water in New England is always cold. In my opinion, the nicest beach is Cape Cod National Seashore - main entrance in Eastham, but stretches along lower coast of Cape Cod. White sand, waves, but can get crowded (as can all good beaches on Cape). Problem with this and many other beaches on Cape Cod, is that you have to drive to them - the ideal of a cottage perched on the beach exists, but is very expensive, and not all that plentiful.

Wellfleet is a small, quaint town, has some good local beaches. Some cute little shops as well. Dennis, (either side of Cape) is also nice. Art galleries along road, etc.

Southern Maine can also be nice - less crowded, in general, but the water is even colder and beaches as a rule are narrower and rockier. I am personally not a fan of the few miles of NH coastline (Hampton, North Hampton) as it is much too honky-tonk for my taste.