Cape Cod (Boston, Quincy, Falmouth: best towns, to rent, hotels)

[Amytob]

Hi, my bf and I are staying in cape cod for a vacation. We are trying to find a great place to stay in cape cod. I was thinking of Yarmouth or Hynnais but I havent heard anything good about Hyannis. We are a younger couple if that makes a difference regarding location. Does anyone have any suggestions about a great B&B? Also, we are staying in Boston for one night.. We were thinking of a place in Boston Commons. Any suggestions? Thanks! Cant wait to hear back.

[lrfox]

When's the vacation and where are you coming from? Are you driving or flying in? What do you like to do for fun?

For a younger couple, I'd choose Hyannis and Provincetown (with Chatham as a close third) as the most entertaining places. Hyannis is the largest community on the Cape and has a nice downtown area with bunches of restaurants, shops and bars. Hyannisport is a nice area too and this is where you should look if you want Beaches in Hyannis. There are beaches all around Hyannis, but they're a little better if you head into some of the neighboring communities (such as Yarmouth). Given Hyannis' size and the fact that it's sort of the hub of the Cape, you'll also see plenty of suburban-style retail ( centered arount the Cape Cod Mall) as well as the region's busiest airport and some not-so-attractive year-round residential communities. There's plenty to do in Hyannis (and plenty of places to stay) but The beaches and quaint coastal New England charm that make Cape Cod so attractive are best found elsewhere. Unless your top Priority is access to nightlife and restaurants, I'd suggest looking somewhere else.

Provincetown (P-Town) is my FAVORITE community by far on the Cape. It's a vibrant town at the VERY tip of the peninsula and is one of the most uniqe places you could ever visit. Even if you don't end up staying in P-Town, you need to visit at some point during your stay (at least do a whale watch from there and climb the pilgrim monument for some fantastic views). It's worth noting that P-Town is home to one of the largest concentrations of homosexuals anywhere in the U.S. and it's very noticeable. It's still a perfectly comfortable place to be. My girlfriend and I visit every year and have never felt uncomfortable because we were straight.

Provincetown is small, but densely populated. Commercial St. downtown is the primary commercial strip in town. It's a narrow, windy street lined with interesting (sometimes VERY interesting) shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. Right off of commercial street, you have the waterfront. There are some little beaches here and the primary marina, commercial fishing, whale watching, and ferry piers. Whale watch boats leave from this area and ferries to and from Boston come in here as well. On the other side of Commercial st., you have some blocks of residential (as well as some more restaurants and shops) space then a large hill with a museum and the Pilgrim Monument, a 200+ ft. granite tower offering stunnig views of Cape Cod, Cape Cod Bay and even Boston on a clear day. fantastic beaches, bed and breakfasts, and hotels are everywhere and it would be really hard to find a bad spot in P-Town or neighboring Truro. Race Point beach is my recommendation for a great beach, but you can't go wrong here.

Chatham is nice and quiet with a cute little downtown and some great surrounding beaches. The crowd tends to be a bit older and things really quiet down at night here. There are some fantastic B&Bs and hotels in the area and plenty of shopping and dining.

You should be able to find whatever it is you're looking for on the Cape, it's just not all located in the same area. The best towns for nightlife are P-Town and Hyannis, though neither compares to bigger cities. The best Beaches (In my opinion) are any of the beaches along the Cape Cod National Seashore (stretching from Eastham upto Truro--easily accessible from P-Town). The Nat'll Seashore is beatiful and the beaches stretch for miles and miles. In Brewster, the beach on the bayside is fun as well (though it's mostly a family area). High tide provides great swimming opportunities and at low tide, you can walk for miles on the sand bar and see all sorts of creatures. If you want to stay here, it may involve renting a cottage as lots of the access to this beach is private.

Now for Boston. The Common is a good place to stay as it's centrally located, however Boston hotels are not cheap at all. Would you mind sharing what you plan to spend for a night? $200+/night is the norm for a Downtown Hotel in Boston and if you want something really nice, expect to spend a lot more. I like the Liberty Hotel in Boston as it's VERY unique. It's located in a converted old prison (the infamous Charles St. Jail) and now offers luxury hotel rooms and restaurants in a stunning atmosphere (for more info and pics, go here: Boston Luxury Hotels | The Liberty Hotel ). It's not RIGHT on the common, but it's only a few blocks away. I'd also look into the Marriot Custom House hotel or the Marriot Long Wharf (tends to be one of the more moderately priced downtown hotels). Some other more affordable options near the common would be the Radisson and the Courtyard Theater District hotel.

Finally, If you're flying in or plan to travel without a car, you can get all over Boston without a vehicle (in fact it's tough and expensive to have a car in Boston) and you can take the ferry from Boston to Provincetown in 45 minutes. P-Town is the closest town on the Cape to Boston if you travel w/o a vehicle since you don't use the roads. Once in P-town you can easily walk or bike anywhere you need to go. If you DO have a car with you, P-Town is the FURTHEST on the Cape from Boston by car. Hyannis is the closest and Chatham is a bit further.

[Amytob]

Thanks for such a great response. We are going at the end of April. We are actually flying into Boston and driving up to Kennebunkport for a couple days. We are renting a car for our whole trip. Then we are going to Cape Cod for the weekend. We arent really into the clubbing scene, but we do like going to bars/pubs to have a few beers. We are also going to take a ferry to visit Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket. I want a town with a really pretty beach (postcard looking) and great food. I have stayed in Chatham before and it was an older crowd so Im not interest in that town, but it was very cute. I want with my parents a while back. I dont think we are interested in P-Town, even though it sounds like a blast. Its a long long drive from Boston.
We will be staying in Boston on a Sunday night and our flight leaves late afternoon. We wanted a hotel close to the airport but when we saw a map, boston is pretty close to Logan so we figured we would stay in Boston for the night and enjoy the next day sight seeing. We wanted to find a reasonable hotel, $150 at the highest but we know thats going to be difficult b/c Boston is so expensive. Who knows!! Thanks!

[lrfox]

It sounds like you would like to be around the Hyannis area. Craigville Beach and Craigville are nice as are Yarmouth and West Dennis. They're all minutes away from all downtown Hyannis has to offer and they have great beaches even though it'll be too cold to swim at the end of April. Even the beaches in Hyannisport are pretty nice. There are no real clubs in Hyannis, but there are some great restaurants (Try the Brazilian Grille if you get a chance) and some pretty good pubs. You'll also be right near the ferry to Martha's Vinyard and Nantucket. One suggestion would be to rent bikes the days you got to the Islands if the weather is going to cooperate as having a car on the Islands can be miserable even though it won't be peak tourist season. The roads are narrow and windy and bikes usually are the best way to see the towns. It'll also save you a few bucks.

As far as hotels in Boston go, it may be pretty hard to find anything at $150/ night in town. The good news is, You can stay at a Hotel at the airport and you're only 2 subway stops (get on at the "Airport" station and get off at "Aquarium") on the Blue Line away from Downtown Boston, it's literally less than a 5 minute ride at $2 per person... check the routes at MBTA.com > Official Website for Greater Boston's Public Transportation System to see what you want to do . The Aquarium stop puts you at, well, the aquarium and the waterfront but it also puts you just feet away from Quincy Markey/ Fanueil Hall, the North End (Boston's Little Italy), the Old State House and other attractions. It's about a 10 minute walk from the Aquarium stop to the Boston Common (5 minutes if you stay on the subway and get off at Government Center). The Blue Line from the airport is VERY safe and easy to use, so if you can't find anything in your price range in Downtown Boston, look into the subway (we call it the "T") from the airport hotels.

[maggiekate]

in Boston you might like the Parker House. It has alot of history and within walking distance to lots.
Cape Cod, Hyannis is a busy place, I really like Chatham, places off rte 28 and on rte 6a are really
nice also. Yarmouth does not offer much except the beach, but in April it will be cold and it is still the
off season. You also could stay at the hotel at the airport and take the T into Boston.

[kaioak36]

Hyannis doesn't have any real Cape Cod character. If you want to experience Cape Cod, stay in Chatham or Provincetown. Hyannis has all of the same stores (Best Buy, Macy's, Sears) as any other town in the USA.

[Amytob]

I really want the Cape Cod character. I have stayed in Chatham and its very cute but it seemed like an old crowd. I just want to find a pretty, typical Cape Cod look with great food, a couple of pubs and easy access to the ferries. I rather not see a Best Buy, Macys and Sears. I see those everyday, living in St. Louis. Thanks! What is the difference bw West/South Dennis and Yarmouth? Thanks!

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by kaioak36

Hyannis doesn't have any real Cape Cod character. If you want to experience Cape Cod, stay in Chatham or Provincetown. Hyannis has all of the same stores (Best Buy, Macy's, Sears) as any other town in the USA.

While the fact that these chains exist in Hyannis is true, they exist right off of route 6 along route 132 and away from Hyannisport and the central area of Main St. in Downtown Hyannis. If she stays in one of the surrounding towns like Yarmouth, West Dennis Craigville, Hyannisport or West Hyannisport she can have that traditional Cape Cod charm while avoiding the typical suburban development completely. She'll also be close to downtown Hyannis which is a fun and uniqe area.

While I agree that P-Town is more traditional Cape Cod than the others, OP said it was too far to drive and she also mentioned that she had been to Chatham and said it was an older crowd (which it is).

I think if she doesn't want to drive as far as P-Town (about an hour further than Hyannis) and doesn't want to return to Chatham, AND is going to spend a day at the islands, the Hyannis vicinity is the best bet. You can certainly find traditional Cape Cod around there and easily avoid suburbia which is heavily concentrated in one small area.

South Yarmouth is a LITTLE more built up than West Dennis but it's a little closer to Hyannis. West Dennis, IMHO is a little bit prettier, but not by much at all. West Yarmouth and West Dennis have more frontage on Nantucket Sound (where you'll want to be) while South Yarmouth has a lot more frontage on the Bass River. Other than that, there's little difference. If you're looking to stay there, don't stay anywhere on Route 28 in either town as it's the primary road through the area. Obviously the closer you get to the water, the better.

[Beachcomber4]

Try an internet bidding site for your hotel in Boston. A friend of mine got the Park Plaza for $80 New Year's Eve.

I suggested on another post to stay at the Three Seasons Resort in Dennisport. It's fun beach hotel with a fantastic restaurant- The Ocean House right next door. (it always gets top Zagat ratings) The hotel is on the beach. It is not the best beach but you are in easy driving distance to Mayflower and Chapin. There is a fun little nightspot called The Sanddollar right down the street too where there is entertainment and a young crowd.

[capecodcathy]

I'll toss Falmouth into the mix here. I prefer downtown Falmouth (quite a few B&B's there), West Falmouth or Woods Hole. From Woods Hole you can also catch the ferry to the Vineyard. Falmouth is also a better drive from Boston. Main St. has many establishments where you can grab a great casual meal or just hang out. Wander in and out of the many shops for unique merchandise.
Personally, I stay as far away from Hyannis as possible. Entirely too commercial. A day trip to Main St may be worth the time (they do have some great shops and food) but I wouldn't recommend staying there.