beach vacation in New England? (Fairhaven, Florida: fit in, rent, house)

[boston904]

Try the silver lake campground in Belmont,nh. They have cabins for rent and is on the water

[lrfox]

I'd check a rental by owner site (VRBO, etc) for places in Westport, MA. Many of them include beach passes to the private Bakers Beach (an ocean front beach with snack bar, private changing rooms, and soft white sand that's groomed every day). Even if they don't, Horseneck Beach and Cherry and Webb (really all the same, long stretch of beach as Bakers) are fantastic as well.

The great thing about Westport is that it's South facing. Water is MUCH warmer (10 degrees or more) than the North Shore (or Maine, NH, etc) in July. Swimming is much better. Red Tides are rarely a problem (like they can be in Newport, RI). You do get surf, occasionally which is nice, but you have to keep an eye on kids.

Westport is off most people's radar. It's sandwiched between Newport, Cape Cod, and Martha's Vineyard so it sort of slips between the cracks of vacation searches. Rentals are slightly cheaper and most who visit will tell you that the beaches are better (all around) than most of the public beaches on Cape Cod. With the exception of the National Seashore, I'd be inclined to agree (spent my summers in Brewster growing up which was beautiful too).

In addition to Westport, I'd check out rentals in South Dartmouth (i.e. Padanaram Village and Round Hill areas), and Fairhaven (Sconticut Neck is great, but West Island is a real gem with. It's about 2 square miles, connected to the mainland by causeway but includes a HUGE white sand beach, forest with hiking, and rocky shoreline). I think you'll find great value down there and it's not even close to as... well, "different" as Hampton Beach, Old Orchard Beach or Salisbury Beach. Much more the prototypical quiet Cape Cod-like beach scene.

[NewfieMama]

This might be a really bad suggestion because you requested beach vacation options, but I'm throwing it out there, anyway.

Bar Harbor, Maine? It's on the water, so at least there is that. I just love Acadia National Park as a summer destination because it's not completely crazy like the Cape or even Kennebunkport.

[NY'er lost in MA]

Hey- thanks folks- lots of good info to chomp on here.

[Beantown_mama]

Old Orchard Beach in Maine is a beautiful and very fun and you can usually find some pretty good deals.

[mr2448]

Watch Hill in Rhode island might be worth looking at.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by mr2448

Watch Hill in Rhode island might be worth looking at.

I second that. South County in RI is really nice and more affordable than the Cape, Newport, and the Vineyard. It's not on the radar but the beaches are every bit as beautiful as the Cape. You also have the Block Island Ferry nearby and Block Island is a fantastic seaside destination for biking, beaching, & seafood. Look into areas like Watch Hill, Misquamicut, Point Judith etc. on the southern coast of RI if your looking for sandy beaches and nice water temps.

http://www.southcountyri.com/

http://www.blockislandinfo.com/

[NY'er lost in MA]

Great suggestions everyone- thank you. What I am finding with VRBO and Homeaway is that even homes that seem reasonable can be deceiving. They list them as for example: $1,500/wk but that is really the starting point. (off-season) You pull up the listing and it is $3,400 in July.

Vacation rentals, private rooms, sublets by the night - Accommodations on Airbnb seems to be like a likely option for us because we'll be able to find properties where we can stay for 4 days- saving money and maybe getting into a good location at the same time..

[LeavingMA]

Originally Posted by Beantown_mama

Old Orchard Beach in Maine is a beautiful and very fun and you can usually find some pretty good deals.

I would second Old Orchard. There is a part just south called Ocean Park which is really nice. Also, I know it was mentioned here, but not many people talk about the beaches in Rhode Island. I think the one I used to go to quite a bit was Scarborough. I find the Cape to be overrated. The beaches are nice there, but when you aren't right on the water at the cape I find it pretty dull.

[lrfox]

Rhode Island beaches are a great suggestion. Gorgeous, under the radar, and more affordable. I'd add Little Compton to the list of places to look. Many people are also unaware that the "Newport Beaches" are actually in Middletown. Look for something close to Second or Third Beach and you will be pretty happy. There's also nothing like Thames Street in Newport for an adult evening out. Block Island is a heck of a value too, compared to MV and Nantucket.

I knew I'd eventually see Old Orchard Beach suggested. I know a lot of people like it, but I don't think it's what the OP is looking for considering that they weren't thrilled with Hampton Beach. Old Orchard is just a smaller version of Hampton. I lived in OOB for a year in college (actually, Ocean Park). Without getting too much into it, the crowd is mostly a combination of bikers, angsty local teens, white trash and Quebecois. The buildings are ugly (many resembling 3 deckers on the beach) and the streets are lined with kitsch $2 tee shirt places, rickety old amusement park rides (funtown/splashtown a few miles away is a much better option for rides and slides), sleezy bars and greasy french fry and pizza joints. Add to that that Amtrak and freight rail use the tracks running through the center of town so if you stay near the beach and the drunk folks from the bar don't keep you up, the multiple 3am train whistles will.

Maine's got hundreds of miles of BEAUTIFUL coastline. Every single one of those miles is far more attractive than Old Orchard Beach.