1st Time and NO IDEA what we are getting into!

Help please help

We just booked airfair to fly into boston July 14th and return July20.

We want to spend 3-4 days on the cape and the rest in Boston.

We have no idea what questions to ask because we are just starting the planning process. The only thing we do know is we want to start at the cape and end in Boston Because we will be attending a Red Sox / white Sox game that Thursday night before we leave.

Heres what I have so far

1. How big of a hassle is it to Drive from Boston out to the cape? Hours? Traffic? Saturday afternoon?

2. My wife and I are 26 and 25, we like to relax on beaches and shop at neat places. What would be a good town to stay in? We were thinking of Proveincetown, but mainly just because we could take A Quick ferry ride from Boston.

Thats a start..... help please!!

1st Time and NO IDEA what we are getting into!

The drive from Boston should take between an hour to an hour and a half (longer if you decide to go to Provincetown), and traffic on Saturday afternoon probably will not be bad -- it%26#39;s usually the beginning and end of the weekend when traffic knots up. I%26#39;m guessing that Provincetown traffic willl be dicey at that point in the season. Provincetown does have good shopping; ditto for Chatham.

1st Time and NO IDEA what we are getting into!

It is always a bit scary to plan a vacation to a place you have never been but try to relax because it will come together quickly. We love the outer cape where the National Seashore is because it is less commercial than other areas of the cape but, believe me, it is not the wilderness! It can be very busy at certain times because tourists and locals from other parts of the cape come to the outer cape for the fabulous beaches. Now to your questions

1. How big of a hassle is it to Drive from Boston out to the cape? Hours? Traffic? Saturday afternoon?

One hour driving from Boston to the Cape....add 1 1/2 hours to get to Provincetown. With traffic, which varies on a Sat. afternoon but tends to be fairly heavy, add an hour to be on the safe side. We have never minded the drive to the outer cape because once you are passed Dennis (Exit 9 on Rt. 6) the traffic lightens as the Hyannis-Yarmouth-Dennis families take their exits.

2. My wife and I are 26 and 25, we like to relax on beaches and shop at neat places. What would be a good town to stay in? We were thinking of Provincetown, but mainly just because we could take A Quick ferry ride from Boston.

Provincetown is a lot of fun and you must spend a day there, but 4 days without a car in Provincetown might be a bit much if you want to explore other towns. The ferry is a fun thing to do and if you were staying in Provincetown for one night or just taking a day trip from Boston, then I would recommend it. However, if you want to get a better feeling for the things the cape has to offer you are better off taking your car and staying someplace central on the outer cape....my favorite is Fort HIll in Eastham, but Orleans and Wellfleet also have places to stay with a great feeling, lots of shops, restaurants, entertainment and beaches. If you have not experienced the great outer beaches like Nauset, Coast Guard and Nauset Light you are really in for a treat! So I say drive, bring your sunscreen and when you hit the National Seashore in Eastham it will all be worth it!

As long as you take a car then I would suggest that a %26#39;don%26#39;t miss%26#39; beach spot for you at your age is Cahoon Hollow. Here you%26#39;ll find The Beachcomber (restaurant and club) at the top of the dune. It is there on a Cape Cod National Seashore beach only because it remains from the time that it was a lifesaving station. Now a days you%26#39;ll find a fun crowd eating Wellfleet oysters and other fresh seafood from the raw bar plus a variety of other menu items (ranging from Mexican to burgers et al) and bar drinks for lunch. Check out their website to see if you want to return for the live bands in the evening but enjoy a long walk (or a lazy nap) on the magnificent beach there one day. If you arrive between 10 and 11 AM you should be able to park in the Beachcomber lot for the day. You%26#39;ll pay the same amount as you would for the more limited town parking but they will give you a coupon worth the parking fee to spend for your lunch thereby giving you free parking. www.thebeachcomber.com

At the other end of the spectrum, if you even sort of like the act, then I recommend an evening at The Melody Tent in Hyannis. www.melodytent.org. In this intimate venue in the round all the seats are close to the rotating stage and it provides a terrific atmosphere. If you want to stick with %26#39;tradition%26#39; then dine nearby at The Paddock. Let them know you are going to the show and they will give you a reservation at the right time and take care to get you out on time too. Right now they are listing Trisha Yearwood and ABBA - the tour as two who will be playing while you are there.

Some will recommend that you go on a whale watch trip from Provincetown and I agree however I%26#39;m pretty sure that like most folks you would enjoy a dune trip there as well and the time committment is just 60 to 90 min. or so. Check out Art%26#39;s Dunes Tours -- the only game in town.

Most will suggest that you go to P-town and/or Chatham to shop and those are certainly nice. However you could also poke around on beautiful Rt. 6A with a focus on Brewster and Dennis to visit galleries, antique shops and lots of other unique shops. One year I got the list/map of ceramic artists only and managed to make it to about half of them in the Mid-Cape area over our 10-day vacation. Part of the fun of that is that many locate studios in their homes so you get to know something more about the artist, how they live and the Cape too in the process.

When you drive in on 6 (not the same as 6A) stop at the information booth that is between Hyannis and Yarmouth and pick up any info that interests you plus Cape Week, the entertainment insert to the Friday Cape Cod Times. www.capeweek.com. Also check out the website for the Cape Cod National Seashore. DO try to do some planning so that you can maximize your time on the Cape where there is so much to see and do if you just know about it.

You%26#39;ll also get a LOT of information if you can take some time and read back through this board. All your answers are already here.

Have fun. I know you will.

Charlie,

Sounds like your a pro.

Heres the deal. Think we are spending Saturday, Sunday, Monday Night on the cape. Tues, wed, thursday nights in Boston.

Ive been reading so much but Its just so hard to keep track of.

So heres my question

3 nights we can stay anywhere on the cape

Really dont want to go over 250 a night

What town should be stay in and where?

You might want to pick up Kim Grant%26#39;s Explorer%26#39;s Guide to Cape Cod and the Islands. Cape Cod Charlie hightly recommends it and refers to it often on this board. The 2007 edition is not out yet but Kim promises that it will be out in June...too late for you to make a reservation for the July 4th week. But the 2006 edition is still available and will give you all of the first-hand knowledge you could want because Kim visits all of the places she recommends.

I recommend the outer cape for its natural beauty, beaches and less crowded feeling. Charlie own a rental in Dennis and is more familiar with the mid-cape area. If you think you might like to visit the National Seashore towns, read through this forum looking for Eastham, Wellfleet, Provincetown and Truro as well as National Seashore. Check out the TA reviews in those town for places that sound nice to you and Google to find web sites if you need more information. You will find more B+B%26#39;s and motels than hotels on the outer cape. Use Google map to see location since many of them are on a busy road Rt 6. If you have any specific questions about places, folks on this board are very helpful! Good Luck!

So sorry but it%26#39;s tough to select a town for you since the whole Cape is terrific and all the villages have something to offer.

I guess I WOULD suggest however that you stay away from Hyannis and Yarmouth (not Yarmouthport on the Bay but Yarmouth on the Sound side).

There are charming B%26amp;Bs on the beach in Falmouth Heights, motels on a lovely strand of beach in mid-Cape Dennisport where we have our summer home and charming places on the Outer Cape as well though very few located on the beach due to the Cape Cod National Seashore.

I think you COULD base yourselves in P-Town for a couple of days and enjoy the Nat. Seashore beaches there, go to Cahoon Hollow for an afternoon as I previously suggested, head to Wellfleet for the Fri or Sat. night %26#39;Art Crawl%26#39; usually with wine and cheese offered, do the P-town whale watch and the Dune Tours, drive down to Chatham for an afternoon. In Chatham you can visit South Beach (where the lighthouse is) for 1/2 hour if you want to park there or leave your car in a lot in town and take a cab if you want to stay for a while. Then you can go the Fish Pier and watch the boats unload their catch. Eat lunch at one of the upscale eateries on Main st. , at the fish pier and/or have high tea at the famous Chatham Bars Inn.

I agree with Yellowbird that you would be well served to get Kim Grant%26#39;s book - An Explorer%26#39;s Guide: Cape Cod, Martha%26#39;s Vineyard %26amp; Nantucket for $20. current edition is the 6th.

You are rightly overwhelmed with all the options and variety that exists on the Cape.

You might be able to get a room for $250. a night at www.theredinn.com in Provincetown. This is right on the water.

A terrific B%26amp;B that others highly recommend in Eastham is www.forthillbedandbreakfast.com. This one is not on the water but has other attributes.

While I don%26#39;t really care for Chatham for a long stay as it I always find it so congested, I will recommend it as it has a motel on the beach that is reasonable and that is www.thehawthorne.com. You could walk to town from there avoiding at least the auto traffic. While this is a nice property it is not as upscale as the former two.

So that gives you three ideas to start with. Call right away and see if anything is left for the dates you want. If not then ask the hoteliers to recommend something else. That%26#39;s how we found the beachfront motel where we used to stay in Dennisport before we jumped in and bought our summer home there. Good luck.

Whoops, you want three nights. I see that The Hawthorne has a four-night minumum in season, The Red Inn - 5 nights and Fort Hill is outside your budget.

Could you push your stay to four nights?

Anyone on the board who can suggest a spot for a three night stay starting Sat. July 14?

Actually we do have a B%26amp;B on this board with no minimum night stays located in Harwich. It is not on the beach. Is this the one that Pastiche knows? Maybe we%26#39;ll hear.

Ah ha! I see that Colony Beach located beachfront in Dennisport will allow three night minimums and they post rates from $160 to $250. at www.colonybeachmotel.com

If you select a spot in Dennisport let me know and I%26#39;ll give you some dining recommendations or you can just use the drop down menu and go to Dennisport and read all about it.

If you decide to be active then the scenic start to the Bike trail is in Dennis right beside Barbara%26#39;s bike shop and it%26#39;s not far to the Kayak, (canoe and paddleboats too) rental on Swan River...paddle in the direction of Nantucket Sound imo.

CCC has some great suggestions. Just a few more to round out your search. You might want to consider checking out the Eastham and Wellfleet Chambers of Commerce where small B+B%26#39;s are listed. You do not have to pay the 9% room tax at a small B+B that is assessed at hotel, motels and larger inns making a small B+B a better value. By the way, Fort Hill Bed and Breakfast does have one suite for $235 listed on their site...includes a full breakfast..3-night minimum.

I don%26#39;t know if they have a requirement for a minimum number of nights, but you might check the Tern Inn in West Harwich: www.theterninn.com.