Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Cape Cod / Martha's Vineyard

26 replies

Hulababy · 13/12/2009 11:45

Next summer I am looking at travelling to this area. There will be 5 of us: me, DH, 8y DD, and PILs.

Our plans are:

  • 5 days in NYC
  • 7 days in Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard
  • 2 days in Boston

Has anyone been to Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard area, or know anything of it?

Are there areas in particular we should look at, or even areas that we should avoid?

Any recommendations?

Thank you!

OP posts:
Original poster
Hulababy · 13/12/2009 20:45

anyone?

OP posts:
MaggieAnFiaRua · 13/12/2009 20:47

no idea but i'm so jealous! i've been to nantucket and it was lovely. you lucky thing, have a great time! i'd love to go back. it was 11 years ago.

gruber · 13/12/2009 20:57

Yes - Cape Cod is lovely. Worth spending a few days there, hiring bikes and cycling around, beautiful lakes to swim in. NYC will be very hot this time of year, so you might want to just spend a few days there.

Boston - so much to do, have not accomplished everything in 3 visits there! Definites: swan boats, the historic walking tour, Isabella Stuart Gardiner museum, catch a baseball game at Fenway park, and go to the Kid's Museum - absolutely astounding for your DD. Also worth spending a day visiting Harvard.

Further afield, there is a small town called Gloucester further up the coast which offers amazing things to do - link here. We stayed at the Charles Hovey house, which has stunning views over the harbour. A great town to spend 2 or 3 days exploring, and you get much more of a feel for the country. Martha's Vineyard, IMO, is expensive and crowded in summer.

HTH, let me know if you'd like more info!

Cheappinkfizz · 13/12/2009 21:15

I've been to both cape cod and marthas vineyard, about 20 years ago though when I was an aupair.

I was only in Cape Cod for the weekend, nothing really sticks in my mind except the whale watch which was one of the most amazing experiences.

Martha's vineyard - lovely Island, very pretty lots of small shops and restaurants. Jaws was filmed there and as you drive around you recognise bits from the film, wooden huts with the shark tales on which is cool. It's a pretty island to drive around.

Sorry it's a bit vague, it was a long time ago. Sounds like a great trip!

Original poster
Hulababy · 13/12/2009 21:25

Hot weather in NY not a problem Me, DH and DD have dne NY before, PILs not though.

Nevr been to Boston but it does sound a great place to visit. May end up being a place we go back to in the future.

Also neevr been to the cape but it looks beautful, so thanks for the info. We intend renting a place for a week in this area, and hiring bikes is definitely on our agenda.

I really fancy going whale watching

I need to look for accomodation, with the idea of booking in the early New Year.

Thanks for the info. I am sure there will be loads more I need to know!

OP posts:
Original poster
Hulababy · 14/12/2009 17:36

Anyne got any recommendations for rental companies?

OP posts:
supersalstrawberry · 14/12/2009 17:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

gruber · 15/12/2009 15:10

Car rental? National or Hertz. Not Avis, please! Had awful experience with them this summer in US.

Can I recommend a hotel in Boston? The Westin Copley Place is outstanding, staff super helpful and it's really convenient for travel.

Original poster
Hulababy · 15/12/2009 15:11

Thanks for the recommendation; will have a look at the hotel online.

OP posts:
booreeve · 18/12/2009 08:34

Hi - we did a similar trip last summer and it was brilliant. I'd suggest the train from NYC to Boston, which is an amazingly beautiful trip (you can book your seats in advance)
Cape Cod wise, we spent 7 days on Nantucket which was lovely. I would recommend flying from Boston with Cape Air (slightly scary flight!) as the ferry from Hyannis gets booked-up really really early so bare that in mind.
I would really recommend Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket over Cape Cod - just depends on where you can find a hotel. We stayed at the Cliffside Beach Club which was really really fantastic. As for getting around on the islands, you just do it all by bike or taxi if going a bit further. The other thing to bare in mind is restaurants, as again they can get booked up super early, so just keep that in mind, or get the hotel to book a couple of places for you well in advance.
Boston was fun - the Children's Museum was great, but we used it more as a shopping base!
I would also really recommend Maine as an alternative to Cape Cod. We drove from Boston to the Kennenbunkport which we really really enjoyed too.
Any more questions then please ask away. We did a whole "New England" road trip last summer....

Original poster
Hulababy · 19/12/2009 20:38

We want a house rather than hotel if possible near Cape Cpd or Martha's Vineyard.

Not sure about scary flight!!! I am an very nervous flyer.

We were intendeing getting a car from NYC and driving down to Cape Cod.

OP posts:
Earlybird · 19/12/2009 20:44

No idea if they have any rentals available where/when you're looking, but lots of people use this site:

www.vrbo.com

Original poster
Hulababy · 19/12/2009 20:45

Thanks; will have a look

OP posts:
AMerryScot · 19/12/2009 21:08

We go to Cape Cod every few years and always stay at the Green Harbor Inn in East Falmouth (Western Cape). It is fairly basic but they have a good pool and dock and it is great for kids.

We have been several times but never ventured beyond Hyannis. The traffic can be one long queue which gets worse the further east you go.

A lot depends on what you want to do. We find that Old Silver Beach in West Falmouth can satisfy the beachy needs. We can shop and eat in Mashpee Commons, just west of Hyannis, or in Falmouth. The Oceanographic place in West Falmouth is fab too.

7 days in CC is a long time, especially if you get typically iffy weather.

AMerryScot · 19/12/2009 21:14

There are loads of house rentals available. No problem to find somewhere to fit multiple families, eg 12, 16, with suitably child-friendly facilities.

You will need to identify a suitable place and book it early on.

We go to Cape Cod because of family. I don't really get the 'beautiful' bits. It is really fairly ordinary, imo.

One place that is really lovely, but on the mainland although officially Cape Cod, is Plymouth. It is about an hour south of Boston.

If you really want to get away from it all, I would personally venture into New Hampshire or Vermont.

Original poster
Hulababy · 19/12/2009 21:16

We plan to book in the New Year; there are a few really lovely looking places online.

Thanks for all info.

We will be having 5 really hectic days in NYC and a couple of busy days in Boston too, so Cape Cod will be mainly chilling.

OP posts:
Lubyloo · 19/12/2009 21:17

Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard are really lovely. I have fond memories of lobster bakes on the beach, crabbing and lovely ice creams. I was also there as an au pair 20 years ago! Maybe we need a new topic for ex New England au pairs!

mono3 · 23/12/2009 12:24

We had a family holiday there last year. Boston for 5 days, stayed in one of the Westin hotels which was great then drove down to the Cape for a week. Rented a cottage from www.weneedavacation.com which has lots of properties. It was a lovely holiday with lots of cycling/swimming in the many ponds/playing on the beach as well as doing some of the more commercialised activities. I agree with Amerryscot - Plymouth is great. We stopped there for a few nights on the way back up to Boston.

Wish I was going back!

Twirl · 08/01/2010 00:17

I would definitely try and have an extra day or 2 in Boston. It really is a great place and there is lots to do there.

Original poster
Hulababy · 25/01/2010 11:35

mono3 - just found weneedavaction.com and looking now.

Twirl - the time spent in NY and Boston is dependent on the start day for the week in Cape Cod, which we have no control over.

OP posts:
Original poster
Hulababy · 27/01/2010 12:48

Which are the best areas to consider?

There are literally hundreds of properties to consider!

OP posts:
Mytholmroyd · 13/02/2010 20:40

If you drive round to the end of the Cape to Provincetown to get the whale watching boat its a shorter trip - and was one of the best experiences of my life - they had to switch the engines off on the boat because the whales were so close!

We were a little surprised to come across bondage and fetish shops and shops selling dresses for men amongst the white picket fences and quaint antique shops and art galleries you get everywhere else in the Cape - its not the sort of place I expected to see them. Then we read the guidebook and found it is the gay capital of the eastern seaboard. Have since recommended it to my gay friends and they loved it!

The Lobster Pot is a fantastic seafood restaurant (or was when we were there). Doesnt look much from the street - big red neon sign - but you walk through all the kitchens and the dining room backs onto the beach. Wonderful.

Original poster
Hulababy · 10/08/2010 13:57

Just back today and have to say that we had an amazing holiday. We spent a week in Cape Cod (did NYC and Boston either end of that). We stayed on Johns Pond near Mashpee and vsisited a fair number of places inc Falmouth, Sandwich, Martha's Vineyard, Provincetown, Woods Hole, Hyannis, etc. And had a day trip to the Plimouth Plantation at Plymouth on the mainland.

I loved Cape Cod and will definitely return.

OP posts:
haggisaggis · 13/08/2010 13:10

I wondered how you got on as we have had our past 6 years summer holidays in Falmouth as we absolutely love it! This year we were lucky enough to have 3 weeks there - 2 weeks in a small cottage in Falmouth Heights and 1 week in a larger house in East Falmouth. WE had fantastic weather so got lots of swimming / kayaking done.
How did you find the house? I have rented a few properties via "we need a vacation" and all have been good.

Original poster
Hulababy · 13/08/2010 17:35

Falmouth is a bueatiful little place isn't it? DD particulalry loved Molly's Tea Rooms, and the playground in the grounds of the school.

The house was good. We booked it via holiday rentals. There were a couple of issues, mainly the 100s of flies in the downstairs playroom - some inconsiderate guest week before left bait! - but they came the next day and sorted them out entirely for us. We#'d managed to kill them anyway. Everything was great and the hosue was a really good size, and DD loved the playroom. Anmd being opposite the pond and beach was such a bonus - DD was in there once or twice a day!

OP posts: