We’re starting to plan our summer vacation and thinking about doing Boston for a week, then a beach area for a week. We started looking at Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, but the logistics of getting around the islands without a car seem tough and the cost of getting a car to the islands is ridiculous. Our son will be 5, so he can’t bicycle for long stretches. We want to find a nice place to just relax for a week. We want to be very close to a beach and have some decent family-friendly restaurants to choose from.
I found an Airbnb in the Wareham/Onset Village area. Is this area nice? Are there other areas we should be considering?
I would look in Truro, very cape like area. Wareham
Is nor even over the bridge. We used to rent on the bay side, smaller waves and the water is warmer. Great sunsets and fires allowed on the beach with permits.
The Cape is not my 'hood, and if you’re not using a car I’m not sure how you get around. However if the ‘true’ Cape (‘over the bridge’ as Chris points out) is not going to work for you I suggest looking around Westport on Buzzard’s Bay. Westport Rivers Winery is really nice. You can be on the beach and 5min from a farm with fresh summer produce.
My family had a house where we spent all our summers in Onset. That was many moons ago, but I still drive through to check it out. The area of houses where ours was just across the street from the beach, between the pier and the point by the Onset Rock are still nice.
We’re big Martha’s Vineyard fans. We always fly into Boston, rent a car and take it across on the ferryfrom Woods Hole. It doesn’t seem that expensive. One could just fly onto M.V… but it’s a plane swap and usually expensive. I think you could get by in Edgartown without a car. I’ve done that a couple of times. There are some nice rentals down by Katama too, that would be an easy Uber into Edgartown.
On the cape, I like Chatham and Truro.
John - It does look like getting a car over to MV is only about $100 round trip. The site I was looking at earlier seemed like it was $500+ to take a car. So now that I know that, I can look at MV again. Uber is not an option since we still use a car seat for the kid. Glad to hear about Onset. I like how central it is and how easy it would be to do day trips to various places.
All the rentals in Truro seem to be condos. We’d much prefer a house, so our kid doesn’t bother anyone with his running around.
We’re just starting to figure this all out, so thanks for the help!
I agree with Wellfleet…beautiful. Rented many houses there over the years…
I found once we had a child that renting a house became more and more like home-life. More making beds, buying food, cooking and cleaning. All of which was a pleasure when we both had career jobs and just wanted to be out there at the beach, enjoying an unhurried life. Kids change pretty much everything.
My suggestion would be to spend your week in Boston, then take the short flight from Logan to Nantucket. Or the fast ferry, without a car. If you stay at a place like The White Elephant on Nantucket, it is an easy walk to the beach, shops, first-rate restaurants, places to have a drink, etc. Nice focus on food and wine on Nantucket. If you want to explore, arrange to rent a car on the island. You really don’t need a car to enjoy this island. Many hotels will meet you at the ferry, or you can get a cab at the airport. You really do not need to be saddled with a car, much less go on that ferry with a car, to enjoy the best of Nantucket.
IMO you’re not really “on the Cape” until you pass Orleans. This is the “outer cape”, the forearm when you look at the cape as an arm bent at the elbow. Any place from Easton to P-Town is nice, though Wellfleet and Truro are the nicest. You must visit P-Town, though there might be one or two things that are challenging to explain to a 5 year old.
The outer cape is so nice because you got the bay on one side and the ocean on the other, with not much distance between. The downside is getting out there.
So what’s the problem with Onset not being “true Cape”? Is it just a prestige thing?
I’m finding that Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard are out of our budget. Onset seems to get us most of what we want (2 bedrooms, easy walk to beach) within our budget. Dining options might not be the best, but we’re traveling with a 5-year old, so we’re not looking for high-end anyway.
Poppy - it is not just a “prestige” thing. It’s access. If I recall correctly, Onset is before the famous rotary and bridge - home to many a traffic backup that is not fun. After the bridge, the Cape emerges. If you want to experience the National Seashore and the bay beaches, you are putting yourself out of range. If you are heading there in peak season (July/August), I would want to get past Hyannis and take what the lower Cape has to offer. So starting at Orleans, perhaps, but going further in, as in Wellfleet and Truro.
Poppy, my family and I had a nice vacation in North Falmouth last June. That’s not far from where you’re looking at. We took some road trips around the Cape and spent a day out in Wellfleet. I’m sure it’s nicer to be out that far, but North Falmouth was more affordable for us. The key for us was to find a house with a big deck and a nice beach nearby. Might be more competition for beach space later in the summer. I don’t know. But we didn’t have much trouble when we went. Lots of good restaurants in Falmouth, which is a cute town not far away.
We go to Cotuit mainly, and it is great there along the bay. Water is warm (truly) and very few waves, which is great for little kids. There is a cape league baseball stadium in a number of these towns (Cotuit, but also Wareham), which is really fun with kids.
So many options. I spend 2 weeks a summer on the cape with my two little girls. The last few years have been in Chatham. The options ar quite endless and it all depends on what you (or your wife) is looking for in a vacation. With a young child Nantucket sound or Bay beaches are much more enjoyable than than the outer beaches (i.e. coast guard). I love both MV and Nantucket but still stay on the ‘mainland’. If you could make either of them work (i.e. Reasonable house and able to get car on the ferry over) the go for it. Otherwise I would recommend the mid cape.