Cape Cod Honeymoon?

[oobiecoo]

Hey guys... my FI and I are trying to decide where to go for our honemoon and just aren''t sure. We would LOVE to go to Italy but it seems way out of our price range at the moment. I really love New England so we were thinking of Cape Cod. We would rent a little cottage near the beach and go whale watching and stuff like that. I heard that Hyannis is nice and where the Kennedys used to have homes. Would any of y''all recommend that also or should we be looking at a different area? Ideally we would like to walk to get around and drive as little as possible... is that common on Cape Cod? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[blushingbride]

I''ve been to Chatam and it''s sooooo lovely!

The town has a lot of great shops, restaurants and bars. We went to a beach which was about a 15 min. drive from Chatam. The whole trip was great! You''ll LOVE Cape Cod...be sure to visit Provincetown, Nantucket and Martha''s Vineyard while you''re there!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Hyannis is nice and is on the south side of the cape. The Nantucket ferry leaves from Hyannis, though the Martha''s Vineyard ferry leaves from Falmouth. Chatham is also a great location and is equidistant from Provincetown and Falmouth. Do you plan to visit the islands at all? When is the honeymoon?

 

[Selkie]

I''ve lived in various areas of Cape Cod, and honestly, Hyannis is the last town I''d choose to stay in for my honeymoon (unless you''ve found a place there that looks particularly nice. I''d visit the beach areas of Hyannis, but the main part is kind of blah. If I had a week to spend on the Cape, I''d either rent a place in Chatham, which is about equidistant from both "ends" or 3 days in the Falmouth/Woods Hole area exploring the lower cape, and 2 or three days somewhere in Wellfleet or Provincetown, checking out the outer cape.

 

[oobiecoo]

Thanks for your input everyone! We would most likely visit at least one of the islands while we are there. I''ll look into the other areas mentioned since we aren''t set on Hyannis. We would probably go late May 2008... but going December 2008 seems kind of charming and cozy since it rarely gets cold here in Texas. It would be nice to possibly have a snowy winter. Are we crazy for even considering wintertime there? Do most people and businesses pack up and leave for winter?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

To be honest, there aren''t many year-round businesses/restaurants on the islands or in Provincetown. If you''re going to go in the winter and aren''t so interested in beaches, I might stick to the upper cape or more mainstream towns on the lower cape (Falmouth and Chatham probably have some year-round business). Also, I''m not sure if the ferries run year round?

I love New England in the winter, have you guys considered staying on the coast outside of Boston? We were married in a small coastal town outside of Boston which has the same feeling as the cape, but is also only about 45 minutes from the city, so you wouldn''t feel like you were isolated. The good news is that you guys could rent a house to yourself on the coast with a nice fireplace for very little money!!

 

[surfgirl]

Nantucket or the Vineyard, hands down. Very romantic.

 

[Selkie]

The Cape in the winter is great! New England Lady is right, you'll definitely find more tourist-oriented businesses open year round on the upper Cape, but even P-town and the outer cape can be great places to visit in the winter. It's a totally different atmosphere. The ferries to the islands do run year round, just less frequently, since people live on the Vineyard and Nantucket. Plus, you can probably get some great deals on lodging. Don't count on snow, though, it really varies from year to year.

It's nice in May, too, obviously. Memorial Day used to be more or less the start of the tourist season, but essentially, it's extending earlier and later each year.

You can fly into either Boston or Providence RI and rent a car or take a bus to the Cape, but you really need a car to get around between towns. However, you can easily leave the car somewhere and walk around the villages and beaches all day.

ETA: Here's a link to an interesting article about P-town in the winter: An emptier, more affordable P-town

 

[Selkie]

Here''s a great guide: 65 things to do on Cape Cod. It''ll save me making my own list since it includes pretty much everything I''d suggest

.

 

[oobiecoo]

Selkie, thanks so much for the article and list! I''ll have lots to discuss with FI