Cape Cod Rentals
June 27, 2013 9:53 AM Subscribe
I'm totally overwhelmed by the rental market for Cape Cod. Seeking info and/or recommendations.
We want to rent a 4 bedroom house near/on the beach. What beaches should we avoid with small children? Which rental companies have good reputations? Is it worth the extra cash to be right on the beach?
We are 2 couples with 4 kids between us, a grandma and a great grandma.
We want to rent a 4 bedroom house near/on the beach. What beaches should we avoid with small children? Which rental companies have good reputations? Is it worth the extra cash to be right on the beach?
We are 2 couples with 4 kids between us, a grandma and a great grandma.
With small kids, you may want to look for place on the bay side. When the tide's in there's good swimming without big waves. When the tide's out it's waaaay out, and you can walk forever finding critters, shells. And you get spectacular sunsets.
For example, First Encounter Beach in Eastham is a great beach for kids, and there are loads of rentals in the area. We spend a week or two every summer just up a bit from there at a family house, and our now 8 year old daughter loves it. And if you want to go to the ocean side, it's a quick jaunt to the National Seashore. It's outer cape, so you'll need to drive a bit longer to get there, but it's really worth it.
Definitely want be close enough to walk to the beach (you'll be carrying a lot of stuff), but being right on it isn't critical to having fun.
posted by schoolgirl report at 10:35 AM on June 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
For example, First Encounter Beach in Eastham is a great beach for kids, and there are loads of rentals in the area. We spend a week or two every summer just up a bit from there at a family house, and our now 8 year old daughter loves it. And if you want to go to the ocean side, it's a quick jaunt to the National Seashore. It's outer cape, so you'll need to drive a bit longer to get there, but it's really worth it.
Definitely want be close enough to walk to the beach (you'll be carrying a lot of stuff), but being right on it isn't critical to having fun.
posted by schoolgirl report at 10:35 AM on June 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
Pickings will be very slim and very expensive if you're looking now for this summer.
vrbo.com is probably the best resource out there. There are a lot of online brokers, but they'll be much more expensive and may not have a lot on their books.
It's worth the extra cash to be right on the beach if you really love the view and really hate packing everyone up for a day at the beach. I'm one of those people and would happily pay a lot more to be directly on the beach.
posted by kinetic at 1:43 PM on June 27, 2013
vrbo.com is probably the best resource out there. There are a lot of online brokers, but they'll be much more expensive and may not have a lot on their books.
It's worth the extra cash to be right on the beach if you really love the view and really hate packing everyone up for a day at the beach. I'm one of those people and would happily pay a lot more to be directly on the beach.
posted by kinetic at 1:43 PM on June 27, 2013
Brewster on the bay side is a fantastic place to vacation with kids. The bay beaches have a gentle slope and smaller waves. The best part is when the tide goes out you can walk out on the tidal flats which is a blast. (Pay attention to the tide charts, though, so you don't end up having to carry your kids on your shoulders after getting caught by the tide coming in. Not that I have any personal experience with that.)
There are also a lot of kid friendly activities around Brewster. The Brewster General Store is a fun place. The church in the town center has puppet shows and kids activities during the summer. There is also the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History which my family has always loved.
We have usually found rentals through vacationcapecod.com, which is a broker's website. You probably will pay more through a broker, but we found them reputable and easy to work with. And yes, if you can afford it get as close to the beach as you can. You can get a beach pass from the town hall, but you only need that if you need to park a car. If you are walking to the beach you are fine without it.
posted by Bresciabouvier at 2:14 PM on June 27, 2013
There are also a lot of kid friendly activities around Brewster. The Brewster General Store is a fun place. The church in the town center has puppet shows and kids activities during the summer. There is also the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History which my family has always loved.
We have usually found rentals through vacationcapecod.com, which is a broker's website. You probably will pay more through a broker, but we found them reputable and easy to work with. And yes, if you can afford it get as close to the beach as you can. You can get a beach pass from the town hall, but you only need that if you need to park a car. If you are walking to the beach you are fine without it.
posted by Bresciabouvier at 2:14 PM on June 27, 2013
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We are heading to Provincetown for the first full week of August and we've rented a three bedroom across the street from the beach access. For us, it wasn't worth the premium in Ptown, but I understand it's a bit less steep in other parts of the cap.
We used VRBO.com to find this place and reviewed comments extensively before committing. Be sure that you review access issues with your older family members in tow. The house we are renting has a steep set of stairs that I didn't even realize until just now while I was looking at pictures. That would likely be a challenge for older folks. Good luck!
posted by FlamingBore at 10:04 AM on June 27, 2013