Mrs. R and I will be heading over the labor day weekend to Falmouth which, I believe, is in the Upper Cape Cod region. So I have a bunch of questions. I know practically nothing about the region at this point. We will be flying in Thursday night and out on Monday.

1. What's the better airport to fly in Providence or Boston? Does it matter or should I base on price? Distance-wise, it looks almost the same.
2. I read in this forum it may be difficult to book a ferry to get a car over to Martha's Vinyard. Is it necessary to book in advance? Does it even make sense to take a car over for a one day trip.
3. Do you guys know of any must-see/most-do things?
4. What's a good Cape Cod website?
5. I am also lokking for a nice, higher end, romantic restaurant that's good for a anniversary.

Thanks!!

1) PVD often has better deals (b/c Southwest often drives prices down) and is smaller and pretty nice. BOS on the other hand is pretty big and the construction can be pretty tough to navigate for those not experienced. In addition, the traffic on say a Friday afternoon down to the Cape is absolutely atrocious. All things being = and not being from BOS I would fly into PVD.

2) I would say absolutely do not take a car over for a day. Most ferries go into the large towns Oak Bluffs or Vineyard Haven. I think there may also be one into Edgartown. I would take bikes (that's what me and Ms. Chobby100 do for a trip that is a few days). Check out http://www.mvol.com/

3) I love the Vineyard. There I would say check out the towns of Oak Bluffs, Edgartown and Vineyard Haven. "Up Island" Menemsha and Gay Head are great. We always take our bikes over the "On Time" to Chappy and ride and go to the beach there.

4) not real sure, but try http://www.capelinks.com/
http://www.mvol.com/
http://www.mass-vacation.com/jsp/index.jsp
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...s_vineyard@617
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...on=cape_cod@44

5)
Restaurants on the Cape or the Vineyard? or Both?

Falmouth is actually in the lower Cape, or if you prefer an anatomical analogy, if you imagine the Cape as an arm bent upward at the elbow with the tip of the Cape as the hand, Falmouth would be in the armpit area. Not that it is an armpit of an area, it is actually quite nice, I only used the arm analogy so that you could have a mental picture of where Falmouth is located. The ferry to the Vineyard leaves out of Woods Hole, right in the neck of the woods where you'll be. I'd say leave the car at home for the day when you go to the Vineyard. Instead, rent a bike when you get over there. As far as a romantic restaurant, you may want to consider Chillingsworth in Brewster. Although I have not eaten there, it is highly recommended by many of my colleagues.

www.chillingsworth.com/index.html

As far as which airport to fly into, you'll probably experience a bit less traffic if you fly into Providence, and it may also cost a bit less to rent a car in Providence than in Boston. But it really isn't that big of a difference between Boston and Providence. I'd go with whichever airport was less expensive to fly into.

Expect heavy heavy traffic no matter which airport you choose, and budget plenty of time to get back to the airport. Traffic can be a nightmare in the summer. It's not always gridlock, but it is more often than not, and often unpredictable.

[This message has been edited by hhonorman (edited 06-12-2003).]

Providence (does Provincetown have an airport?)
Forget the car
Forget the Vineyard, go to Nantucket
On Nantucket eat at Chauntecleer or Jared Coffin House
Must visit bars- Rose & Crown, Atlantic Cafe, and later Brotherhood of Thieves for coffee drinks and JT type folk music. Dancing (very informal) go to Chicken Box.
Rent a jeep and drive the dunes next to the airport on Nantucket.
(lived there for 2 years)
Walk main street Nantucket, beware of riding moped and moped riders... 6 hospital trips a week on the island in the summer and 1 death a summer...
Go to a beach called the Bathtub and clam for your lunch
Brant Point lighthouse

[This message has been edited by Skip Middleton (edited 06-12-2003).]

No, no, NO!!!!!. The Upper Cape is the Falmouth/Sagamore/Mashpee area. Mid-Cape is Hyannis/Yarmouth/Dennis. The Lower Cape is anything past Orleans. One always travels DOWN when going toward Provincetown, even as this involves going north.

Using the arm metaphor, the "upper" part of the arm is where Falmouth is. Hence, it's the Upper Cape.

You are absolutely right LastClass, I stand corrected. I always goof those two up. Sorry for any confusion.

If you're in Falmouth it's easy to catch the ferry from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard as a foot passenger. There are busses on the other side which can take you oin an island tour and you can see it all. For dinner, try Lambert's Cove Inn in Tisbury (but you'll have to take a taxi).

First of all thanks for all the replies. Awesome. FT rocks.

I reserved a flight into PVD arriving 9:15pm. So traffic should not be a big deal. The other option is to fly in at 11:50pm. I would do that only if the 9pm traffic is still bad.

The restaurant/bar choices are great. I think we are going to plan for a day on the Vinyard and a day on Nantucket. Looks like a car is unnecessary.

I am actually from Germany (just happened to live in Omaha) and it sounds like Cape Cod is much like the island Sylt back home.

Now here is one: we will actually be staying at the Holiday Inn in Falmouth. Reason is I got the stay for points. I was very surprised I was able to book it at all at this time of the year for a reward stay. Does anyone know anything about the place?

[This message has been edited by michaelr (edited 06-12-2003).]

Does anyone know what the Ocean Edge resort in Brewster is like? I should have asked earlier b/c I booked a priceline stay there for a couple of nights.

http://www.oceanedge.com

Googling shows good and bad for priceline stays...

Any ideas how to secure a good room? I am thinking about calling ahead but I am not quite sure what to tell them.

My mother-in-law stayed there. She said it was magnificent. It's on the Bay, not the ocean. Several great restaurants, good golf, well-appointed rooms. There are time-shares/condos there, but they are high-end. No recommendations though on how to score an upgrade. You probably won't be disappointed there. Have a great time.

Even though my visits are few and far between these days, as a Cape Cod native, I feel compelled to chime in. Chillingsworth is still pretty nice; my mom's best friend named it actually. I also like Ocean Edge, though I'm not sure I'd advocate staying in Brewster (kind of a no man's land between HYA and the cooler Atlantic spots). I suppose Falmouth is the only place I'd really advise against though, because it's so far removed from the rest of the Cape.

As far as must-sees are concerned, the whole coast guard beach area is worth exploring at some length, preferably by bicycle. Be sure to check out the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp.

And if you have a boat..... you might want to cruise over to Monomoy Island --> no people but some pretty cool old houses.

Oh, and Sandy Neck is also worth a visit even if the bay isn't as nice as the sound or ocean.

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately Falmouth is the only place where I can cash in my hotel points and isnt that's what it's all about?

During the summers you can also catch the Island Queen directly from downtown Falmouth to Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard.

Correct!

Thanks for correcting this earlier error. It is a rather common error, as people accustomed to maps with North on top think that anything to the North is "up." Provincetown is Lower Cape Cod. Falmouth is Upper Cape Cod.

People in Provincetown and environs (Truro, Wellfleet) have started to use "Outer Cape," which lessens the confusion.

Yes, there is an airport in Provincetown. Unlike East Hampton, it does have scheduled, commercial service. Cape Air to Boston and, new this Summer, to Nantucket. Hyannis has the best service for the original query. It is nearby, and several carriers offer nonstop service to many Northeastern US cities.

Cape Air also provides connections at Hyannis to Nantucket and to Martha's Vineyard (among other destinations).