transport and lodging question

I have been invited to a spring wedding at Ocean%26#39;s Edge resort in Brewster, MA. As I can%26#39;t afford to stay at the resort, I am checking out other options . . . however, my question is whether I will be able to easily get from, say, a local BB to the resort (without my having to rent a car). I know in an urban area I could stay some place other than the ceremony site and catch a cab, but I%26#39;ve never been to New England and am at a loss. Advice from locals or seasoned visitors appreciated.

transport and lodging question

Hi There Texas,

When you say spring do you mean April or June? It matters. Also, how long will you be on the Cape? I hope you have time to stay and see this beautiful and unique place. Perhaps you can share a car with another

guest who might want to take some extra time enjoying Cape Cod. Plus, you may be able to save some $$ both on airfare and auto rental if you fly into Providence, RI. That has been our experience anyway. The drive from RI and Boston are the same number of miles except without all the traffic. If you%26#39;d like some specifics on lodging you will get plenty of advice from this board if you detail how many nights, for how many people, your arrival date and your budget range. Be sure to check back here for good advice that I am sure you%26#39;ll be receiving.

transport and lodging question

Cape Cod Charlie,

Thanks for responding. (I%26#39;m not sure why I can%26#39;t reply to you and have to reply to my original msg, but anyway . . .).

The wedding is over Memorial Day weekend, and I%26#39;ll probably arrive early in the a.m. the day before. I have friends who live in Western Mass., so I had planned to fly to whatever airport is near them (it wasn%26#39;t Rhode Island, but it wasn%26#39;t Logan, either; actually I don%26#39;t think it was even in the state), spend a few days at their home, then take some sort of public transportation to Cape Cod. It is my understanding that ';up there'; in ';Yankee'; territory public transportation will get you almost anywhere?

And my intinary is even more complicated by the fact that I have to be back in Austin on the 29th for a business conference.

You are probably landing at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, CT. It will say Hartford/Springfield on the arrival and departure listings. You might want to consider renting a car at the airport or somewhere near your friend%26#39;s residence.

If not, there should be buses from Springfield to the Cape that bring you to Hyannis. You still need to get to Brewster which would be an approximately 20- 30 minute ride. Cabs are not common on the Cape but there might be some in Hyannis. I don%26#39;t know a lot about the public transportation on the Cape but I%26#39;ve been vacationing there for close to 15 years and I%26#39;ve never seen a bus other than a tour bus on the Cape. Renting a car would save you time and frustration, give you more freedom, and allow you to find more reasonable accomodations. Of course, the car rental will cost but after the bus fares and taxi costs it might be worth it.

We seldom stay in a hotel or inn, however, there is one reasoanbly priced inn near our house that I have checked out for friends and relatives. It is called the Harbour Breeze Inn and its in Harwich Port (about a 10- 15 minute drive to Ocean%26#39;s Edge. They would have a room in the $100-150 range that time of year. It is pretty, clean, safe, and a short walk to the beach. The web site is http://www.harborbreezeinn.com/. Of course, with some research on the internet, I%26#39;m sure you can find something reasonable in Brewster too! Good luck!

Also, you should know that Memorial Day weekend is very busy on the Cape. It is always cooler there than the temperature in W. Massachusetts or CT where I live (usually close to 10 degrees cooler once you cross over the bridge to get to the Cape). Check the weather for on the internet and pack accordingly.

Here%26#39;s a website that may be helpful.

www.insidecapecod.com/main-getting3.htm

From what I know of Cape Cod transportation, you%26#39;ll have to make connections in either Boston or Providence, then Hyannis, to get to Brewster.

Oh, yes, Bradley Airport, that%26#39;s it. My friends told me it was about 30 minutes max. from their home. And thanks for the weather warning. This Tejana%26#39;s vision of Spring on the beach probably is nowhere near the reality of Cape Cod climates.

It looks like I will have to bite the bullet and rent a car (on top of the extra expense, I didn%26#39;t want to have to drive it to Logan Airport; I don%26#39;t even like driving into HOuston Intercontinental . . . .Oh well). Maybe I can leave it in Hiyannis and fly from there to Logan and then to Austin.

Since it looks like I%26#39;ll be driving to the wedding ceremony regardless, do you recommend staying in one of the Cape Cod towns (i.e. Hyanis, Chatham, Orleans, Brewster, etc) over another? I%26#39;m more interested in things like historic house tours, local history museums, etc. than the beach.

In Hyannis, there is a very nice independent motel called the Sea Coast Inn. It is operated by a couple, Terri and Al, who are very polite and go out of their way to meet the needs of their guests. The Sea Coast was recently redone and I have heard lots of good things about this motel lately. I wish that I would have known about this place when we visit Cape Cod two years ago. We could have stayed here instead of the Hyannis Harbor Hotel, which I just didn%26#39;t care a whole lot for. It is an older motel that has seen its better days, if you know what I mean. Please consider staying at the SeaCoast Inn.

http://www.seacoastcapecod.com/seacoast.html

I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;d want to be too far from the wedding and Brewster is lovely and historic. There are many antique shops in Brewster and along Rt. 6A. I would search for an inn on tripadvisor.

Chatham is always a favorite with plenty of shops, restaurants, and the lighthouse. It is very pictureque and manicured.

Harwich and Orleans are also great towns close enough to the wedding. We have a place in Harwich Port. I like this area because you can walk to the beach and to the center of Harwich Port. I like to walk.

If you give the price range you are willing to pay for a room, other posters might be able to suggest an inn.

Hi Yellowrs,

If I were you I would decide if I wanted to spend time with friends in Western Mass or to experience Cape Cod. Trying to do both in a short holiday weekend might be expecting too much. In any event you will need a car to get around. If you fly into Bradley field in CT or into Green Airport in RI you can rent a car at the airport and drive to the cape. The trip will take about 3 hours from CT and 2 hours from RI. If yu get a better flight price flying into Boston Logan Airport you have a couple of options for getting to cape cod. To avoid the hassle of driving out of Boston you could take a bus to Hyannis and rent a car from there. Or you culd fly on Cape Air from Boston to Hyannis,but that would be more expensive. Or yu can rent the car in boston and follow the well marked path to Cape Cod . In any event try this site for a comprehensive look at the possiilites.

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=cape_cod@44%26amp;cur_section=tra

As for your lodging, remember that the towns on Cape Cod are not very far apart. You can get from Brewster to Hyannis, or Provincetown in about 30 minutes. Orleans, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, Harwich, Chatham, and Dennis are all even closer. So it depends on what you are looking for. Brewster on scenic Route 6A has lovely inns but there is not much to do if you do not want a Bay beach. Chatham and Orleans also in the Lower cape region have a small town feeling with shopping etc. Both of those towns will probably have some historic tours going on since it is the start of the busy season. When time gets closer go to the Chamber of commerce site for each town or try www.capecodonline for a lisiting of local events. If you go to the outer cape (Eastham-10 minutes to Brewster, Wellfleet-20 minutes to Brewster) you will have the opportunity ot experience the National Park Historical sites and tours. Go to www.nps.gov/caco to check these out. I believe that the Captain Penniman House in the Fort Hill Area has tours and an open house on weekends in May. There are also lighthouse tours, bog house tours, as well as natural history tours all free from the park service. You can check out lodging from motels to hotels, cottages , and bed and breakfasts in these town at www.easthamchamber.com and www.wellfleetchamber .com Do keep in mind that Memorial Day is the beginning of the %26#39;High Season'; so don%26#39;t leave your lodging reservation for the last minute.

Well I hope that helps a bit. Don%26#39;t hesitate to ask questions as the folks on this site are all happy to help out. It%26#39;s snowing and the ocean looks eternal......happy holidays!

Thanks for all your help. Now that I have some background information, I can do some web research and actually make some preliminary decisions about the trip. I%26#39;ll be doing some research during the holidays and will re-visit this post or re-post a follow-up closer to the actual event.