Cape Cod

Cape Cod hotels range from classic grands (Chatham Bars Inn) to quaint bed-and-breakfast inns (Captain's House Inn and Josiah Sampson House) to retro motels and cottages (Surf Side Cottages) to seasonal rentals. Like the quality, the prices vary widely. In season, you can find a room at a no-frills motel some distance from the beach for under $200 a night, while well-situated accommodations with resort-style amenities run upward of $400. Prices spike even higher on summer weekends, and some properties require a minimum of at least two or three nights throughout the high season. Most accommodations in Sandwich, Provincetown, and Chatham offer the advantage of being within walking distance of shops and restaurants. Look to Mashpee, Cotuit, and Wellfleet if you want peace and quiet. Bay-side villages on the Mid Cape are the most picturesque and tranquil; towns on the Outer Cape, the most remote.

The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce can book hotel stays at member properties and keeps an updated list of package deals and last-minute specials (888-332-2732; capecodchamber.org). Discounts on accommodations on the Outer Cape are available from the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce (508-487-3424; ptownchamber.org). You can check room availability Cape-wide through the privately operated Cape Cod Travel Guide. The Cape Cod Times Web site lists and links to real estate agencies that can arrange seasonal vacation rentals; the Web site Provincetownlive.net provides a separate, similar service for the Outer Cape. In addition to our hotel recommendations below, two standout restaurants, the Bramble Inn in Brewster and the Red Inn in Provincetown, also have a small number of guest rooms. Rooms at the former are simple but comfortable, and centrally located; rooms at the latter are stylish, with water views and decks. You can also spend the night in the original lighthouse-keeper's house at the Bass River Light in West Dennis.