7/4/09 Chapin beach or dennisport

We have never been to the cape adn would like to travel with 4 adults and two children 3 %26amp; 1. Chapin beach at the Silver Sands (yes I see that it isn%26#39;t WOWing but the low tide, tidal pools and location at the end of the road is quiet and safe for the kids. The table is right there for us to be on the water. The water as I was told is warmer due to cove.We would rent two rooms. Right or wrong on the temperature of the water that I am not sure..Dennis Seashores seems much nicer, but the water maybe rougher and cooler and not as convenient for us with the kids. We would be sharing the house. I did hear about the 4 wheelers at Chapin. If anyone out there wants to jump in and give me some input or has stayed at either, good or bad, please do. The price is about the same. Thanks in advance.

7/4/09 Chapin beach or dennisport

Whatever you do you are going to be on the water so you really can%26#39;t go wrong.

I have not been inside either of these but I can give you input about the locations. While the water temps on the Bay side are usually a smidge cooler than Nantucket Sound your kids will enjoy that area especially at low tide. As you stated, that property is a litle run down looking but maybe you%26#39;ve seen nice photos of the interior??? It is a little isolated too but, again, right on the water.

Dennis Seashores in Dennisport has cottages on the water and across the street. These cottage are individually owned so the interiors are all different. We had folks on this board last year who loved the cottages and perhaps they entered reviews. They are well maintained and our handyman is working there now after retiring and coming to the Cape because he used to vacation there. In addition to being on the beach there you will be able to walk to Wee Packet restaurant to get grilled cheese sandwiches and lobster rolls for lunch, go around the corner for homemade ice cream at Sundae School, walk the other direction to dinner at Ebb Tide and Seaview. Ocean House is right there too but this upscale restaurant is not especially kid friendly. It%26#39;s a very short drive to The Dog House for lunch or a meal at Clancy%26#39;s Beach House. You all would also be welcome for any meal at the Lighthouse Inn on the water in West Dennis. Having said all that, walking east on %26#39;your%26#39; Bayside beach toward Mayflower is a very nice walk and you can walk for miles if that is of interest to any of you. And while the 6A side is less commercial, this IS where the galleries, funky shops and boutique, the Cape Playhouse and more are all dotted along the road so, if you decide not to locate there then poking around in that area for a while one day could be lots of fun.

I%26#39;m not sure that I%26#39;ve given you any help choosing one over another but I do want to let you know that the Sound is not rough water and Dennisport is big on families probably because of the warm water and, many days, low wave action.

Why not try one this year and save the other for next year?

Also look at the top for a private message from me with some additional info for your week.

7/4/09 Chapin beach or dennisport

Thanks for the info. For the Chapin beach place, are there any places to see or eat within walking distance. ? The inside of the place in mention is not all that appealing, but as mentioned the water at your toes with the kids is important. You seem well informed about the Cape. If it weren%26#39;t for the kids I know where we would go so we will soon find out. Thanks.

Oh... How far apart are they in driving time.???

Here is a link to some Dennis Seashores reviews. If you look back on this board you%26#39;ll find some post trip reviews too.

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g41523-d1066983…

Near the Bay I think you could walk to Gina%26#39;s by the Sea. Very popular for Italian fare but not open every night. Try to figure out if they have a way around the long in-season wait times for families with kids. In fact I would call many restaurants and see if you can do a call ahead to get on the waitlist or just how early you%26#39;d need to go as a policy with small kids during high season.

http://www.ginasbythesea.com/Map.html

Also near by is Chapins. http://chapinsrestaurant.com/ I%26#39;m not certain that you could walk to this one but it would only be a minute in the car. The bay side is less commercial so things are more upscale and a bit more spread out.

As the crow flies the two properties that you are considering are about 7 miles apart. How long that will take by car depends.

Wherever you locate try to take time to go up into Scargo Tower (free and not very tall) which is the highest point on the Cape and is built atop a hill. You might also enjoy a paddle down Swan River to the mouth of Nantucket Sound. You can rent kayaks and, for the kids, electric paddle boats at Cape Cod Waterways (use some discount coupons) located on Rt. 28 just east of Rt. 134 in Dennisport. The head of the rail trail is nearby on Rt. 134. If a ride through the cool woods, and past cranberry bogs and lakes is appealing then park free and rent bikes at www.barbsbikeship.com

I hope you are getting the idea that there%26#39;s lots to do on your vacation.

Just want to second CCC%26#39;s observation that you need not rule out Dennis Seashores on the ground that it fronts a Nantucket Sound beach. Your 3-year-old won%26#39;t be doing any real swimming, but rather playing %26amp; splashing at the water%26#39;s edge so the not-significant difference in water temperatures isn%26#39;t of much consideration as I see it -- and my son at that age always loved running back %26amp; forth with the waves as they tumbled gently on the beach; there%26#39;s more of that kind of wave ';action'; on a Sound beach [but still perfectly safe, in the absence of extraordinary circumstances you%26#39;d be alerted to].

I have no first-hand knowledge of either of those properties, but looking at photos, I%26#39;m wondering about the 2-story townhouses at Silver Sands. I don%26#39;t know how physically adventuresome your 1-year-old is, but the inside staircase of these units, in particular, would have been of concern to me ';back when';.

With small children, I would definitely head to Dennis Seashores. It is a family community. Many of the cottages are rented to the sme families who return evey year. The beach is like one big family with children playing at the water%26#39;s edge with each other. There are many family friendly restaurants as well as activities nearby. The Dennisport and Harwich libraries have wonderful story hours. Our kids have akways looked forward to the player piano at the Sundae School and pizza at George%26#39;s in Harwichport. Availability might be a problem at this point.

The decision has been made.

LOL! but the thread%26#39;s still open! LOL!

Thanks for your post, MarylandSandMom! (and Welcome to one of the weirdest forums on TA!) just kidding. We may only be in the top 10...