East Orleans?

I am trying to decide whether to stay in Orleans or East Orleans, and I have no idea what either looks like. I find pictures of B and Bs - but never of the towns themselves. I was considering Eastham, but I think the former two have a little more of a town? I am looking for a small town/village where we can go into a few little shops/bakeries/antique shops/etc., very close to the ocean (not bay side), but we don%26#39;t have to be RIGHT in town - but within a short walk. From what I%26#39;ve read - I THINK East Orleans is closer to the ocean, but that Orleans is more of the town. Is that right? Any help - or B and B suggestions would be VERY helpful! Thank you!

East Orleans?

East Orleans is just a small section of Orleans on the way to Nauset Beach. Both Orleans and East Orleans have shops with Orleans having the greatest variety and number. You are correct to understand that Orleans is the larger town....but it is not busy like the major town of Hyannis. Since you seem to want a bit of bustle around you anyway, it won%26#39;t matter if you stay in either location. The section of Orleans that is on the Ocean is East Orleans....but if you are near the ocean you will not be in the little village center and will have to bike or drive to get there. I really would not stress over this decision as you will not have to drive very far to reach anyplace from Eastham to Orleans. There are places in East Orleans where you will not be near the village center and will have to drive or bike to get to the main center area and the same is true for Orleans. In fact, there are places in both Orleans and East Orleans where it will take you longer to get to the Main Street shops than if you stayed in South Eastham and drove! So my advice is pick the place that looks nicest to you and chill.

East Orleans?

As I recall, there is almost no shopping to be done in East Orleans, apart from a little grocery store. The largest cluster of shops in Orleans itself is around the intersection of Old Kings Highway (a/k/a Route 6A) %26amp; Main St., so the pleasant Cove Motel, for one, is well situated for in-town exploration.

If you%26#39;re considering renting a home/cottage, keep in mind that the designations by realtors/owners can be ';elastic'; -- a property may be within the geographical parameters of East Orleans but advertised as ';Orleans'; because that%26#39;s the broader/better-known reference. So, if a narrow venue is your target, it%26#39;s best to get the actual address and plug that into an online map to see where it is before signing the rental agreement.

But if you%26#39;re looking for accommodations of any type for this summer, you may not be able to be too choosey at this point.

East has more upscale homes, more charm (IMHO) and close to Nauset Beach. Go with East.

thank you for all your info and advice......I%26#39;m also considering Chatham. Can anyone please describe it? Any B%26amp;B suggestions - especially by the water? thanks!

Chatham has lovely homes, beautiful scenic areas such as the fishing pier (I saw a seal in early May), the lighthouse, some beaches such as Hardings, great dining such as Vinings, B and B%26#39;s, little shops and galleries. Very charming and quaint. I know Captain House as I had tea there. I imagine it is one of the pricier inns. Not in Chatham but on the border is Wequasset Inn if you can splurge and if not have dinner there.

Chatham is exceedingly picturesque with a lovely Main St -- almost Disneyesque. But generally speaking, it is also the priciest place on the Cape to stay.

If ';by the water'; you mean right on a beach, your choices would be the Chatham Bars Inn (it%26#39;s always been big bucks, especially ';in season'; %26amp; I can%26#39;t recommend it right now as it%26#39;s had a change in ownership/management and seems to have not yet found its sea legs during the transition); the Wequasset (also expensive and imo, not worth it but others here disagree; note that it fronts set-in Pleasant Bay so the beach is more akin to being at a lake rather than the ocean -- you won%26#39;t hear waves tumbling here); and the Hawthorne motel, which would be my pick of these 3.

If your mobility isn%26#39;t limited, you can walk to the Chatham Light[house] beach [ocean beach with real surf] and the Oyster Pond beach from any of the in-town accommodations such as the Cranberry Inn, the Bradford Inn, the Wayside Inn %26amp; the Old Harbor Inn.

Both the Wequasett Inn and Chatham Bars Inn are on Pleasant Bay but neither one is in the center of Chatham, although CBI is not a very long walk to shops etc.

You might find you have more choices if you consider the fact that you can go to a small town, spend the day, browse etc and then go someplace else to relax/sleep. You will certainly have more choices if you broaden your search a bit. I imagine that you will enjoy spending a some time in Wellfleet and then perhaps meandering to Truro for a wine tasting on your way to Provincetown to shop and dine. Chatham makes a nice day trip but IMO you do not have to stay there to enjoy the quaintness....and one day is enough to see the entire town! If I were you I would plan to visit the National Seashore beaches, like Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, and also visit some of the antique shops along Rt. 6A.

I%26#39;d like to second yellowbird%26#39;s suggestion that you broaden your horizons... each town -- and beach -- is a little different, and honestly, you can have a wonderful vacation no matter in which town you lay your head.

Take a look at this page from Bed %26amp; Breakfast Cape Cod, a booking service; I%26#39;m loving the look %26amp; VERY reasonable price of the Wellfleet guesthouse property (#WEL-02 where you%26#39;d have your own private suite with private entrance %26amp; porch.

bedandbreakfastcapecod.com/lowercape.html

Better yet, give BBCC a call for one-on-one personal assistance. Also, most of the towns have a lodging association where you can check online for availability and/or telephone them for up-to-date availability/rate %26amp; more personalized assistance. For those who don%26#39;t have their heart set on one or just several places %26amp; will consider no others, using the services of a reservations agency/lodging association is more efficient than you calling properties individually

We have been renting in Orleans for nearly 40 years every summer for most of those and now in September which I think is a perfect month for the Cape. When we say Orleans we mean the whole town, East, South, Skaket etc. it%26#39;s all Orleans and wherever you stay you are only minutes away from shops, restaurants, beaches etc.

As the previous replies have said you will not always be able to walk to everything but it%26#39;s no problem to drive or bike. As Yellowbird says you can even stay in parts of Eastham which are closer to the downtown area of Orleans than some of the districts of Orleans are.

The far reaches of South Orleans are also quite close to Chatham if you continue on instead of going back into Orleans centre. We are staying in a beautiful house in walking distance of Skaket Beach in September. Five minutes by car to all the shopping we need plus many restaurants.

YES, if you aren%26#39;t bound by school schedules, September-early October is a fabulous time to be on the Cape.

The crowds don%26#39;t thin out after Labor Day as much as they once did (the Cape has become an ever-increasingly popular destination for folks from the UK %26amp; Europe), so the prices don%26#39;t drop like they used to. But, there%26#39;s certainly less congestion than at the height of ';the season';; the waters are at their warmest; and the weather is typically delightful with still-warm days but cooler nights.