Our Favorite Cape Cod Rental Yet

 We have rented more than our fair share of places on Cape Cod by this point in our lives, but we hit the jackpot this time around.

Our rental cottage was just north of the Orleans roundabout and right on Town Cove. It was a two-bedroom cottage with great amenities, but what really set it apart was the outdoor space. Beautiful yard and right on the water. The views couldn't be beat from morning to night. The hammock, outdoor shower, firepit, and access to kayaks sealed the deal.

Hopefully one day we will return.

We have been to Cape Cod a lot as a family but we are still finding fun things to do and see. It was a short trip from the house to Nauset Beach to take in the ocean as well as the light house that continues to move further back from the eroding coast with each year.

If you are only in town for a week it can be hit or miss, but when the Wellfleet Drive-In has a good movie you have to take advantage. We were lucky and caught Inside Out 2 as the first of two movies. We left before they started Garfield and felt just fine about it. There were no complaints.

And since we knew we would be there for a whole week we bought an Eastham beach pass and headed down to South Sunken Meadow beach, which is where John spent a lot of time as a kid. You can't go wrong on the bay side where the water is warmer, the beach is less crowded, and you can have a lot of fun at low tide.

Although the girls are old enough where they are getting more interested in the UV rating and getting a summer glow they both still love playing together in the water and sand. Reese is definitely the ringleader and would live in the ocean if possible. We could spend every possible minute at the beach and would still not be enough for her.

Walking the flats at low tide is a lot of fun but you also have to stay on your toes. The shallow waters of the bay are filled with all sorts of sea creatures and this picture captures Sarah and the girls caught in the midst of a slew of crabs. They were larger than one would think and were determined to pinch all the feet they could. 

We also got some frisbee time in and enjoyed the sunset while Callie played music on the portable speaker she refused to leave behind. We must admit the music added to the ambience. 

Just when we thought there was nothing new for us to do Sarah made plans for a day trip to Martha's Vineyard. We got an early ferry out of Woods Hole, rented bikes for the day, and had a fantastic adventure on the beautiful island.

We biked to Edgartown along the bike path and stopped at a farmer's market before we hit the main drag. And where is the first place Reese wanted to go on this quaint island? Lululemon. Callie and Sarah each got a Martha's Vineyard shirt from a local store, Reese bought a Lulu tank top she could have purchased anywhere. But everyone was happy, so we can't really complain.

On the bike ride back we stopped at the Jaws bridge and swam for a little bit. Then we had dinner in Oak's Bluff before we caught the ferry home. Everything about the day was great except that somehow biking ended up hurting John's foot. Who knew that a man who runs every day could be laid low by a bike ride?

During the week we also managed to make our way to Chatham to watch the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. It is a great experience to see a game at these small town venues that have a strong community following and good baseball. Unfortunately for us the game was called after the fourth inning because of the heavy fog that rolled in and didn't leave. 

It wasn't until the second to last day that we left the girls sleeping in and took the kayaks out on Town Cove. This picture captures the view of our place from the water. We could have kayaked out to the ocean if we wanted to but just chose to circle around the cove for an hour or so to get a good look around. 

Our usual trips to Provincetown involve shopping and whale watching. This time we exchanged the whale watching for a sand dune tour. It was worth checking out and we enjoyed hearing the history of the dunes and the various shacks in the dunes. Since these are now protected the experience is very different from when John and his family got to run wild on the dunes.

Sarah and Callie did get an opportunity to run up and down a down when our tour guide stopped at one point and let us out of the truck. Orange Theory had clearly prepared them well for the incline but not so much the sand.

We couldn't leave Provincetown without a good dinner though and we found a great restaurant on the main street. Reese was very excited at their mocktail menu and ordered a strawberry daiquiri. The meal was good and was a fitting end to another great day.

Sport and Nana Banana joined us for the last day of our rental and the day before they started their own week on the Cape. It is always great to spend time with them but being on the Cape makes it even more special. Not pictured here is the late night trip John and Sport made into Boston to pick up the Hannen family as they were joining everyone on the Cape.

Few things capture all that is great about the Cape better than family at the bay watching the sunset. As beautiful as the picture is it still does not do justice to the whole scene. We have always loved spending time on Cape Cod as a family and can't wait to get back.