South Dennis or Harwich?

I have a choice of two cottage/house rentals for two weeks in August. One is in South Dennis near to Follins Pond and one is in Harwich very close to Hinckley%26#39;s Pond. I%26#39;m so torn between the two - the Harwich location has the advantage of being on the bike path and Long Pond and the Dennis one the advantage of being close to the Dennis bay beaches and we%26#39;d have to to drive to the rail trail parking.

I need some help deciding between the two. Can anyone evaluate the pros and cons for me because I certainly can%26#39;t! The house in Dennis is only minimally cheaper by the way and actually a little smaller.

South Dennis or Harwich?

If one of the locations is close enough to ocean beaches to be able to walk, then that would be a major consideration.

South Dennis or Harwich?

I have a house near the Follins Pond location. It%26#39;s about 1 mile or so to the Old Bass River Road bike path and then over to the bike path on 134. You can go the back way by the post office. IMHO not a great rental area but maybe the house is fab? Being in Dennis allows you about 10+ beaches to use on one week%26#39;s sticker. Beaches in Harwich are so so IMHO.

OK, I love to be able to walk to our local neighborhood beach IF I%26#39;m not going with kids and a lot of beach %26#39;stuff%26#39;.

If your rental is close enough to the beach to walk to, you could always load up the car with all your gear, drop it off at the beach and return the car to your rental.

Conversely, if you don%26#39;t mind paying the parking fee, once your car is loaded with kids and your %26#39;stuff%26#39; you could drive to any beach. I%26#39;d rather drive to the beach than drive to the rail trail. I think it%26#39;s a hassle to load bikes on and off the rack, but that%26#39;s just me (maybe I have the wrong bike rack, but it isn%26#39;t user friendly.)

I think Harwich is generally a better location, but plenty here enjoy Dennis. I%26#39;d go for the slightly larger rental in Harwich.

Caribchakita - when you say Follins Pond isn%26#39;t a great rental area is that because it%26#39;s a hassle to get to the rail trail or just in general? What%26#39;s the beach like at the pond? The houses are similar with the Dennis one being a little smaller and cheaper, but it%26#39;s still big enough for us.

Going to Cape Cod is all about going to the sea in my opinion. Coming from Ontario with all its wonderful lakes, why would you want to spend time at a pond? We, and our children, liked to make a quick stop at one, especially the freshwater ones, on the way back to our cottage after a day at the beach but they don%26#39;t compare with the great ocean beaches of the National Seashore. Being on the beaches of Nantucket Sound, nice as they are, is not very different from being on the beach at Wasaga or Lake Ontario.

I would stay in Harwich and make sure that you head down the Cape occasionally and experience Nauset Beach in Orleans and further along, Coast Guard, Lighthouse, Cahoon%26#39;s Hollow etc. All within about 30 minutes driving time. And don%26#39;t forget the Bay beaches, Skaket in Orleans, amazing when the tide goes out, and all the beaches which run the length of Eastham on the Bay side.

Senior65: Actually, we%26#39;ve experienced all that before being at the Cape a few years ago for a couple of weeks. We stayed in Eastham close to the bay beaches and went to most of the ocean beaches, some of the bay beaches etc. We enjoyed the ocean beaches over the bay beaches and we spent many days cycling to these beaches. One of my favourite days was actually riding the rail trail from Nickerson State Park down through the Long Pond area and swimming at one of the white sand beaches in that area (can%26#39;t remember where exactly). The water was clear, the sand was white and it was amazing. I wish I could remember which pond it was on.

So for this year we%26#39;d like to see parts of the Cape we haven%26#39;t been to yet (and revisit some of the places we enjoyed before) and thought Harwich or Dennis might be a good choice because of location and general raves on this forum about the Dennis beaches. Just can%26#39;t decide on exact location....

PVT - I, too would go with Harwich, if the place is located on the Bike Path and Long Pond it would appear that it is right near Rt. 6 - which you can jump on and go up to the National Seashore if you so desire. We stay at a place up the road from where this place is over the line in Brewster and love the access to the ponds and bike path. As our kids are older now, they do not like the bay beaches - they want the ocean-side for boogie-boarding. We stroll the bay beaches for their beautiful sunsets, which you can do without needing a parking sticker in the evenings.

As Caribchakita says .......Dennis has the benefit of variety in their beaches with many good choices - there is parking at the head of the rail trail but if you are sure your memory serves you well and the spot that you really loved was along the way in Harwich that might be a hug pro for your

They are both pretty similiar - Do what a friend of mine does and make two columns and list all the pros in one and the cons in the other and then decide

Near Follins Pond does not mean he is on the pond and even if he is, it%26#39;s not anything amazing..truly. If the realtor and the house is amazing, choose that which satisfies. We all have preferences. I am a beach girl so would choose Dennis for choices of beach. I am not a fan of the Harwiches aside from H%26#39;Port.