We’re expecting a beautiful weekend on Cape Cod. In the next few days we’ll get rid of this rain and see temperatures in the high 70s for Saturday and Sunday. So it’ll be the perfect late Spring weekend for walking on the beach and browsing shops and museums.

Because we haven’t reached the Memorial Day weekend, you can still get reduced rates. If you’d like to stay on the lower Cape Cod area, take a look at the Fort Hill Bed & Breakfast in Eastham. The Spring rates are in effect until late May. The Fort Hill Bed & Breakfast has 3 rooms - the Emma, the Lucille, and the Nantucket.

The Emma Room is currently billed at $240, the Summer rate will be $265. The Lucille Room Spring Rate is $225 while the Summer Rate is $235. The Nantucket Room is $300 during the Spring and Summer is $325.  Things do change so you can give them a call at 508-240-2870. Or check out the Fort Hill Website.

If you’re coming to Cape Cod to be close to nature the Fort Hill Bed and Breakfast is located near beaches, bike trails, and nature walks. The bed & breakfast sits on a hill overlooking a bay.

There’s still time to experience a luxurious and romantic getaway on Cape Cod at off-season prices.

The Ashley Manor Bed and Breakfast, located in the historic Village of Barnstable and Barnstable Harbor, has two luxury suites guaranteed to inspire the romantic in all of us. This bed and breakfast, itself, dates back to 1699.

The Canterbury Suite has two gorgeous rooms and a full bath. The bedroom has a elegant Queen bed and a working fireplace. The cable TV is “hidden” in a cherry armoir. The adjacent sitting room has an antique desk and two sitting chairs. The bath has a two-person Jacuzzi whirlpool tub. The off-season rates vary from $175 to $195. In-season rates are about $235.

The King George’s Suite is a second-floor corner suite. It has a very warm and cozy feeling because the traditional architecture has all kinds of nooks and crannies. But don’t fear, you won’t feel cramped in this spacious room, with eight windows,  that has a King Bed and seating area in front of a fireplace. The private bath also includes a two-person Jacuzzi whirlpool. The off-season rates vary from $175 to $195. In-season rates are about $235.

A three-course gourmet breakfast is served each morning - either on the terrace or infront of a roaring fire. Each day the breakfast is different - start with freshly ground coffee, teas, juice and fresh seasonal fruit or baked fruit as first course. Entrees may include French toast, pancakes, waffles and various creative egg dishes. Cranberry pie or Blueberry-Peach-Raspberry Crisp are house specialties! If you have special dietary needs, please let the Ashley Manor Inkeepers know ahead of time and they will work with you to accommodate your needs.

And in the afternoon, before or after dinner enjoy a complimentary cordial - brandy, port, or hazelnut sherry - in the library.

If you love to play tennis, bring your racquet. There’s a private court in the backyard.

Ashley Manor is truly a special place to stay on Cape Cod. The historic structure and location, the romantic suites with fireplace and jacuzzi, and elegant gourmet breakfasts and cordials in the library will make for a romantic and gracious visit to Cape Cod. Play some tennis in the backyard and you’ll feel like your at an English countryhouse in the 1930’s. (You know like we watch on PBS!)

Click Here to visit the Ashley Manor website.

If you stay at the Alexander Hamilton House Bed and Breakfast in Mashpee on Cape Cod, you can bring your dog too! And that’s not something that most Cape Cod bed and breakfasts allow. In fact the owners really seem to like having dogs visit.

The Alexander Hamilton House Bed and Breakfast does have a few rules. They provide crates for your convenience and if you leave the dog in the room, you have to put your dog in the crate. There’s also a dog food and water bowl in the bathroom.  There is also a kennel down by the pond, so you can enjoy the pond and keep your dog safe. Of course if your dog barks and bothers other guests you’ll have to keep the dog with you. I’d give them a call at 508-419-1584 to get all the details.

That aside the Alexander Hamilton House is a lovely bed and breakfast, with a private beach on the Ashumet Pond offering two very private guest suites.

The Carriage House Suite is a spacious one-room suite with a King bed, double whirlpool tub, wood-burning fireplace, and private bath. And even free broadband wi-fi. Rates. Memorial Day thru Columbus Day Weekend, and holidays and holiday weekends all year $275 a day for double occupancy. Off season $225. Single person discount Monday through Thursday except holidays at $100 a day. There is a two night minimum on Friday and Saturday, 3 nights on long weekends

The Family Suite has two bed rooms, both of which have a Queen bed and a Day bed. These bedroom share access to a single bathroom. There is a sitting room with cable TV and a screened-in porch.  Additional amenities include radiant heat, central air conditioning, WiFi, private entrance, dining area, refrigerator, microwave, toaster, clock radios, coffeemaker, and electric tea kettle. Rates. Weekly rental June - August $1800. September - May, $250 per night for use of one bedroom or $300 per night for both bedrooms up to four person occupancy. Over four people, $25 per extra person per night.

Click Here to visit the Alexander Hamilton House Bed and Breakfast website.

Affordable Golf Packages start at $99 per person in the off-season and $119 in the peak season at the Gulf Wing Suites in Yarmouth.

The golf package includes overnight accommodation for one, a continental breakfast, dinner voucher at local restaurants, and golf at the Bayberry Hills Golf Course or Bass River Golf Course (You can ask about other golf courses),  and free parking.

The Bayberry HIlls Golf Course is an 18-hole Bent grass course designed by Geoffrey Cornish and Brain Silva. Bayberry also offers an additional 9-hole course, the Links Nine. The Bass River Golf Course, established in 1900, is a Cape Cod Golf tradition.  You’ll find 18- holes on a course featuring narrow fairways, small greens and views of the Bass River.

When you return to the Gulf Wing Suites Hotel after your golf game there’s a heated indoor pool waiting for you to relax by. During the season there’s also an outdoor pool with sundeck. You could also enjoy the fitness room, game room. If you want to stay in touch with the world there’s free wi-fi.

Both smoking and non-smoking rooms are available. But if you are a smoker, you should book ahead. There’s always fewer smoking rooms and they tend to book up fast.

The Gulf Wing Suites Hotel is located at 922 Main Street, Yarmouth MA. Click Here for the website.

I just got back got back from a very grey and blustery walk to the Sandwich Marina. Very high tide tody. It might just be because of the wind direction. But on the other hand it might be because of the coastoal erosion that has widened the mouth of the Sandwich Harbor near the Town Beach. It does seem that that ordinary tides are much higher than they’ve ever been before.

I really don’t fee like being outside today so I’m going to my favorite independent film movie place the Cape  Cinema, which is on the grounds of the Cape Cod Museum of Art. I’m going to an afternoon showing of the movie Sunshine Cleaning. Amy Adams and Emily Blunt play two sisters who start a cleaning company - a crime scene cleaning company. Amy Adams character, plays a single mother who want to send her son to private school. Emily Blunt’s character - a very unreliable sister agrees to help. That sounds like a very funny premise to me and I’m looking forward to it. Oh Alan Arkin is also in it.

I go here so often, I’m getting to recognize my fellow movie goers.

The Cape Cod Museum of Art has 2 very interesting local film events scheduled for April.

The first is the film Women of Faith by Rebecca M. Alvin. It’s a documentary that explores the relationship between the Catholic Church and the women who serve or have served in the church. The women profiled include 3 Maryknoll sisters, 2 Poor Claire Nuns, Donna Heitzman (Provincetown resident and ex-nun), and the Rev. Marie David (Harwich resident and ordained Roman Catholic womanpriest). The director will be present, as may some of the women profiled in the film, to participate in a discussion after the showing.  It will be held on Thursday, April 16, at 7 pm. Admission $10.

The second is a mini film festival, called A Critic’s Choice: Cape Cod Short Films. Join Cape Cod Times Film Editor, Tim Miller, for an afternoon of short films by Cape Cod film makers. Many of the film makers will be present and I’m sure there will be a great discussion. This event will be held on Sunday, April 19, from 1 to 5 pm. Admission is $10.

If you’d like more info on these events call the Cape Cod Museum of Art at 508-385-4477.

On May 2 the 16th Annual Maritime Days Celebration will begin. If you love maritime history, maritime art, or just love paddling, there will be events for you to enjoy. So if you’re considering a Cape Cod getaway in May, it would be a great idea to look at the Maritime Days Calendar of Events and coordinate your Cape Cod vacation with some fun activities.

May 2 activities include boatbuilding, a boat tour of Lower Cape Cod, and a kayak tour of the Lower Cape Cod waterways. 

The boatbuilding seminar will be held at the Woods Hole Historical Museum in the village of Woods Hole in the Town of Falmouth. Woods Hole is a fabulous place to visit and enjoy. In addition to the museum check out the aquarium (it was one of the first in the nation) and the famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. And if you get hungry there’s some fabulous restaurants and coffee shop. My favorite is the Captain Kidd. I usually have a cup of clam chowder and a burger or their fish and chips.

The Boat Tour of Cape Cod will run from 10 to 11 am and 12 to 1pm and will cost $20 per passenger. Blue Claw Boat Tours will give the tour  from Orleans to Pleasant Bay and you’ll get a great view of some riverways and island passages, hear about their history and see working fisherman. If you’d love to be on the water, but aren’t feeling overly athletic this is a great alternative.

If your feeling athletic and fit you might want to consider the Kayak Tour of the Lower Waterways of Cape Cod. The tour guide will be Dick Hilmer, a certified kayak instructor and coastal educator. There is no better way to observe wildlife than by kayak or canoe.  This tour will run from 10 am to 1:30 pm. Cost is $30. If  my back spasms clear up, this event would be one of my ways to celebrate  Maritme Days on Cape Cod.

Memorial Day Weekend is the start to the official summer season on Cape Cod. It used to be the weekend when we would welcome back all our regular summer residents and the tourists would arrive. While that line has seemed to blur in recent years, this weekend is still a major deal around here. And because of that Cape Cod motels and other lodging rates are higher on that weekend. But you can still find affordable deals on Cape Cod on Memorial Day Weekend.

Here are a few that I’ve found so far. Just know, that these numbers can go up or down without notice depending on the economy and weather.  So if you find rates that you like, I would definitely make the reservation and lock them in. Don’t forget state and local taxes and minimum stay requirements. There may be additional charges for individual motels and hotels. So you should always call to confirm.

The Town Crier Motel in Eastham has rates available for Memorial Day Weekend starting at $129/night. Double occupancy. 2 children under 15 can stay free. Extra adults and children are $15 each. It’s $10 each for adults and children 13 and over. An additional $5 for children 12 and Under. Room amenities include color / cable television, microwave, refrigerator, hair dryer, coffee-maker, direct-dial telephone, FREE wireless internet and individual Heat/AC control.

The Earl of Sandwich, on Route 6A in Sandwich has posted that its Memorial Day rates are $85 for a room with a Queen bed and $89 for a room with 2 Double beds. All rooms have either Queen or Double beds, air conditioning, refrigerators, private bath, cable/color television, telephones, and WiFi. Many rooms have canopied beds. A continental breakfast is included in your room rate.

The Carleton Motel in Falmouth rates for the Memorial Day Weekend period are $99.95 for a room with a Queen Bed and $119.95 for a room with two Double Beds. There may be a 3-night minimum stay requirement for Memorial Day Weekend. Amenities include Continental Breakfast, Outdoor Pool, Barbeque Areas, Kids Playground Area, Free High-speed Wireless Internet; In-room Fridge/Microwave/Coffeemaker.

For more info on Cape Cod lodging please check out these directories: Chatham Hotels and Inns, Falmouth Hotels and Inns, Hyannis Hotels and Inns, Sandwich Hotels and Inns.

Here’s some suggestions for Hyannis motels if you’re thinking about coming to Cape Cod this April. Hyannis is located on the southern side of Cape Cod. Hyannis motels generally cluster along Main Street, the Hyannis Harbor and Route 132.

If you don’t have your own car, Hyannis is a good place to come to Cape Cod for a vacation. You can easily take a bus from Boston to Hyannis. Once in Hyannis there is a basic public transporation system. It’s not great, but it’s better than what exists on the rest of the Cape. And if you stay in a Hyannis motel on the waterfront on Main Street, you can walk to a lot of attractions.

If you’re one of our British or European visitors who come for shopping opportunties, Hyannis is the commercial cnter of Cape Cod. It is home to the Cape Cod Mall, which houses major retailers Macy’s, Best Buy, Sears, and the Barnes & Noble Bookstore.

For some of the Hyannis motels, the room rate options are so varied, it’s best to go to the websites and check for yourself. But when there is a simpler rate structure I’ve included it. But there’s always taxes and minimum stay requirements and other stuff to consider.

Anchor In Cape Cod Hotel
One South Street, Hyannis, Cape Cod MA 02601 Phone 508-775-0357
Year-round waterfront hotel. Walk to Bayview Beach.
Visit website or call for rates.

Hyannis Holiday Motel
131 Ocean Street, Hyannis, Cape Cod MA 02601 Phone 508-775-1639
Overlooks Hyannis Harbor.  Across the street from the Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard Ferries. 72 guest rooms.
Visit website or call.

Best Value Inn Cape Cod
206 Main Street, Hyannis, Cape Cod MA 02601 Phone 508-775-5225
84 guest rooms. Large, indoor heated swimming pool.
April rates range from $49 to $79 a night.

Heritage House Hyannis Motel
259 Main Street, Hyannis, Cape Cod MA 02601 Phone 508-775-7000
143 rooms with indoor pool and jacuzzi and sauna.
Visit website or call.

Seacoast Inn Hyannis Motel
33 Ocean Street, Hyannis CapeCod MA 02601 Phone 508-775-3828
Efficiencies available.
Room Rates Spring and Fall vary from $68 - $108.

Click here for more info or Hyannis Motels.

During April School Vacation Week, Mariner Motor Lodge has great rates and lots of fun events.

From April 18 - 26, otherwise known as April School Vacation, in Massachusetts the Mariner Motor Lodge, in West Yarmouth has great rates and family-friendly events.

First the room rates.  Weekday rates generally range from $49 to $59 and Weekend rates range from $64 to $79. These can change for school vacation week, so call ahead. Rates are based on double occupancy and kids stay free. There’s complimentary mini-muffins and coffee. Free mini-golf and indoor pool. There’s no smoking in the rooms, but if you’re a smoker you can smoke on the grounds outside. No pets.

During April School Vacation week there will be movies on the big screen tv in the conference room, magic shows, jugglers dancing cops, and ice cream parties.

So give them a call at 508-771-2811 or visit the Mariner Motor Lodge website.