Maine or The Cape?

newenglandgal0802

FI and I are getting married the first weekend in August and we are looking for somewhere to go right after the wedding for a few days. We will be taking a long honeymoon the following winter to get away from the NE cold! Just curious how people feel Maine vs. The Cape. FI has been to Maine once and liked it and we've both been to the cape once and also enjoyed it(we stayed in Falmouth). Any opinions which area has more to do or is more romantic? We're just doing a few days away to relax.

emmyg65

It depends on what you want. In my experience, the Cape is better for swimming, and Maine is better for hiking.

jenna8984

Would it be during the week or weekend? The Cape in August sucks so hard on weekends. Everyone from the city drives in Friday night- you sit in traffic for 3 hours, then everyone tries to leave on Sunday and you sit in traffic for 3 hours trying to get back over the bridge. The beaches literally get full and turn people away by 9am!! My grandparents live there so I've gone many times and it's such a hassle. However, if you're going like Mond-Thurs it might be ok. I like the Sandwich/ Falmouth/ Mashpee area but I have never been to P-Town or Martha's Vineyard which I hear are very pretty. 

Haven't been to ME to I can't comment there. 

newenglandgal0802

I know the Cape can be brutal in August. We would be going Sunday-Saturday most likely. We are looking for a place to rent right on the beach to avoid the beach commotion in the early AM. A friend of ours also just suggested Lake George in NY which we are thinking might be a nice option too. I prefer beaches and relaxing but FI will need a place with lots of things to do to keep him busy. Fishing, hiking trails, etc.

Elitefourabby

As someone who lives in Maine, I can't recommend it enough. Portland is gorgeous, Rockland has a lobster festival in August, and Bar Harbor has a lot of small town charm

Molly&Andy

Either location you will face traffic and crowds. Personally I prefer Maine over the Cape. To me, the Cape is more of a sit on the beach all day vacation. Southern Maine has this as well. Once you get to Portland and north/east, there isn't the beachy vibe as much, but a pp mentioned hiking/outdoors.  We normally rent a house on lake in Maine every summer.  I get my sun on a dock and the husband gets to fish.  We normally do a couple outings nearby, usually Camden or Rockland.  (Portland is awesome, but we are normally northeast of there.)  And of course there is always Bar Harbor and Arcadia. 

Christina2323

I love both the Cape and Maine, but agree that getting to the Cape in the summer on a weekend can be a headache (I live off the highway that goes there and have to alter my work schedule all summer long to avoid the headaches).  A lot of Cape rentals might not line up with your dates, too, they are pretty regimented about the turn-over day, so something to keep in mind.  

I haven't been to Lake George but have heard it's awesome, too! 

If you go to Maine and want to do something remote (though not beachy), there are some great places on VRBO for rent and they don't tend to have the week long rental requirements that a lot of places in the Cape will at that time of year.  I stayed at one in Damariscotta ME last year and it was the greatest vacation--very remote (no cable or wi-fi!) but so beautiful and lots of outdoor activities to keep you busy (and a TV with DVDs if you really wanted some electronic entertainment).  It was a much less expensive trip than most of our trips to the Cape, too (though...for a splurge, Oceans Edge or Chatham Bars Inn are both awesome, if you didn't go for a full vacation rental).

Other parts of ME are so great, too--the York area, and then as PP mentioned, Portland, Rockland, lots of variety! 

Ven&Radio

We spent 2 nights in Portland, ME as part of our honeymoon.  I'd really like to go back for another long weekend.  It's a beautiful little city, great for walking around, and the food scene is great.  We took the City & Light tour to kind of get an overview of the city since we hadn't been there before.  We also toured Victoria Mansion and the Signaling Tower (both ended up being private tours because we were there on a weekday in October -- we really got alot out of the tours cuz we could pick our guide's brains).  One thing we wanted to do and ran out of time for was the Cryptozoology Museum.  We had an incredible meal at 555 our last night there.  I'd be willing to make the drive to Portland and back just to eat there again.