Cape CodA sandy arm of New England, beach towns end to end

Cape Cod runs from the Sagamore Bridge to the Provincetown breakwater, and the geography changes by the mile: warm, shallow flats on Cape Cod Bay around Brewster and Dennis; surf and dune-backed beaches like Nauset and Marconi on the National Seashore; and dozens of freshwater kettle ponds tucked into the pine woods between them.

Our rentals span the Cape's distinct halves — walk-to-the-water cottages in West Yarmouth and Dennis Port on the warm Mid-Cape, gray-shingled houses near Chatham Light and Nauset Beach on the Lower Cape, and easy-going homes in Falmouth and Mashpee close to the Vineyard ferry. Most are a short drive from a town beach, a clam shack, and a stretch of the Rail Trail.