Let’s start with Woods Hole, an often overlooked but uniquely satisfying spot on the Upper Cape. Part of the town of Falmouth, Woods Hole, a beach village in the woods that hosts science and art communities, nature lovers, some wonderful eateries and the Martha’s Vineyard ferry, has its own identity and feel.

Then add a traditional Cape Cod cottage with weathered shingles on the outside and pine paneling on the inside. The cottage, passed down the generations of one family, is a living museum, meticulously furnished with antiques, beautiful artwork and mementos. But that does not make it feel old. The beds are new and comfortable, the kitchen updated for some serious cooking. The owner appears to be an enthusiastic home cook, leaving for the renter an incredible supply of cookware and serving utensils. There is even a good supply of cookbooks, quite a few local to Woods Hole. Every drawer and shelf is labeled to show what goes where. A big help to the visiting cook who can’t remember where things came from!

Nearby small, private beach is a two or three minute walk. Another five minutes down the hill brings you to a life-guarded town beach. The center of town is just under a mile from the house. As you would expect from the appearance of the house, the owner is attentive and responsive.



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The week we spent at the cottage was great. The house is nestled on a private dead end street across from a gorgeous pathway to a private beach just for the homes in the immediate area. My daughter and her girlfriend loved being able to enjoy the beach at their leisure. The home is also located within walking distance to the village of Woods Hole (1 mile) and some great restaurants. My son loved it as he could skate down to the village and then jump on the bike path near where the ferry leaves for Martha's Vineyard. The path is several miles long and runs along the ocean at certain points. It can also be followed into the downtown area of Falmouth. Falmouth is also a great area with shops, restaurants and even candlestick bowling. Kids got a kick out of that. We also loved being able to take a quick drive (<5 minutes) to our favorite beach spot called the Knob. There is a parking area and when you take the path through the woods it opens onto a beautiful beach that is a bit larger than the private beach near the home.

So the location from my perspective was just great so that leaves the house. When you enter this cottage, you immediately get the sense you've just returned back to your family's beach house. You can immediately see the history in the architecture, portraits and the lovely antique furnishings. The house upon approach does not appear large but when inside it really is quite roomy. We had 7 folks for two nights and for most of the week we were a total of 5. There was plenty of room.

There are no bedrooms on the main level. The master with a king is downstairs along with a bunk room that accommodates 4 twin beds. Upstairs there are three more bedrooms two each with a queen and a third with two twin beds. There is one full bath upstairs on the hall that the three bedrooms share and a separate shower, sink and toilet in the basement that is shared by the master and bunk room. The main level does have a half bath. The outdoor shower is both convenient and wonderful. It is fully enclosed, large and even has a full length mirror, benches and could easily be used as a dressing area. We used it almost every day. The cottage also has a great deck off the dining area in the rear of the home. It is private, quiet and a special treat is the wildlife. The owners leave behind peanuts which can be used to feed the chipmunks. They are very friendly and even ate out of the palms of our hands. The birds are equally beautiful. The house is well appointed especially the kitchen and it was particularly nice to have an outdoor grill and full size washer and dryer. There is wifi so the kids could stream TV on there devices in their own rooms. Important as there is just one large flat screen TV in the family room. It was actually really nice as we could watch movies as a family (TV equipped with chromecast).

All in all a wonderful place to spend a family vacation. Location is great if you are looking for a peaceful retreat with convenience and privacy. The home is quintessential Cape Cod. Definitely highly recommend. show more show less

We cannot believe how quickly our week passed in Woods Hole. We all wanted to stay longer! It was truly a wonderful week. We enjoyed everything your beautiful home had to offer. The birds were sufficiently fed and I filled up the feeder one last time so the next tenants could enjoy our feathered friends as soon as they arrived. The chipmunks and the squirrels enjoyed their daily helping of peanuts. They had to compete with a blue jay as he often tried to swoop in to grab the peanut first! The walk to the beach was so relaxing and beautiful, and once you got there all else was forgotten. This is truly a special place!!

We went to Martha's Vineyard for a day (we walked from the house to the ferry), spent a few full days on the beach, biked the entire Shining Sea Bike Path, visited the amazing, free Woods Hole Aquarium and the Nobska Light House which we were able to bike to as well. We ate at Seafood Sam's, Shuckers (seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives), Captain Kidd, Woods Hole Market, and Water Street Kitchen (my favorite!). And I have to admit we had several ice cream cones from Jimmy's!

Thank you , thank you, thank you for sharing your marvelous home with us! It was amazing!

I also have to let everyone know that this home is extremely well taken care of; everything inside was chosen with care and love. Truly a gem!! show more show less

Our extended family from two continents got together this summer and called this beautiful house " home" for a whole week! We were so happy to be with each other and not have to worry about having to pack our cars each day and drive to the beach! Just a few steps away the ocean is pretty much in the front yard. (Remember to bring water shoes if you want to explore the rocky shore!)

The owner is meticulous in maintaining the charm of this beautiful property. and you can find anything you need in the kitchen cabinets! The outdoor shower is perfect, I want to build one at our house too now!

Perfect location -walking distance to the Ferry and we did take advantage of it to explore Martha's Vineyard for a day! The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute with all its perks (donation based !) is within walking distance too, and we had the perfect midweek rainy day to explore it with the kids!
We all had a blast and we'll be back for sure in the future!

Owner was reachable and very responsive to any questions, which made our stay even more worry free!

Many thanks Alice fir opening your home to us!
Sincerely.
The extended O'Neill/Dico/Suteu family! show more show less

This house is in great location, 1 minute walk to a beautiful private beach which belongs to association of 60 houses in Woods Hole. It is also 10 minutes beautiful walk to many shops and restaurants on the main street of this charming little town, and a quick bike ride to the Ferry Terminal and a gorgeous Falmouth bike route. Even shopping can be done on bike - in case you don't want to drive on vacation.

The yard and the deck are wonderful, the house is very clean, the beds are extremely comfortable, and the house is equipped with everything you need. I brought many of my own kitchen utensils but they were superfluous because the kitchen has everything you may need. I never rented a house so fully equipped, including all the little things such as hair driers in each bathroom, etc. If I knew about it in advance, my packing would have been so much easier. And I never rented a house where I felt as comfortable as in my own home due to all little conveniences which are provided by the landlord.

There are many big windows downstairs - a lot of air. Each bedroom also has 2 windows (upstairs bedrooms are rather small, while the king bedroom on the ground floor is big). However, our weeks were very hot in Boston, so even in Woods Hole it was unusually hot. We were glad that we brought 3 smaller window fans, together with 3 fans which we found in the house, it was just enough.

The house is wonderfully managed - whatever is a problem, a manager of the property reacts immediately.

Wonderful vacation in paradise, with birds and flowers and waves - we highly recommend the house! show more show less

The house is spacious and airy. There is a wonderful skylit outdoor shower and a great lawn away from the street, so safe for small children. The best aspect, however, is the lovely private beach which is accessed by a bridge over a lotus filled pond. We loved the house and had a terrific family vacation there.

We spent four weeks in this charming house, and it very quickly felt like home. The beds were comfortable, there was a cozy living room for hanging out and watching movies. The kitchen was very well equipped - we really enjoyed cooking and spending time together there. The kitchen/dining room area opens on to a beautiful back deck that is very private and relaxing. This was our favorite spot, and was a wonderful spot to watch the birds and wildlife. We also made use of a fantastic new gas barbecue. We enjoyed every minute of our time there and hope to return! show more show less

Our family was so delighted with this home. Safe, secure, comfortable, a home away from home. The bird watching and chipmunk feeding was delightful. We were blessed with stupendous weather so sitting on the deck was delightful. We couldn't have asked for a better place to stay with kids and with an elderly person. Easy walk to the beach and Woods Hole "downtown." Loved our time on the Cape.

We've come back to rent this magical spot the past five years and love it more on each visit. Our week is the highlight of every year. The house is extremely well stocked and maintained, and the location is beyond compare. You are a short walk to a great beach (one block) where you can swim and hunt for crabs (kids have a blast) and a quick walk (or bike) to town. The neighborhood is filled with interesting people, too, who have come back to these woods for generations. And if you like nature, you could just spend the day on the deck watching the many different types of birds. (My two young daughters love to stand out there.) The outdoor shower is a great way to end each day. This place is clearly a family home that generations have put a lot of love into. We can't wait to get back there in 2013! show more show less

"We have been comng to this home for 3 years now. The owners are marvelous. Very accomodating in many ways. This house has everything you can imagine so that you need only a few outfits for the beach. The laundry facilities are great. The only downfall on all 3 stays is that we had to leave....We will be back for year 4. highly reccommended. Five stars out of five."