From the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown to the Sagamore and Bourne bridges, Cape Cod is a special destination that can be enjoyed over a week, a month, a summer or a lifetime. There is simply too much to see and do here for a daytrip or weekend visit.

Its hard not to feel excited or relieved as you drive over one of the two bridges spanning Cape Cod Canal. Crossing the bridge means you have escaped, your vacation is truly under way. Yes, depending on the day of the week you may spend more time getting to the bridge or sitting on the bridge than you wanted to, but traffic is the price for access to this prime vacation spot. As you spend your first day listening to gentle waves lap at the foot of a sandy dune on Cape Cod Bay, the tension of work and traffic will recede and you will not regret your decision to spend a week or two on the Cape.

If relaxing on the beach is one of the main goals of your Cape Cod vacation, proximity to the beach is probably one of the biggest factors in deciding where to stay. Youll want a place where you can unload your beach gear, hang your beach towels to dry, and even rinse the sand off your legs and feet before you head inside. Come to think of it, it might be nice to have a grill handy to cook the fresh swordfish or sea bass youre going to pick up at the seafood shop in town.

It sounds like you need to rent a vacation home. Vacation homes are the best way to experience Cape Cod. Theres nothing more perfect than pulling your car onto a sandy driveway that is lined with rose bushes and wildflowers and which sits in front of a weathered Cape Cod house. The smell of lilac floats across the yard on a steady breeze that is tinged with salt. You are on Cape Cod.

Cape Cod houses have a classic style that goes back centuries. Some rental homes on the Cape are hundreds of years old and you can feel the history before you get out of your car. The house might have been built by an old whaling captain or maybe its a converted cranberry shack tucked into a grassy dune. Many homes on the Cape have been built over the last few decades, but some of them, along with their neighborhoods, maintain a quiet charm that is unique to Cape Cod.

Depending on your budget it is possible to rent modest or opulent homes right on the waterfront or with private beach access. Imagine watching the sun rise or set over the bay or ocean with nothing to interrupt your view. Stay up late roasting marshmallows over a small beach fire and then trudge up the path between the dunes to fall asleep to the sounds of the sea on the couch on the porch.

But even the homes that arent right on the water arent so far away and most of them are just as charming. They may be tucked away on a shady lane or surrounded by old trees near a cranberry bog. Some are a short walk to a public beach and others may require the car to get to a beach.

While it is possible to spend your entire vacation just staying around the home away from home youve rented, youre probably going to want to do some driving and explore all that the Cape has to offer. Leave your car at Woods Hole and take the ferry for a daytrip to Marthas Vineyard or, at the other end of the Cape, set out from Provincetown for a whale watching excursion. There is plenty of non-beach activity to do outdoors, as well. There are a number of golf courses, both the grown-up and the putt-putt varieties. Many towns have fishing charters, the Lower Cape has the Cape Cod Rail Trail for biking, and the Cape Cod National Seashore is excellent for walking and enjoying the pristine scenery. Wildlife refuges and state parks are good destinations for birding enthusiasts. And since the Cape has water on all sides, why not learn to kayak while youre there?

Believe it or not, there is plenty of nightlife and cultural attractions to enjoy on the Cape. There are many history museums and theaters, the best known of which is the Cape Playhouse. For music lovers, the Cape Cod Melody Tent in Hyannis gets big-name pop and rock performers, while those seeking a more intimate atmosphere might like the Beachcomber in Wellfleet. Sports fans will enjoy the Cape Cod Baseball League with games all summer long. Shopaholics have their pick of factory outlets, a mall, the upscale Mashpee Commons, quaint Main Street shopping districts, and more antique shops than you can hope to visit during your vacation.

Lets not forget Cape Cod cuisine. Your choices range from family to fine restaurants on the waterfront; salty old pubs, where the freshest feature is the latest Samuel Adams seasonal brew; and, of course, the finest and freshest seafood from the Atlantic. Get up early enough (really early) and head to any harbor on the Cape and you will find fisherman returning with the days catch, much of which will end up on the menu that day.

While its always nice to have someone prepare a surf and turf dish for you, it is hard to top the same meal when you choose the ingredients and prepare it yourself. Which brings us back to the vacation home. When you rent a vacation home, you can let the steamers spit sand in the sink while the potatoes bake on the grill. The lobster you picked at the lobster pound on the way home from the beach boils away in the special pot that was included in the homes amenities. Steaks sizzle on the gas grill. ... Its summer on Cape Cod.

It's easy to find Cape Cod vacation homes on CyberRentals.com.