It is beautiful. The essence of summer: sun, sand, ocean, gardens.
Our property is secluded with its own beach, and 3.2 acres of land around it, yet it is only a mile from town. While there's little reason to leave other than to grocery shop, and frankly, the best thing to do in Chatham is to lie around our house, grounds, and beach, most everything Chatham has to offer (other beaches, town, shops, baseball, tennis, theater, golf etc.) is within 2 miles of our house.
There is nothing generic about this property, which we've lovingly cared for for decades. We've done everything we can to preserve the original details and character of the house: most windows are original to the house, as are the wooden shutters, the old phone nook designed for when a telephone was a new-fangled luxury, the stone kitchen sink, etc. The man who expanded the house into a summer estate in the 1920s was a historical house buff and salvaged much of the house's paneling from 18th century captain's houses in Newbury Port. We've carefully decorated both houses over the years with many family antiques, and the feel is eclectic, relaxed, thoroughly unstuffy. You will feel how much this house is loved when you are in it, and come to treasure it yourself.
Ultimately, it's all about the outdoors. Our house is on an especially beautiful and dynamic part of Pleasant Bay: an outer sand bar protects us from the open ocean (but you can reach that easily by boat), Tern Island (easily reached by kayak) sits just to the right of our house, and extensive sandflats emerge from the bay at low tide.
If you're looking for a property in which to host a significant gathering (a family reunion, a shared vacation with multiple families, a rehearsal dinner): there are few houses on the cape that can sleep this many people. There's plenty of space to read quietly alone while 19 of your housemates are grilling in the main garden.