Jim S.
Yelp
I have been going to Provincetown since 1974 -- Labor Day Weekend. A friend of mine told me about this incredible place on Cape Cod, and I didn't believe it -- until we arrived. Yes, I'm an older gay guy -- kinda invisible to lots of the newbies and youngees. But that's fine, because I've been-there, done that. The 70s in Provincetown was unbelievable. It still is today, of course. In the 1980s, I lived in P-Town for a year in a one-room apartment in the center of town, and absorbed all-things-possible. It was wild. I'm glad I did it (and survived). I kept visiting many times, then in the 1990s lived in Provincetown for two more years. Plus, visiting Gifford House Inn whenever I could. I have three "favorite" guest houses or places in town nowadays -- Gifford House being one of them. Every year, I try to spend a little time at each. Early May, the Gifford House Inn is a great place to be "at home," for a night or two. June it's fantastic for a longer stay -- it's affordable for several days at the off-season rate before the crowds arrive, and the central location allows you to do whatever you want to do in Provincetown as a gay dude -- the A-House and Boatslip are within 3-5 minutes of a casual walk. You're downtown, so you can do all those things. Herring Cove and gay beaches and amazing sunsets are 45 minutes away in a pleasant, slow walk. And if you want it, the basement club -- Club Purgatory -- has lots of interesting moments. The staff members at the whole place from the guest house to the bars are friendly and fun. The continental breakfast is decent, with great coffee all day long. You can come and go easily, and there are a variety of rooms from which to choose -- and varied prices too. There's a special "aroma" to the place that reminds you of living/staying in an old building with lots of history, and an "ambience" to the place that cannot be experienced elsewhere where I've stayed in many-a-city, including a dozen or more places in P-Town. Is it worth the money? Yes. Is it worth at least one of your visits? Definitely. Are there "better" places, depending on your definition of that word? -- certainly. There's no "luxury" here, in the conventional sense. You get a couple of bars of soap, some paper in the bathroom, a plastic cup or two, perhaps a small TV and some AC, a refrigerator if you select that kind of room, and a private bath/shower, maybe tub; but with the free parking, location, friendliness, price-point, you really can't do better. And do you really, really need that designer shampoo they'll give you in a more costly place, or fancy towels (here you get enough that do the job) or the indoor gym or outside pool? (Boatslip lets you use their pool all afternoon, even if you don't buy a drink.) And if you spend too much time in your "luxury classy room" at a high-priced place, you're missing the Provincetown experience! Go. Come. Enjoy.