The Inn at the Park is more than a charming retreat in a picturesque setting. It’s also a glimpse of a bygone era, beyond the Victorian caricature of ladies in bustles and gentlemen in frock coats. The property was built in 1893 for sea captain Henry Walker Hand, of the […]
For an easy-breezy resort stay, it’s hard to beat the Sandpiper Beach Club, at Beach Avenue and Grant Street in Cape May. The condominium hotel is home to 51 individually owned residences that double as hotel suites. As a result, guests can expect all the comforts of home—not just beautifully […]
It took a little arm-twisting to get Philadelphian Dave Ripoli to Cape May. But once he came, he never wanted to leave. Many times over the years a childhood friend urged Ripoli to visit the island, saying, “’Cape May, Cape May, Cape May, it’s the best.’ But I didn’t go.” […]
Spanning a full block overlooking the ocean, the Marquis de Lafayette Hotel has matchless views of sand, surf, and much of the city. From the uppermost level, visitors have a bird’s-eye view of the beach, the water, and a horizon that seems to stretch on forever. In the other direction, […]
Cape May businessman John Wilbraham has been gone for more than a century, but his ghost lingers on in the Myrtle Street home that bears his name. As you enter the front parlor of the Wilbraham Mansion, there is the lord of the manor, gazing down from a portrait above […]
It was a hat-and-gloves kind of day, bright but cold, when I visited The Virginia Hotel on Jackson Street. But just like that, as I walked through the cherry-red front doors, it was all about the warmth. It started at the reception desk, with a warm hello from the staffers […]
I can sum up my stay at Beach Plum Farm in a single word: tranquility. Set among 62 acres of pine forests, marshlands, and formal and informal gardens, this West Cape May retreat has a kicked-back elegance that blends homespun comfort with pure indulgence. It’s virtually guaranteed to slow your […]
In this high-tech, post-pandemic age, many hotels have transitioned to digital check-in, electronic keys, and touchless everything. So imagine my surprise to arrive at the Inn of Cape May and 1.) be greeted by a doorman, 2.) assisted by a porter, and 3.) registered by a front desk clerk, who […]
Want to learn more about Cape May history? You’ll find much of it on the walls of the Bedford Inn. The dining room of the Italianate villa features a wraparound mural depicting the original Convention Hall, the lighthouse, and the sunken ship Atlantus (apparently, a lot less sunken when the […]
For an authentic European experience in small-town South Jersey, there’s no place like the Peninsula Hotel in Cape May Court House. Walk through these doors, and you’ll be transported from the corner of Main and Mechanic streets to the Cote d’Azur, with cuisine that could rival any on the French […]
Cape May is all about linking past to present, with appreciation for both. The 1881 Queen Victoria Inn embodies that connection. The award-winning bed-and-breakfast, at the corner of Ocean Street and Columbia Avenue, blends old-style comfort with latter-day convenience in an authentic 19th-century setting. No wonder so many guests become […]
One measure of hospitality is the guest who arrives as a stranger and leaves as a friend. That’s certainly true of the Buttonwood in West Cape May, where I enjoyed a brief but delightful stay in early January. The charming Colonial Revival inn operates on a self-service model. There’s no […]