17 Best Hotels in Cape May, New Jersey Shore

Draped in heavy velvet, mammoth windows look down upon carved-wood settees, huge glass-front bookcases, and a harpsichord inside this Gothic Revival B&B in the historic district. Victorian writing desks and plush armchairs are part of the bedroom comforts, along with walnut or brass beds—some four-poster. The adjoining Cottage is beachy counterpoint to the formal main building; rooms have a casual mix of white wicker and greenery.

A sprawling 1850s mansion designed for the Philadelphia chemist who invented quinine dominates Cape May's tranquil northern shore. Angel of the Sea is Disneylike in its gingerbread perfection: flowered wallpaper, beds with ornate headboards, and a flurry of white wicker add to the fairy-tale aura. Some guest rooms have working fireplaces. Curvaceous period antiques, covered in lace doilies, outfit the common areas.

Vintage corsets and hoop skirts hang on a hat rack in the dining room of this Victorian B&B, a great conversation starter for the T-shirts and shorts crowd. The 1890 Colonial Revival house, named for the Dutch discoverer of Cape May, draws you, book and iced tea in hand, to the veranda to sit a spell. Half canopies and dominant, print wallpapers add to the period aesthetic. Walk to the beach (two blocks) from here, or the Washington Mall (half a block).

Not only do you spend a night in a mansion (Italian villa–style, circa 1882), but the price also buys breakfast downstairs at the Mad Batter, Cape May's wildly popular breakfast spot. Floral prints hang on the walls of the functionally compact guest rooms; headboards are made of carved wood. The family-owned hotel is a half block from the ocean, beach, and promenade.

This is the real thing, a Victorian summer hotel (1876) on the boardwalk with striped green awnings and crisp white paint. The Chalfonte keeps it simple and friendly. Room are pleasantly spartan with wood floors and white curtains and bedspreads; some share bathrooms. Children are more than welcome—a supervised kid's dining room has its own menu. Parents dine in the Magnolia Room or on the boardwalk-long veranda. Southern-style fried chicken, smothered pork chops, corn pudding, and flaky biscuits are made by sisters Lucille and Dot, as their mother, Chalfonte's former beloved cook, taught them. A renovation in 2010 added air-conditioning, heat, and private baths to many of the rooms.

From its inception in 1816, Congress Hall has had star power: President Benjamin Harrison made it his summer White House, and John Philip Sousa conducted the Congress Hall March on the lawn. Today the white-colonnade, Tuscan-yellow hotel is all breezy chic—sky-high ceilings, titan-size Victorian mirrors, glossy black wicker, and potted palms with attitude. Carpets have vibrant stripes, beds are dressed in white linens, and baths are sybaritic—some with 1920s, big-enough-for-two tubs—stocked with Aveda soaps and lotions. A C. H.-crest terry-cloth robe awaits so you can open the door and retrieve the New York Times without incident. Morning also brings breakfast in the spacious garden of the hotel's Blue Pig Tavern, while later in the day the staff will kindly set up cabanas for you at the beach and host evening activities for the little ones. Cocktails and music at the on-site Boiler Room bar close out the night.

Fourteen-foot ceilings, tall windows, a thirteen-foot hallway mirror, and black walnut dining-room furniture show a pedigree of money and manners. The two wealthy gamblers who constructed the building in 1872, as a gambling clubhouse for their friends (men only), obviously meant to impress. In 1971, the Mainstay became Cape May's first B&B, and since then has been the archetype for those that followed. You can also stay at the adjoining Cottage, or across the street in a duplex apartment. Guest rooms and suites have Victorian antiques, while the apartment has some traditional flourishes, but is mostly contemporary with a full kitchen, gas fireplace, and a small dining area.

This modern, family-oriented, oceanfront hotel has patrons who have been coming for more than 40 years; reservations are taken over a year in advance. There's a heated pool, an outdoor whirlpool, and an exercise room with sauna—amenities that are a bit scarce in this land of B&Bs. An on-premises liquor store and evening music at the hotel's recently updated restaurant Harry's Ocean Bar & Grill encourage evening celebrations. Every one of the motel-style rooms has a refrigerator and coffeemaker, and efficiency suites have kitchens. Don't feel like cooking? Sit back and have room service delivered, even if you're on the beach.

Birders love the Mt. Vernon's location, far from crowds on the western end of Cape May, across from the ocean, and within walking distance to Cape May Point Lighthouse, the Nature Conservancy Bird Refuge, and the historic district. All rooms have queen-size beds, wall-to-wall carpeting, free wi-fi, and open onto sundecks. Efficiency units have kitchens. There are two pools, including a smaller, protected one for young children.

As oceanfront as you can get in town, this completely refurbished hotel is right across the street from the sand. While dozens of local inns strive for Victorian elegance, the Ocean Club is putting its spin on Miami chic. Ground floor rooms open onto private poolside cabanas with direct bar and room service. The rest of the rooms have balconies, most with at least partial ocean views. There are penthouse suites and rooms with wet bars and soaking tubs. The on-site Sea Salt restaurant serves seafood and cocktails in a sleek modern dining room and on its deck.

White columns rise skyward to the large portico at the entrance of this 1907 Georgian Revival mansion on Cape May's peaceful northern shore. Inside, the wide double staircase in the lobby continues the grandeur. Victorian-era rooms are decorated with massive carved headboards, stuffed chairs, and working fireplaces. Some baths have claw-foot tubs. The restaurant encompasses several different rooms: choose to dine by a large fireplace or on the west sunporch.

A Victorian B&B made up of four buildings—The Queen Victoria, Prince Albert Hall, House of Royals, and Queens Cottage—that date back to the 1870s and 1880s and combine the best of old and new. Although furnishings are antique and many of the bedrooms have handmade quilts, amenities are modern, like 310-thread-count sheets, whirlpool tubs, and minifridges. For those in search of the peace and quiet of yesteryear, owners will gladly remove the TV from the room. Afternoon tea is served 4–5:30 pm. Guests can borrow the inn's bicycles to explore town, but only need to walk a block to reach the ocean.

The stunning Italianate mansion, one of the few large estates to survive Cape May's Great Fire of 1879, now serves as a boutique hotel. Its brightly painted rooms—robin's-egg blue, mustard yellow, deep red—are filled with Victorian antiques, such as ornate fireplace mantels and four-poster beds, as well as modern amenities like phones with data ports. Stroll along the garden path and admire the flowers, especially abundant in May, or visit in December to see the parlors decked out with Christmas trees and garlands appropriate to the Victorian era.

A modern, but warm, alternative to the typical Victorian fare, this new boutique inn and motel from the owners of Congress Hall is an understated jewel. In the motel section, ten efficiencies with kitchenettes and backyards are a boon for small families who would prefer to avoid renting a house for a week. The two carriage suites have their own decks and two bedrooms and bathrooms, ideal for couples traveling together. There's an on-site Starbucks, but guests need only hop across the street to Congress Hall for a bite to eat and even a swim. Booking a room at The Star Inn grants you pool and beach access with Congress Hall.

Painted sunflower gold and edged in red, the 1867 Italianate-style inn seems to smile as you enter the gate and approach its veranda ringed by floppy-headed hydrangeas. In every Victorian-dressed hallway, a bowl of candy sits on a table. The rooms are all plastered with designer floral wallpaper, but each has a different color scheme and theme. There's grand opulence in dark green and pink for the Renaissance Room and a sedate airiness of lace and turquoise for the Turn of the Century Room. It's an upbeat place, and close to town and beach.

Open year-round, this family oriented motel has practical accommodations, an outdoor pool, a barbecue available for guest use, and a sun deck. It neighbors Congress Hall and couldn't be more different in style and attitude, but efficiency rooms (with three beds, kitchenette, and balcony) sleep up to six people. Off-season rates are an absolute steal.

With turndown and room service, a copy of the New York Times delivered to your door each morning, and transportation throughout town on modified golf carts, the Virginia is a full-service hotel on an intimate scale (24 rooms). Owned by the Congress Hotel group, the Virginia makes a little Victoriana—fringed lamp shades and potted palms—look modern with up-to-date color palettes. Rooms have down comforters and terrycloth bathrobes, as well as Bulgari soaps and lotions. Five nearby cottages, each with a defining style and decor, are also available for weekly rentals. Its Ebbitt Room Restaurant is one of the town's best.