The Queen Victoria B&B

The Queen Victoria runs across four restored 1880s Victorians clustered at the corner of Ocean Street and Columbia Avenue — arguably the most-photographed corner in Cape May, which is itself one of the most-photographed Victorian towns in the country. Thirty rooms across the four buildings, run as a single B&B operation, with a full breakfast, afternoon tea, and the kind of period-detail attention that's the whole reason to come to Cape May in the first place.

It's an unusual property structurally. Four houses, one operation, owners who acquired the buildings over decades and restored each one in turn. The result is a B&B that's essentially a small Victorian compound.

The setting

Cape May's historic district, two blocks from the beach promenade and three from the Washington Street pedestrian mall. The four buildings sit at and near the corner of Ocean Street and Columbia Avenue, in the densest concentration of Cape May's Victorian housing stock. Walking distance to most of the town's restaurants, shops, and the lighthouse-bound trolley.

The drive from Philadelphia is two and a half hours; from New York, three. The Cape May–Lewes Ferry is a useful approach from the Maryland and Virginia coasts.

The building

Four 1880s Victorians: the Queen Victoria, the Prince Albert Hall, the Regent's Park Cottage, and an additional building. Each has its own gingerbread trim, painted facade, and wraparound porch. The interiors lean Neo-Victorian in the proper sense — period wallpapers, antique furniture, period-appropriate light fixtures, brass and velvet where it earns its place. The renovation work has been careful enough that several of the buildings have featured in regional historic-preservation press.

The aesthetic is committed. There's no contemporary-design counterweight to the Victorian theme.

The rooms

Thirty rooms across the four buildings. Categories range from compact rooms (around $285) up through suites with working fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, and three-room layouts. Beds are queens and kings, linens are heavy, bathrooms are updated. Some rooms have private porches; many have fireplaces (gas or decorative). Each of the four buildings has its own personality — confirm with the inn which one suits at booking.

No elevators in any of the buildings. Stairs are part of the experience.

Food & drink

No on-site restaurant. A full hot breakfast is included every morning, served in the dining rooms of the various houses. Afternoon tea (proper, with finger sandwiches and pastries) runs daily. Evening sherry is set out. For dinner, the walk into town reaches most of Cape May's restaurants: Lucky Bones, Tisha's, the Ebbitt Room, the Mad Batter, Aleathea's at the Inn of Cape May.

On the property

A small B&B compound with the period amenities done right.

• Full hot breakfast included
• Afternoon tea daily
• Evening sherry
• Bicycles available for guest use
• Several rooms with fireplaces and whirlpool tubs
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Travelers who want the Cape May Victorian B&B experience properly executed
• Couples on anniversaries — the room categories with fireplaces and tubs are tuned for it
• Repeat Cape May visitors looking for the most period-committed inn in town
• People who actually like afternoon tea, period furnishings, and the late-Victorian register

Who it's not for

• Families with young kids — antiques, stairs, and quiet don't add up
• Travelers who want a contemporary hotel feel
• Anyone who needs a hotel restaurant, bar, gym, or spa on-site

Nearby

Cape May's Washington Street pedestrian mall is three blocks for shops and casual dining. The beach promenade is two blocks; the Cape May Lighthouse and Cape May Point State Park are five minutes by car. The Emlen Physick Estate Victorian house museum is a short walk. For dinner: Lucky Bones, the Ebbitt Room at the Virginia Hotel, the Mad Batter at the Carroll Villa. Cape May Brewing has a tasting room in town. The Cape May–Lewes Ferry is at the western end of town for crossings to Delaware.