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April 2015
Thoughts of Summer
With the warmer weather that Spring has finally given us, I can’t help but start thinking about summer. I must admit that I feel a little guilty looking beyond all of the joys and charms that Spring brings, but I’m really looking forward to wearing shorts and polo shirts again every day. Rather than appreciating the beautiful blooms and fragrances of the springtime flowers, I’m visualizing beach chairs and umbrellas on a hot summer day.
It isn’t all my fault, however. In fact, many of you, our wonderful guests, are contributing to this focus problem I have with all of the Summer reservations that you’ve been making! I guess what that really means is that I’m not the only one looking beyond the beauty of Spring and longing for Summer.
In life is it probably always best to plan for tomorrow, but enjoy today. I think that is great advice. In fact, I like it so much, I’m sharing it with you … I suggest you make plans today for a Spring trip to The Queen Victoria in the next few weeks, and then another Summer visit a month or two later. Both seasons have so much to offer, you really shouldn’t limit yourself to just one.
If you’re looking for a spacious, quiet, private room in the Queen Victoria building, Windsor is probably your best choice.
Windsor is a Large Standard room on the 3rd floor of the Queen Victoria building. It is a bright, cheery room with 5 windows on 3 sides of the room, making it the perfect room to open up your windows and enjoy Cape May’s wonderful ocean breezes.
There is a very cozy, plush love seat in the sitting area where the TV is perched on top of the electric Franklin stove (pictured here without the TV, which our photographers hate to include in their photos).
Without a doubt, the most popular events that we’ve ever held at The Queen Victoria have been our channeling weekends. I’m pleased to report that the new Medium that we’ve partnered with in the last year or so has made these events more popular than ever.
In fact, the October 17th event, the only one scheduled for 2015 that we still have seats available for, was recently added due to the high demand.
If you’re interested, be sure to call us soon, because we only have 3 seats left for the October event.
Our first three Birthday Celebrations this Winter/Spring have been great fun. Of course, we’re not done yet. We’ll be celebrating Birthdays one more time this year.
What could be better than celebrating the person you love most in life? That IS how you feel about your partner, right?!
We’re continuing our tradition of hosting a monthly birthday party during our “shoulder” season for our guests who want to celebrate their birthday at their favorite B&B. We have cake. We have balloons. We sing “Happy Birthday”, at least a little bit off key. We even have little party favor gifts. In short, we have fun!
If your loved one has an upcoming birthday and you want to do something really special for them to celebrate it, it would be hard to top a trip to The Queen Victoria!
Free for registered guests!
More New Stuff!
New Wallpaper in the Queen Victoria Parlor
Anna Marie and I are very excited about the new wallpaper that we’ve just put up in the Queen Victoria parlor.
As you can see, this paper has an intricate and beautiful pattern. Many of you who have seen it since we put it up have commented on how pretty it is. One of the interesting and strange things about this project, is that we actually stripped off this same paper, just to replace it with the exact same pattern. Of course, the paper now is over 30 years newer and the pattern is much more vibrant. Many of you have mentioned that you didn’t ever notice the pattern before. I have to admit that when we first bought the inn nearly 11 years ago it took me a few months to realize that it was wallpaper and not paint … that is how subtle the pattern had become over the years.
The thing that Anna Marie and I love about this new paper is the texture that it seems to give the room. It almost gives the wall a 3 dimensional look, invoking the look of a velvety surface. It is perfectly smooth, of course.
Be sure to come check it out during your next visit to The Queen Victoria.
Discount Packages
The 222 Package
Through April, 2015 (LAST CHANCE!)
The Discount Season at The Queen Victoria is almost over. There are literally 2 more weeks of deeply discounted mid-week evenings left this Spring (we start offering the package again in November).
This package offers 2 nights for $222 in a standard room. Upgrades to larger rooms are possible at similar savings.
Everybody loves a discount, and this is the biggest discount of the year at The Queen Victoria. If you book a 2 night stay, you’ll save $134.52!
By the way, you can make it a “333” or “444” discount if you wish.
With Mother’s and Father’s Days fast approaching, those of us fortunate enough to still have our parents are struggling to come up with a good gift for them. I know that our parents are difficult to shop for because they already have all the “stuff” they want (in fact, they’re trying to give their stuff to us now).
The perfect solution, of course, is a gift certificate that they can use to have a wonderful time enjoying themselves, thinking of you all the while. I just wish we could give our parents gift certificates to The Queen Victoria!
Of course, gift certificates make great gifts for other occasions too, including these that you might want to keep in mind:
The Queen’s Cottage is always our first garden to show signs of life in Spring. This year it did that a little later than normal, thanks to the miserably cold winter we all experienced. In any event, this picture features our “Lenten Rose” plants, along with a nice assortment of daffodils. Though this picture was taken a few years ago, this is just about what you would see if you walked into this garden today.
These are not really roses, of course. Their name is actually Hellebore Orientalis, which is a bit of a mouthful. They come into bloom in Early Spring each year, keeping their blooms for at least a month. After the blooms are gone, they remain beautiful dark green plants.
One of our most popular gift shop items is most assuredly our coffee. Ever since we started serving and selling our custom blend, which is locally roasted every week, it has been flying off the shelf.
Though I can’t tell you the specific percentages (I don’t know them) our coffee is a blend of 3 different beans, including:
Costa Rica Tarazu
Peruvian La Florida
Sumatra
The result has a wonderfully mellow flavor devoid of bitterness and acidity.
During your next visit, be sure to enjoy as much coffee as you can drink at breakfast. Fill a take-out cup on your way out the door for a day of adventure in Cape May.
As you check out, be sure to purchase some coffee to take home with you. Our special Queen Victoria blend is only available in The Queen Victoria gift shop. We sell both regular and decaffeinated versions. We sell both whole beans or ground to your preference.
Price $11.95
Fun Things to do in Cape May
Take a Bike Ride
Even if you are not an avid bike rider, or haven’t ridden a bike in years, bicycling through Cape May is still a great option for you.
Some people view a bicycle as a means of transportation. It is much more than that, if you think about it. Sure, it is probably the most efficient way to get around Cape May, especially during the busy Summer months. It is also a fun, carefree way to explore Cape May, see the sights, and just enjoy the thrill of the wind blowing through your hair in the process. Some of my earliest childhood memories involve my bicycle, and jumping on one of our bikes, even for a quick trip to the hardware store is always a bit of a thrill.
We have a “fleet” of 16 beach cruiser bicycles that are available for you to enjoy. In fact, we’ll be upgrading our fleet this spring, so our bikes will be brand new. They have adjustable seats, a single gear, and coaster (foot) brakes, so they couldn’t be easier to ride.
Hint: There is a bicycle tour that you can purchase at the MAC ticket booth, which provides descriptions and photos of over 50 Cape May historic properties and landmarks, along with a map. At $5, it is a great deal.
Visit the Lighthouse
There is something about lighthouses that is very compelling for many of us. I know that I’ve always been intrigued and attracted to lighthouses.
Visitors to Cape May are lucky to have the opportunity to not only get “close up and personal” to a beautiful lighthouse, but even go inside to the top!
Beyond the thrill of ascending one of these iconic structures and experiencing the wonderful view of Cape May Point, the lighthouse offers a glimpse into our history and maritime past. It is also a fascinating example of applied engineering and craftsmanship.
The lighthouse is a short drive or bike ride of about 3.5 miles (it is my favorite bike riding destination). It is about a 2 mile walk from the inn, halfway on the promenade, the other half on the beach. It is located in Cape May Point State park, which also features plenty of parking, picnic areas, beautiful walking trails, a beautiful (unprotected/non-swimming … and free) beach. The lighthouse is open daily for tours and also features a gift shop located in the original “oil house”, where you can purchase your favorite lighthouse souvenirs.
Restaurant Pick of the Month
That’s Amore
It isn’t often that I have the opportunity to feature a new restaurant, so I’m excited to tell you about Cape May’s newest dining option, which opened on April 2nd.
That’s Amore opened up in the space that formerly housed Cucina Rosa. Though we were sad to see Cucina Rosa go, we are THRILLED to tell you that we loved our first dining experience there last night. It was a terrific dining experience from start to finish.
First of all, the ambiance is very nice, with a chic, contemporary feel … great lighting. We were immediately impressed upon our entrance.
The menu is of a nice size, not overwhelming, but with a nice selection. They try to break out their house specialties in boxes on the menu, which I thought was a good idea. There is also a special “Create Your Own Pasta” section, which allows you to come up with just about anything you can imagine in the way of pasta.
We started off with one of the “boxed” specialties for an appetizer, which was the Arancini di Roso (rice balls). These rice balls are made of seasoned rice stuffed with mozzarella cheese, lightly fried and topped with red “gravy” and slivers of parmigiano cheese. They were magnificent. The small order was 3 rice balls, which was about right for a couple (I got two of them!).
Anna Marie ordered the Chicken Florentine, which was terrific. It was Francaise style breaded chicken breast nestled on a bed of amazing risotto (yes, I tried it), smothered with spinach, mozzarella cheese and served with a garlic cream sauce. Wow.
I decided to create my own pasta, going with a traditional Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken breast. It was perfectly prepared, not too soupy, not too gooey, just like I like it. It was quite rich, of course, which is just how I wanted it.
We couldn’t even think about dessert, but after looking at some of their desserts on their website, that might have been a mistake.
Though they are in the process of getting a license to sell wine from Hawk Haven winery, they are still a BYOB, which is almost a requirement to become one of my favorite restaurants.
That’s Amore is currently only serving dinners Thursday through Sunday, but will be opening up on other days and also for lunch as we approach “the season”. They’ll be serving outside under the awning as soon as that makes sense weather wise, which is a wonderful option.
Anna Marie and I are looking forward to returning and exploring their menu a little more. We recommend you do the same thing!
Strictly Boaters Boat Show, May 1-3 (serious boaters only?)
Cape May County Coast Guard Festival, May 8-10
36th Annual Great Cape May Footrace, May 9
Crystal Gayle, May 23
Cape May Spring Festival, Apr 24-May 3
Cape May Music Festival, May 24-Jun 11
Exit Zero Jazz Festival, May 29-31
Paul Jost May 29
Dr. John & the Nite Trippers May 30
Cape May Restaurant Week, May 31-Jun 7
4th Annual George Mesterhazy Tribute Concert, Jun 7
Gary Lewis & The Playboys, June 29
Ricky Nelson Remembered, July 6
Taylor Dayne, July 13
Foghat, July 20
Texas Tenors, July 27
The Summer Club featuring Jeff Coon, Aug 1
Herman’s Hermits staring Peter Noone, Aug 3
4th annual Craft Beer & Crab Fest, Aug 8
Ricky Skaggs, Aug 10
The Summer Club featuring Jeff Coon, Aug 15
Blood Sweat &Tears, Aug 17
Philadelphia Boys Choir, Aug 22
Harvest Brew Fest (1st annual), Sep 19
19th annual Food & Wine Festival, Sep 11-20
Make your reservations today for a romantic getaway at The Queen Victoria Bed and Breakfast. We are looking forward to helping you plan your next visit!
It isn’t often that I have the opportunity to feature a new restaurant, so I’m excited to tell you about Cape May’s newest dining option, which opened on April 2nd.