Newsletter Archive | February 2010

The
Big Cheesy

Who doesn’t love
Cheese? On Saturday, February 20 we’ll be hosting a Cheese Tasting party
at The Queen Victoria. This is the 2nd annual cheese tasting party at The
Queen Victoria, so I suppose it is evolving into a “tradition”.
I guess cheese is a pretty traditional food, so it makes sense.

Last year’s event was a
HUGE success and lots of fun for everyone in attendance. One of our
guests proclaimed it was the most fun she had ever had, and she seemed
like a pretty fun person. Anyway, it really was a great time. Last year’s
event was such a hit that we realized the House of Royals parlor is not
large enough for an event of this magnitude. This year it will be in the
Queen Victoria building. We’ll be laying out a wide assortment of cheeses
from our friends at Seaside Cheese (I know lots of you love it there).
There will be 10 to 12 cheeses for us to taste and each one will have a
write up about its origin, how it is made and any other fun tidbits of
information. We’ll also have breads from one of our local bakeries along
with an assortment of specialty olive oils.

We’re planning on doing this Saturday between 1:00 and 3:00, so you can
actually make a lunch out of it if you wanted to. Now I know that for
some people it is impossible to eat cheese without having a glass of wine
in your hand, so we’re welcoming everyone to bring their own wine and
make an afternoon of it. Last year lots of folks assumed that WE were
providing the wine and ended up drinking everybody else’s wine. So,
remember to bring your own wine this year!

The really good news is that this is a free event for all of our guests
that weekend. Don’t miss this one!

Sherlock
Holmes returns March 19-21!

Boy, this guy just
never quits! Like clockwork, twice a year Sherlock returns to Cape May to
solve another great mystery of our time. This March is no exception, with
Sherlock, Watson, and a troupe of nefarious characters returning to quiet
Cape May to stir things up a bit. Of course, he needs your help to
actually solve the mystery. Don’t let him down!

On Friday night you’ll
join your fellow “partners in crime” for desserts and coffee
and meet Dr. John Watson and the rest of the cast, where you’ll be drawn
into the mystery. Saturday you’ll be rubbing elbows with the cast (in
character) as you tour several houses in town (including The Queen
Victoria) searching for clues to solve the mystery. After the tour it’s
back to the theatre to see the next act and get all the final clues
you’ll need to solve the mystery. Finally, on Sunday you’ll attend a
brunch and see if you had the best solution to the mystery. You might
even win a prize for best costume (if you dressed for the event), or
“Most Clueless” if you happened to have made a particularly
pathetic effort. It is all in good fun and a good time is assured for all.

Wine Lover’s Weekend … Coming
Soon!

We introduced our
winter wine blending events last year and they were a huge success! We
got to meet lots of wonderful new guests who all jumped right in and had
a great time. I know for a fact that a few couples have been keeping in
touch with friends they made at these events last year.

We had our first wine blending event of the year last weekend and it was
just as much fun as I remembered from 2009. The good news is that the
wine was even better this year than last. I can hardly wait to taste the
“winning blend” that is being bottled for us with our own
custom labels!

Anyway, Anna Marie and
I are excited to be hosting another of these special events for all of
you true wine lovers on March 6. On Saturday afternoon you will join Anna
Marie and me at Cape May Winery to craft the perfect blend of red wine.
We’ll break up into teams of 4-6 people at tables laden with decanters of
the various 2008 red wines right out of the barrel and trays of cheese
and crackers (wine blending is hard work, so we’ll need sustanance). Each
team will craft & document different blends, ranking them among
themselves. Once each team has selected their “perfect blend”,
we’ll all break for a tour of the winery while the winemaker crafts the
chosen blends. Following the tour, we head back to the blending room and
do a “blind” tasting of the chosen blend of each team. We’ll
all vote on the best blend, which will then be bottled for us with a
special “Queen Victoria Cellars” label. You will get two
bottles (per couple) of the final blend, the labels of which will be
customized with your names and the blending details. You can also purchase
additional bottles if you want. You’ll be able to carry it proudly to
your favorite BYOB restaurant in the Queen Victoria wine bag that is also
included in the package.

This exclusive event is only open to guests of The Queen Victoria and
only occurs twice a year. In our second year, I’ve added an additional
facet to the event by introducing last year’s blends in the final
taste-off. Does this sound like fun or what?

The cost of this event is $100/couple in addition to your reserved room.
I don’t think you’ll want to miss this event!

The
Perfect Valentines Gift Idea

So you’re still trying
to come up with the perfect Valentines gift for your loved one. You’ve
done all the traditional stuff like jewelry, chocolates and flowers
before. You’ll certainly do a card, but that isn’t really enough, is it?
Don’t you want to come up with something really special this year? I’ve
got an idea!

This year give your
Valentine the most wonderful gift of all … some time together in
romantic Cape May. We still have a few rooms available for that weekend
(remember, it is also the President’s day holiday), so you can still make
it an unforgetable, special weekend.

Even if you can’t get away for that weekend, you can still make her
Valentines special with a gift certificate to The Queen Victoria.

There are at least 5 reasons why a Queen Victoria gift certificate is the
perfect gift

1) you can buy it today and be done with it

2) How can you go wrong with a promise of a vacation?

3) It is sure to fit

4) You’ll get credit for a great gift when you give it on Valentines and
then again when you actually stay at The Queen Victoria

5) (this one is big) You Get To Enjoy It Too!

The final great thing about a Queen Victoria gift certificate is how easy
it is to buy. Just give us a call and we’ll put one in the mail the same
day. Don’t wait until February 13th to call!

Learn More

Upcoming Events

• Wine
  & Chocolate Winte Trail Weekend Feb 6-7
• Wine
  & Chocolate Winte Trail Weekend Feb 13-14
• Valentines/Presidents
  Day Feb 12-14
• Antiques
  & Crafts in the Winter Feb 13-14>
• Wine
  Paring Dinner Feb 19
• The QV
  Big Cheese weekend Feb 19-20
• Cape May
  Wine Trail trolley tour Feb 21
• QV
  Cellars Wine Lover’s Weekend Mar 5-6
• Cape May
  Wine Trail trolley tour Mar 20
• Sherlock
  Holmes Murder Mystery Weekend Mar 19-21
• Beer
  Tasting Dinner at Mad Batter Mar 21
• Singer
  Songwriter Cape May Mar 26-27
• Cape May
  Marathon Mar 28
• Cape May
  Jazz Festival Apr 16-18
• Cape May
  Spring Festival Apr 23-May 2
• Cape May
  Music Festival May 20-Jun 10

Featured
“Room of the Month” … Whitehall

Whitehall? Where in the
world is “Whitehall”? I imagine that you long time guests that
have spent lots of time on our website are probably scratching your heads
over this one. No, you haven’t missed it before, because Whitehall is our
newest guest room. Actually it is one of two new rooms that we are adding
to the inn. Whitehall is under construction now, so you’ll have to wait a
little while before you can stay in it. The construction also explains
why I’m showing you a sketch instead of a photo.

Whitehall is located on
the 2nd floor of the Queen’s Cottage, accessed through the front door of
the building. It is one of only two rooms located on this floor and this
section of the building, so it is a very private room. It is a large,
comfortable room with lots of space, a walk-in closet, and a nice big
bathroom. It also shares a beautiful parlor/pantry area with just one
other room called Brighton (our other new room).

I’m pretty sure that Whitehall is destined to become one of our most
popular rooms. We’re targeting a Memorial Day weekend opening for both
Whitehall and Brighton. We’re very excited about these new rooms and I’m
sure you will be too after your first stay in them. By the way, if you go
on our website, you’ll see this same sketch under the heading of
“Highlands”. We had originally planned on renting these two
rooms together as a single suite called the Highlands, but thought the
better of it. It will still be an amazing way to travel with another
couple if you rent both rooms, but they can now be rented individually as
well. If you enjoy travelling with friends, then I highly recommend
making your plans for these rooms soon, before they are rented
individually for the weekend that you want.

3rd
Annual Singer Song Writer Cape May!

Anna Marie and I are so
excited that this event is returning for the 3rd time this March 26-27.
This is a GREAT event. With over 150 free performances in 15 different
venues around town, you are sure to have a wonderful experience.

Like last year, dozens of
up and coming musicians of all kinds will be converging on Cape May to
perform and “break out” in front of our audiences and all the
music professionals that will be in town. If you are interested in
hearing some of tomorrow’s big stars before they’re discovered, make
plans to attend.

Several bigger names are also going to be performing, including the
lovely lady in the picture above, Nicole Atkins, and Steve Forbert, whose
name you may not recognize, but whose music you’ve definitely heard and
probably like.

Before long this event will no doubt rival the Cape May Jazz festival for
popularity and acclaim. Make plans to attend this year’s event and you’ll
be one of the hip insiders that “discovered” it.

Have you heard of Yelp?
I’m told it is the latest “review” site, where people go to
check out restaurants, stores, and yes, lodging establishments. I guess
it is a little like tripadvisor.com, but not quite as specific to travel.
It seems like a trendy site for the young and restless. That does describe
you, doesn’t it?

So, if you’re dying to
review us, and I know you can hardly wait to tell the world how much you
like The Queen Victoria, you now have a new outlet to satisfy your
writing urge. I’d love to see us become the #1 rated lodging facility in
Cape May on Yelp. I know we should be ahead of Congress Hall, which
currently holds that position.

The
Convention Hall Melodrama

It just occured to me
that it has been over a year that I’ve been tracking the progress (or
lack thereof) on the rebuilding of Convention Hall. I distinctly remember
taking my camera down to the snow covered beach and freezing my little
tail off taking the “last photos” of the convention center. I
could do that again today on our newly snow covered beach, but it
wouldn’t achieve much, as it looks exactly the same.

The city is still doing
the same song and dance about the permits. The state is holding out
against any encroachment onto “virgin” beach, and the local
press is starting to work up a lather about how deceptive the mayor is
about the whole thing. I think they’re trying to create a real scandal.
Though I’m anxious to see a new convention center on our beach, I’ve
grown weary of the gossip and lack of forward progress. Let’s just hope
they start doing something on that site in the next few months!

Favorite
Guest Photos … Alison & John

A while ago a good
looking couple arrived at our door for a romantic weekend together and
ended up getting engaged. They were so wrapped up in the romance of the
whole thing that they spontaneously decided to get married at The Queen
Victoria on New Year’s Day. They booked the rooms with us and we made the
arrangements that very weekend.

I’m pleased to say that
they celebrated their marriage in grand style in our House of Royals
parlor with all of their close family and friends in attendance. They
were kind enough to include Anna Marie and myself in their number. It was
a beautiful ceremony and as you can see from the pictures they made a
dashing couple. Following the ceremony they enjoyed a
“pre-reception” reception in our parlor before being whisked
away to their dinner reception in 3 horse carriages. This photo was taken
just before their departure to their reception and you can see that they
were very happy. I know that they are very happy in their new lives, and
I’m appreciative of them sharing this photo with us.

33rd
Annual Cape May Jazz Festival

I am usually pretty
enthusiastic about the Jazz Festival, but this year I am particularly
fired up about the event. If you are familiar with Spyro Gyra, then
you’ll be as excited as I am that they are the opening act for the Cape
May Jazz festival on April 16th. I’ve been wanting to see this band for
close to 30 years. The amazing thing to me is that the music they’re
releasing today sounds as great as the stuff they were starting out with
when I was in college.

It seems like the
organizers of the Jazz Festival decided to forego the usual
“theme” and just put together a lot of great acts this time
around. There are at least 15 different artists scheduled in venues all
over town. The festival kicks off on Friday, April 16th and runs through
Sunday afternoon.

My advice to you is to make plans to attend this Jazz Festival. If you
love great music and Cape May, then how can you go wrong? Call us today
and we’ll find the perfect room for you.

Doug
& Anna Marie’s Restaurant Pick Of The Month … Lucky Bones

Anna Marie and I love to
drop into Lucky Bones once in a while and enjoy a really great, casual
and fun meal. Lucky Bones is one of those restaurants that you feel
comfortable in as soon as you walk in the door. Judging from the full
parking lot, even during the winter, I guess lots of other folks like it
too.

Anna Marie and I usually
order off of the lighter side of the menu at Lucky Bones, usually getting
our favorite sandwiches, some fries and a very reasonably priced bottle
of wine. Anna Marie’s favorite sandwich is the Chicken BLT, which is
truly outstanding. I’ve strayed a few times, but I usually can’t resist
ordering the Filet Tip sandwich, which is loaded with great little pieces
of filet cooked to perfection and smothered in cheese. My mouth is
watering just thinking about it. I happen to know that at least a few of
you guests also call this your favorite item on the menu. I mentioned the
wine earlier and I’ll repeat again how reasonable it is. I’m used to
getting “gouged” on wine at restaurants, so it is such a
pleasant surprise to see a nice wine list, all priced at just $20.

If you’re planning a visit down to see us in the next few months, I
highly recommend you check out Lucky Bones. They are open every day of
the week and you’re sure to get a great meal.