We’re fortunate that many hundreds of you come back
and stay with us every year. Most of you who do so take
advantage of a program we have that we call the Early
Bird Discount. If you’re unaware of this program, but do
make a trip to The Queen Victoria an annual event, take
note!
When you reserve your next year’s stay upon your
departure this year, we’ll extend you two different
discounts that add up to some great savings. First of
all, you’ll get the room you want next year at this
year’s rate, which is a $5/night discount. We’ll also
discount your entire stay another 5%.
I just did
the math on this, and for an average stay, the savings
you’ll receive with this program will represent about a
15% return on your “deposit investment”. I’ve got to say
that I’ve never had a mutual fund investment that was as
fun as a stay at The Queen Victoria.
Food & Wine Festival
If you know Anna Marie and me very well, you’ll know
we love both food and wine (especially wine!). That
being the case, you’ll understand our enthusiasm about
the Food & Wine festival every September. This event
gets better every year, which is actually hard to
believe.
I know lots of you are starting to think about a
September getaway. Don’t wait any longer. You need to
start planning your visit now if you want to enjoy this
wonderful festival, which runs Sept. 16-20. You won’t
want to miss the gourmet marketplace, winery tours, wine
tasting lectures, chef’s cookoff, dine-arounds, or any
of the other events planned.
Call us for more
information about the Food & Wine Festival. MAC is
building a new website, so their current one doesn’t
have much info on the festival.
Victorian Week October 5-14
Victorian Week is always one of the highlights of the
year. We love the Historic House tours (we’re always on
them, in fact), Murder mystery dinners, concerts, and
arts & crafts shows. Anna Marie and I even dress up
in our Victorian best for the house tours that we are
on!
Victorian Week is the quintessential Cape May event.
If you love Victoriana and the charms of Cape May, how
can you even think about missing Victorian Week in 2007?
We still have availability for this event, but that
won’t be true for all that much longer. Give us a call
to be sure that you have your room
reserved.
2007 Cape May Designer Show House
It’s Back! For the third year in a row Cape May has a
Designer Show House. This year’s house is just around
the corner from The Queen Victoria, a few steps from our
front door. Anna Marie and I love the showhouses every
year, which we typically visit a couple of times. You’ll
definitely want to make time during your upcoming visit
to The Queen Victoria for the Designer Show House.
This year’s house runs between June 30 and October
14. It is located at 608 Hughes street, which is one of
the prettiest streets in Cape May. The house features 11
bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 5 fireplaces, formal parlor,
large dining room, library, gym, spa, and covered
porches overlooking the gardens. This year there are
LOTS of dinner/showhouse specials too, so you can take
advantage of a great meal package too!
Many of you know that Anna Marie and I love wine
tasting. I’m thinking that lots of you do too, based on
the popularity of Cape May winery among our guests. It
won’t come as a surprise to you then, when I tell you
how excited we are about a new event being held in Cape
May this year. The New Jersey Wine Growers Association
has elected to hold one of their 5 annual festivals, the
Harvest Festival, in Cape May for the first time.
Anna Marie and I used to attend one of these events
annually for many years. It was truly one of the most
enjoyable days of our year and we always looked forward
to it. This year’s Cape May festival, held at the Cape
May-Lewis Ferry Terminal, should be even better. Imagine
20 wineries, each with a tasting tent set up around a
large grassy meadow looking out over the beautiful
Delaware Bay. Picture a band playing live music, people
dancing, food vendors, scores of picnic blankets set up
in the middle of the meadow filled with friends and
family.
This really should be a wonderful and
memorable event that you won’t want to miss. It is being
held during Victorian Week, giving you even more of a
reason to come to Cape May (and stay at The Queen
Victoria!).
Yes, the esteemed Sherlock will be returning to Cape
May this Fall to continue his proud tradition of
sleuthing. This time Holmes, Watson and his cast of
characters will be attempting to solve the mystery of an
attack on our very own president Benjamin Harrison, but
he needs your help!
I think this is the most enjoyable event that Cape
May puts on during the entire year. Come see the play,
participate in the hunt for clues all over town, and
solve the mystery. If you’re truly inspired, don your
best Sherlock outfit and compete for the best costume
prize.
If you’ve never experienced this wonderful
event, you’ll want to start planning your November visit
today. If you’ve participated before, then we’ll
probably be seeing you again this year. Call us today to
make reservations for this wonderful weekend. This event
ALWAYS sells out, so you’ll want to call
soon!
The first week of every December Cape May hosts the
wonderful Dickens Extravaganza. This event is a treasure
that should be experienced by anybody who has a true
love of Cape May, the Victorian era and Charles Dickens’
wonderful literature.
This year’s event promises to be one of our finest
with feasts, house tours (including the Designer Show
House), stage presentations and discussions and review
of Dickens’ fabulous work “Bleak House”, as well as
various aspects of Christmas in the Victorian
era.
This year, in addition to our traditional
hor d’ oeuvres reception, The Queen Victoria will also
continue the tradition of treating our guests to the
“Welcome” dinner. Did I mention the 10% discount off of
your room?
Upcoming Events
Delaware Bay Lighthouse Adventures Jul 21
Doug & Anna Marie’s 20th Anniversary! Aug 8
Delaware Bay Lighthouse Adventures Aug 25
Delaware Bay Lighthouse Adventures Sep 15
Cape May Food & Wine Festival Sep 16-20
Victorian Week Oct 5-14
Cape May Wine Festival Oct 6-7
Halloween in Cape May Oct 24-28
Sherlock Holmes Weekend Nov 2-4
Dicken’s Christmas Extravaganza Dec 2-4
I’m guessing most of you have heard Billy Joel’s song “New
York State of Mind”. I’m thinking of asking him to update it a
little with a version called “Cape May Stat of Mind”. I’m sure
he’ll agree. I can hear it now, four verses, one for each of
our beautiful seasons. Maybe he’ll even plug The Queen
Victoria for me (afterall, it is my idea).
Maybe he’ll
dedicate the song to you! Think about it. Don’t you find
yourself dreaming about Cape May’s beautiful beaches, soothing
waves, and calming breezes? Can’t you see yourself strolling
down our promenade after dinner “hand-in-hand with the one you
love” (oops, different song), listening to the waves crashing
into the sand? Doesn’t a stroll to dinner at one of our
incredible restaurants sound perfect? How about tea on the
porch in a rocking chair?
Yes, I think you too are in
a Cape May State of Mind!
Not Too Late for Summer!
So we’re well into Summer now, and enjoying every
minute of it. We’ve already welcomed many of you back
this Summer, and it was wonderful having you again.
Maybe you haven’t made it down yet! If you are thinking
you might still like to try and visit this year but were
afraid you had missed the boat, don’t despair. It is not
too late to reserve your Summer stay at The Queen
Victoria.
Sure, most of July and August are booked, but we
still have some availability, especially in late August.
You might be surprised to hear that Labor Day is always
one of the last weeks to book up. If you think of Summer
ending after August, I have to tell you that most of
September falls in the Summer. In fact, it is my
favorite time of the year!
Call us today and
reserve a room. If you’ve checked online and it looks
like we are full, you should call anyway. Sometime we
can find openings the computer is not smart enough to be
aware of.
I know that most of you are holding your breath every
month in anticipation of which room we’ll be featuring
next. OK, take a breath … it is Windsor. Surprisingly,
Windsor is not as popular as some of our other rooms,
and I can’t figure out why. I’m sure that those of you
who have stayed in Windsor will share my wonder at this
mystery.
Windsor is a delightfully bright, cheery and quiet
room located on the third floor in the Queen Victoria
building. One of only two rooms on the third floor, it
is one of our most spacious rooms with a charming
seating area containing a cozy love seat and an “all
season fireplace” (that means it is an electric Franklin
stove that looks incredibly real and can have the heat
option turned on or off). With windows on three of its
walls it is always bright with the potential for
wonderful cross breezes if the inspiration for fresh air
arises. If you’re looking for a wonderful room for your
next stay, I highly recommend Windsor.
The “Stay and Play” package is back by popular
demand. As part of our ongoing support for great theatre
in Cape May, we’ve purchased 20 season tickets to the
Cape May Stage. That means we have 160 tickets to give
to our favorite guests. Of course, our favorite guests
are those who stay for several nights!
If you book a 4 night weekend stay or a 3 night
weekday stay (no exceptions!) we’ll be pleased to share
our tickets to the Cape May Stage with you. These
tickets have a $28 face value, so this is definitely a
great deal. In fact, it is the only package we offer
during the Summer. Be sure to ask about the tickets when
you reserve your room!
The current production,
“Moonlight & Magnolias” is a wonderful farce about
the making of “Gone with the Wind”. This cast photo is
an indication of the hilarity of the show, which by all
accounts is wonderful.
Bikes Anyone?
As always, we’ve still got a fleet of wonderful
bicycles for you to enjoy while you stay with us at The
Queen Victoria. Many of you exclaim that “I haven’t
ridden a bicycle in __ years” when I show you the
bicycles for the first time. My reply, of course, is
always “Well, it’s like riding a bike … you never
forget”, which is true.
If you haven’t experienced Cape May on a bicycle,
then you really haven’t experienced Cape May yet. This
year plan on taking a few spins around town. I’ve been
planning lots of bicycle treks for our guests lately. If
you are searching for a great bicycle route to see a new
and interesting part of Cape May, just ask. I’ll be
happy to find just the route for you. Some of the
favorite destinations include the lighthouse, the Coast
Guard base, Higbee beach (with the obligatory stop at
the Alpaca farm), and even our local
wineries!
Favorite Guest Photos
I can’t decide what looks better, this handsome
couple or the beautiful sunset. I guess they complement
each other nicely. Floyd and Amy stayed with us last
December and took this wonderful photo at just the right
moment. Can you believe this was taken during the week
before Christmas? It just proves our maxim that it’s
ALWAYS the right time to visit Cape May!
OK, I know you are holding out on me! When I
originally put out the “Call for Photos” lots of you
responded. If you’ve been paying attention, then you’ve
probably seen your photos on either one of these emails
or our website. I appreciate you sending these photos
…
But now I want MORE! Come on, I know you have
great photos of either a) yourselves having a great time
in Cape May, b) Scenic shots of The Queen Victoria, or
c) beautiful photos of our lovely town and surrounding
areas. Send them in and enjoy a few minutes of
fame.
Doug & Anna Marie’s Restaurant
Pick Of The Month … La Verandah
One of the things I love to do every day is surprise
our guests with “secret” places to eat. Now I know that
La Verandah is not really trying to keep themselves a
secret, but it kind of works out that way. Let’s just
say they’re more focused on the meals they serve than
they are on marketing themselves. In any case, this is
an incredible restaurant, one of the finest in Cape May,
that you absolutely want to try this Summer. I say this
Summer, because they pretty much close to the public for
weddings during the Fall, Winter & Spring.
Anna Marie and I went to La Verandah the other night
and I must say we enjoyed one of the finest meals we’ve
ever had. We started things off by splitting a salad and
were promptly each brought out our own full sized salad.
I can only imagine what the full sized salad looks
like.
For an entree I had the black sea bass
encrusted with pistachios on a bed of brocolli rabe with
a small lobster tail. It was truly incredible. Anna
Marie had linguine with shrimp, scallops and clams and
fresh shaved parmesan cheese. To say she loved it would
be an understatement. For dessert I devoured the
flourless chocolate cake and Anna Marie enjoyed the
apple crisp (which was almost as good as the one she
makes for tea at The Queen Victoria). It was a meal that
neither of us will forget soon.
