Miscellaneous Tips, New Jersey

I’m duplicating this tip from my Cape May page because I really want to recommend this place to as many people as possible, but do please skip it if you’ve already read it there!

We decided that as we would be staying in Cape May for a whole week it would be nice to rent an apartment rather than stay in a hotel or bed and breakfast as we would usually do. Researching our options on the web I came across the website for the local paper, the Cape May Times, which had an excellent selection of rental properties of all sizes (and to suit most budgets). From this we picked out the Shore S Cape, which seemed to offer everything we wanted at a very good price. It proved to be an excellent choice.

On our arrival we received a very friendly welcome from our landlady, Donna, who showed us to a light and airy apartment on the ground floor. It was a warm sunny day and the several doors between our sitting room and the porch all stood open to let in the fresh air. We felt at home immediately, a feeling that remained until she waved us off, with gifts of cookies and apples for the journey, a week later.

The apartment consists of three rooms. At the front is that lovely cheerful sitting room, with windows on two sides, a comfortable sofa, dining table and chairs and a kitchen area. The latter was well-supplied with utensils, cutlery etc. We mostly ate out, but we did find these useful on our one stormy evening when we stayed home in front of the TV (with a DVD borrowed from Donna’s supply), a light supper and a few beers. We also made good use of the coffee machine during our stay. If needed there’s a microwave as well as the regular oven; fridge stocked with milk; coffee, tea and sugar all provided – so you can have a drink out on the porch as soon as you arrive! The porch by the way wraps round to the front. The side portion is allocated for the private use of this apartment, while the bit at the front is communal.

Beyond the sitting room is the bedroom, which also has a door out onto the porch and is decorated in the same navy and white (with touches of red) colour scheme. Although not large, it has plenty of storage space and a decent sized double bed. Beyond this again is the bathroom, which is probably the least good of the rooms, being a little on the small side. But it’s absolutely fine for two people, as long as you don’t want to spend your holiday soaking in a tub (there isn’t one!) or pampering yourself.

The house itself is a lovely Victorian in the typical local “Painted Lady” style (more on the Painted Ladies in my General tip). It’s in a good location, only one block from the sea, though the town centre is a little further – about ten minutes on foot. But it’s a very pleasant walk through quiet streets lined with more of these historic houses, and we never felt the need to take the car when going out for dinner.

Donna and Steve made us very welcome. I already mentioned the cookies on departure, but these weren’t the first we’d sampled as Donna had presented us with some earlier in the week too. They were as delicious as the smells coming from her kitchen had suggested they would be.

When I mentioned that I was planning to write this tip for VT she took me upstairs to see the two bedroom apartment on the top floor. This also looked lovely, with its own deck at the back overlooking the town, two good sized bedrooms and lots of space – it would be ideal for a family.

All in all I can really recommend the Shore S Cape. But I would warn you to go soon – there was a For Sale sign outside, and although Donna told me it will probably be a few years before she and Steve sell up, you might not want to take that chance!

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