Beachfront Inn in Cape May, NJ
Eleven rooms two streets back from the sand, with beach tags, bicycles and breakfast on the porch.
Eleven Rooms, Four Kinds
Every rate includes breakfast, beach tags for two and the use of a bicycle.
Rates are per night for two, before tax, and move with the season — July and August cost more, March and November much less. Send dates and we will tell you what is actually free.
An 1889 house, eleven rooms, one porch
Elderbay is on Hughes Street in the historic district, which means gas lamps, no through traffic and a two-minute walk to Beach Avenue. The house went up in 1889 and has been an inn since 1998; we took it on in 2009 and have been repainting it ever since.
We are open March to December. In July you should book months out. In November you can ring on a Thursday and get the best room in the house.
- ✓Eleven rooms, all with their own bathroom
- ✓Beach tags and bicycles for every guest
- ✓Breakfast on the porch from eight to ten
- ✓Two streets to the sand, four to the ferry road
A look around
Things you do not pay extra for
Beach tags for two
Cape May charges for the beach between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Yours are in the room, and we will get more for a bigger party.
A bicycle each
Eleven of them in the shed, kept running by a man on Broadway who has been doing it for thirty years. Cape May is flat and this is the best way to see it.
Breakfast on the porch
Eight to ten, cooked to order, eaten outside unless it is raining. There is always something baked and there is always fruit.
A parking space
One per room, off-street, behind the inn. In this town in August that is the single most valuable thing we give you.
Two streets, and then the sand
You go down Hughes, cross Beach Avenue, and you are on it. The stretch in front of us is the quiet end — families, umbrellas, and the fishing boats going out past the point first thing.
We keep towels, chairs and an umbrella by the back door. Take what you need and bring it back sandy; that is what it is for.
- Chairs,umbrellas and towels by the back door
- Thequiet end of the beach, away from the arcade
- Sunriseover the water; sunset from Cape May Point
- Outdoorshower in the yard for coming back
When to come, honestly
Cape May is four different towns depending on the month. Here is which one you will get.
March to May
Cold water, empty streets, the best rates of the year and every restaurant to yourself by Tuesday. Birders come for the spring migration and the porch is quiet.
June
Warm enough, not yet full. Our favorite month and the one we tell friends to book. Beach tags start on Memorial Day weekend.
July and August
Full, loud and lovely. Book months ahead, expect the highest rates, and be grateful for the parking space.
September to December
The water is still warm in September and the crowds are gone. By November it is a small town with a good bakery and we will give you the Widow's Walk for the price of a Dune Room.
Tell us which week
July and August fill by March. Everything else is easier than people think — send dates and we will be honest about what is left.
How to book a week
No deposit held on a card, and a real person answers.
Send your dates
The form below or ring the inn. Tell us the room and how many of you.
We reply today
With what is free that week, the total, and what the weather usually does then.
You confirm
That is the booking. We take payment on arrival, not before.
Plans change
Free up to fourteen days out in summer, seven the rest of the year.
Asked most often
How far is the beach really?
Two streets. You walk down Hughes, cross Beach Avenue and you are on the sand — about four minutes at a normal pace, less if you are carrying a coffee. Beach tags for two are included with every room from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Is breakfast included?
Yes, in every rate. It is cooked to order and served on the porch between eight and ten, and there is always something baked that morning. Tell us in advance about anything you do not eat and it will simply be handled.
Do you have parking?
One off-street space per room behind the inn, included. In Cape May in August this is worth more than the beach tags — there is no street parking to speak of in the historic district between June and September.
When should I come?
June if you want warm and quiet, September if you want warm and empty, and March or November if you want the whole town to yourself at half the price. July and August are wonderful and need booking months ahead.
Can we bring children?
Over eight in the main house — it is a quiet inn with steep stairs. The Carriage House is separate, sleeps four and takes any age, which is why families book it a year out.
What if the weather is bad?
Cape May in the rain is a good town — bookshops, the lighthouse, a brewery and three places to eat that are better out of season. We will not pretend otherwise, and we do not charge a cancellation fee outside the summer window.
Check dates
Tell us the week you want and the room that appeals. We write back the same day — and nothing is charged until you arrive.