The Virginia
It was a hat-and-gloves kind of day, bright but cold, when I visited The Virginia Hotel on Jackson Street. But just like that, as I walked through the cherry-red front doors, it was all about the warmth.
It started at the reception desk, with a warm hello from the staffers Aiden and Erin. It continued in the Ebbitt Room, where longtime bartender Leo was kibitzing with the early crowd. It was reflected in the handwritten note that waited in my room, next to a tray of nuts, jam, cheese, and bread.
The Virginia is renowned as an upscale boutique hotel. But for me, the first and most enduring impression was one of down-home hospitality. I felt instantly welcome.
After checking in, I joined a handful of patrons around the bar. Within an hour, the place was alive with people and conversation, set to the music of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Leo—a 20-year Virginia veteran—suggested I try the pear martini: Grey Goose pear vodka with elderflower liqueur and cranberry. It was lightly sweet, a tonic against the outside chill, and set the tone for the rest of my stay.
The Virginia anchors the city’s Historic District, a block from the beach, a block from the Washington Street Mall, central to everything. Originally known as the Ebbitt House, it opened in 1879, a year after the great fire that left Cape May in ruins. The hotel went through several incarnations, and for a time served as a boarding house for summer workers.
Gradually, time took its toll. By the 1980s, the once grand hotel had fallen on hard times, and might have been demolished but for a multimillion-dollar restoration that returned it to its original splendor, and then some. The Virginia reopened in 1989 as the flagship of the Cape Resorts group.
With its striped awnings and white gingerbread trim, The Virginia made Redbook magazine’s list of “The Absolute Prettiest Hotels to Stay at Across America,” ranking alongside the Hotel St. Francis in Santa Fe, the French Quarter Inn in Charleston, and the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington.
In season, guests may also stay at the Cottages, across the way on Jackson, once Cape May’s “Seven Sisters.” The Italian Renaissance-style homes reportedly were built for the seven beautiful daughters of a wealthy businessman. Now they’re available for rent through The Virginia as full houses or separate apartments, some with ocean views on the topmost floors.
Interiors, thanks to Colleen Bashaw’s Brown Hall Design, mix unexpected patterns, textures, and colors, to fine effect. She easily juxtaposes animal prints against florals, regal velvet alongside beachy rattan. Even when these elements don’t “go together,” somehow, they come together.
But the guest rooms are another story. Room 307, where I spent the night, was all crisp whites and creamy neutrals, with bountiful linens, rich but subtle Belle Flower wall coverings, and simple, comfortable furnishings. It was absolutely restful, a little corner of Eden.
When it comes to hospitality, general manager Billy Scott says The Virginia espouses “an innkeeper model,” in which every staff member wears every hat, and can serve as valet, bellhop, and so on, depending on a guest’s needs. “We get busier and busier every year, but we keep that personal experience,” he says.
The Ebbitt Room restaurant is renowned on its own; some patrons “don’t even know a hotel is attached until they get here,” says Scott. The five-star, Zagat-rated eatery emphasizes fresh seafood (Cape May scallops, whole rainbow trout, Atlantic swordfish) and takes a farm-to-table approach, with fresh ingredients from nearby Beach Plum Farm. It offers periodic special events, such as three-course wine dinners with vintages from around the world, paired with special menus from Executive Chef Jason Hanin.
Perhaps best of all for music lovers, on weekends the bar at The Virginia features pianist Kenny Richardson, who has accompanied superstars like Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder, and conducted Audra McDonald in her Tony-winning Broadway turn as Billie Holliday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. It’s so hard to find live music in an intimate setting nowadays. Kudos to The Virginia for keeping the tradition alive, and see our Sound Waves column featuring Kenny on page 29.
My third-floor corner room was quiet, even facing the street, and I slept like a dream. In the morning, I met other early risers on the porch for continental breakfast. Among the selections were salmon toast, bacon quiche, orange scones, chocolate croissants, along with coffee and juices. Everything was good and hearty.
The Virginia offers an elegant but relaxed setting, it’s close to everything, and the employees make you feel right at home. As Scott says, “We think of this as Cape May’s front porch—all the newer amenities, but with old-school charm.” Thanks to everyone who made my stay so enjoyable.
