Stu and I had no plans to travel this year, and not really until our rescheduled trip to Ireland next May (fingers crossed). We had been hoarding vacation days in hopes of taking a cross-country road trip to visit Kyrsten and Scot for Thanksgiving, but realized that it probably would not happen, so we would have about 5 vacation weeks left over at the end of the year. I was browsing Airbnb just for amusement in July and was surprised to find a beach house still available at the end of August north of Cape May (actually the entire top floor of a 2-story house with a separate entrance from downstairs). I liked how serious the owner was about cleaning and safety (no guests are booked for 3 days between visits; a thorough sanitation is done; and she vets the guests before confirming the booking to be sure they’re adhering to safe practices). I figured that if we’d be mainly stuck in the house, we might as well enjoy a change of scenery, and the bird watching in Cape May is legendary, so I booked it for 10 days. It was our first Airbnb, so it was a test case for future travels. The way it went, it won't be our last. I also thought that we should try to take advantage of the excellent summer weather we'd been having before it was too late.
The trip totally exceeded our expectations. It was an easy 2-1/4 hr. drive down and back each way. We traveled absurdly early in the morning so there was very light traffic, and we got to see lovely sunrises each way. The house is on the bay side in a quiet residential area, right on the water with panoramic views and astoundingly beautiful sunsets. The first evening the sky was red for over an hour, no exaggeration! But every night was different. We cooked all of our own dinners and dined most nights outdoors on our balcony deck with a view of the water and sunset. There was a table and chairs and a new grill out there. I bought colorful wildflowers in a mason jar at a local farm, used a portable speaker with my iPhone for the music, and the owner provided scented candles, so it was very romantic. We didn't miss going to restaurants at all. We used the dishwasher so we had less cleaning chores. The house was spacious (4 bedrooms) and comfortable. It can use some décor and kitchen updates, but we didn't care since everything worked. The WiFi was reliable and fast, there was a flat-screen Smart TV with Apple +, Prime and Netflix, washer/dryer, 2 bathrooms and we chose a very comfy bed. We brought our own bed linens, towels and beach gear as well as sanitizing wipes and spray (though the owner supplied some cleaning products as well).
Stu and I hadn't visited Cape May for many, many years and recalled all of the charming 19 th C Victorian houses and cottages. Cape May is an island, separated from the rest of New Jersey by a man-made canal, at the very southern tip of the state with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Delaware Bay on the other, though Cape May County extends farther north on the peninsula. Its history begins in 1620 and it’s reputed to be the oldest seaside resort in the U.S. It’s also an important stop for migrating birds and Monarch butterflies during their journeys north and south in the spring and fall. There’s a very handsome lighthouse and extensive wildlife reserve areas, including a state park and a Nature Conservancy meadow (one of the charities we support). To my delight, I discovered that there are a bunch of wineries in Cape May County. Those we visited all practiced safe virus protocols, so I was able to sample some wines. We had lunch at 2 of them, (Willow Creek Winery on the day we arrived, and Hawk Haven later), and just a wine tasting at The Cape May Winery. Our favorite was Hawk Haven, unexpectedly good wine along with a food truck on the weekend serving delicious small plates, and lots of outdoor seating. I bought a few bottles from their wine shop to enjoy with dinners and to take home and have been pleased with the choices.
We food shopped mainly at farms, farm stands and small local markets. Nothing like sweet Jersey corn and flavorful Jersey tomatoes in the summer! Oddly it was a real challenge finding good fish in a seaside location! We tried several very disappointing places and finally found a small market with a take-out restaurant near our place which offered a very small selection, but the fish was fresh and very good. We have so many excellent fish markets near home, that the paucity there came as quite a shock. This market also sold good crab, so Stu made scrumptious crab cakes.
But the main reason we went was to enjoy the ocean. I figured that even if we rarely left the house and just sat on our balcony overlooking the water, plus some early morning birdwatching, I’d be happy to spend time near the sea. Fortunately, we weren't confined to the house. I had researched the various beaches before going and our Airbnb host provided seasonal beach passes. We wanted an uncrowded one where we could relax and swim in the sea (many are restricted for swimming) and found the ideal one, called Pearl Beach. It’s located on Cape May Point, the quieter side of the island away from town, and is mainly a locals’ beach. Except for lifeguards, there were no facilities, bathrooms or food service, so it attracts less visitors. Fortunately, about a 10 minute walk north to another beach (Sunset) there was an outdoor restaurant and restrooms, but even better, there was a charming store/café called The Red Store about 5 minutes’ walk inland with really good light food, such as salads, quiche and empanadas, and a very clean restroom. In more normal times, I believe that they also serve wonderful dinners. Everyone inside wore masks including the kitchen team. We grabbed lunch there on the days that we went to the beach, except for Tuesday, when they’re closed. On that day we had lunch at Sunset Beach. It was fine in a pinch, but the food was only passable, except for the creamy soft-serve ice cream, and they were not at all careful about virus precautions, no one inside among the kitchen or cleaning crew wore masks, nor did the woman taking orders at the register, and they didn’t clean tables between guests.
While on the beach we never had anyone closer than about 30 ft. from us, and most days considerably farther, since we set up in the no-swimming section while most families congregated near the lifeguard stations. Even that area wasn't crowded, people were generally at least 10-15 feet or more apart, even on the weekend, and it was easy to maintain distance while in the water. It was heaven! The water temp was good, gentle waves most of the time, nothing to knock you around but enough to have fun playing with, soft sand, clean beach. So serene. There were jellies in the water now and then, but it was fairly easy to spot and avoid them. The water wasn’t Caribbean clear, but clear enough. We saw mainly the same people every day and by the end of the week we were greeting them like friends, at a distance of course. In the early morning I'd do a weights workout (it's great all the stuff you can bring when you drive instead of flying), or we'd take a long walk on our local beach, or go birdwatching in one of the reserves, then just head to Pearl Beach until late afternoon. We had hoped to see even more birds, however, we were there before the major fall migration and we still saw quite a lot. There were many colorful butterflies, dragonflies and flowers as well as birds. It was delightful.
One morning we arose super early and drove to the Cape May town beach to catch the magnificent sunrise, took a long walk on the beach, then walked around town while it was still empty to enjoy the lovely architecture. It's much more built up than when we last stayed there, however, we found the still charming sections with the old houses, many now serving as B&Bs, though most are private homes. The morning we arrived we had to wait until 3 pm for check-in, so we didn’t go the beach, but explored the state park grounds near the lighthouse in the early morning. There’s a large pond there over which majestic ospreys soar, diving into the water to snatch fish in their powerful claws.
Once on Pearl Beach we'd set up our umbrellas, chairs, etc. and then walk for an hour or so on the beach, occasionally seeing fishermen or families. We continued to the state park beach and could have walked all the way around the point to the town beach if we had wanted to. We would get back to Pearl Beach for a long swim, relax, chat, read and especially enjoy watching and learning new behaviors of the adorable sandpipers, plovers, terns, seagulls, ruddy turnstones and shy ghost crabs all around us. Sometimes pelicans would fly by over the water. We’d walk over to the Red Store for lunch and comfort break, swim again, lounge again, etc. Twice we saw big pods of dolphins right offshore. The first time they just swam by, but the next time they seemed to be hunting because they remained in the area for a long time, straight out from where we were sitting, diving and circling. It was a great thrill! We were so lucky to have nearly perfect weather, hot but not sweltering and lots of sun, so our umbrellas, hats and high-SPF sunscreen were necessities. There were a few scattered thunderstorms in the early evening, but they rarely disrupted our plans. We had one mostly rainy day that cleared up by afternoon, so we watched TV in the morning and had lunch at Hawk Haven, followed by yet another long beach walk and an extraordinary evening sunset.
BEACHES & ATTRACTIONS
PEARL BEACH West Central Ave. Cape May Point. Uncrowded beautiful swimming beach. Lifeguards but no facilities.
SUNSET BEACH End of Sunset Blvd. No swimming. Restroom, restaurant. About 10 min. walk via beach from Pearl
CAPE MAY LIGHTHOUSE 215 Lighthouse Ave. Cape May Point State Park; Daily 9 – 5 We decided not to climb up since it’s an enclosed space, but enjoyed seeing it.
BIRDING SOUTH CAPE MAY MEADOWS (NATURE CONSERVANCY) Sunset Blvd. by S. Bayshore Dr. (near lighthouse) Daily during daylight hours. Trails, viewing platform and a hide overlooking a pond with lots of shore birds and ducks.
CAPE MAY POINT STATE PARK Lighthouse Ave. Boardwalk through wooded area and to the seashore. Great place to spot ospreys over the pond. HIGBEE BEACH End of New England Rd on Delaware Bay; Wooded area and shoreline, popular with birders.
FOOD
BEACH PLUM FARM 140 Stevens St. West Cape May 609-602-0128; Market Daily 8 am – 5 pm. Picturesque farm. Limited but nice selection of food and produce, including wildflowers. Takeout window and picnic tables https://www.caperesorts.com/beach-plum-farm?to=12%2F31%2F2020&categories=23
FISH & FANCY 2406 Bayshore Rd. Villas Fish market and takeout 3 – 8 pm Closed Mon. Small selection but very fresh fish as well as crab. Best we found in Cape May and environs
DUCKIES FARM MARKET 736 Broadway Cape May; Daily 9 am – 5:30 pm Very good fruit and vegetables and other staples. Our favorite farm stand. https://www.facebook.com/Duckies-Farm-Market-139339389446988/
WESTSIDE MARKET Butcher & Deli. 517 Broadway West Cape May 609-884-3061 Daily 9 am - 3 pm. Very popular but we found the meat to be only ok. Really mostly a sandwich shop. https://westsidemarketwestcapemay.com/
GAISS MARKET 1215 Bayshore Rd. Villas 609-886-5121 grocery and meat market Daily 8 am – 7 pm. Good small market with excellent house-made sausages. https://gaissmarket.com/
CHEZ MICHEL FRENCH PATISSERIE 600 Park Blvd West Cape May 7:30 am – 2 pm Closed Tue. & Wed. Adequate but disappointing. Didn’t find any good places for bread.
COLD SPRING GRANGE RESTAURANT 735 Seashore Rd. Cape May 609-884-0114 Takeout: Thu – Sat 11 am – 8 pm; Sun 11 am – 6 pm Tasty casual takeout food. www.ColdSpringGrange.net
HAWK HAVEN VINEYARD & WINERY 600 So. Railroad Ave. Rio Grande 609-846-7347 Wine shop Daily 10 am – 5 pm Hit the Road Jack Food Truck Fri. 12 – 5 pm, Sat. & Sun. 12 – 6 pm. Our favorite Cape May winery. Delicious small plates and very good wine, especially the Talon (super-Tuscan Sangiovese blend), Q (Bordeaux style blend) and Reserve Chardonnay – Two Wire. https://hawkhavenvineyard.com/
CAPE MAY WINERY 711 Townbank Rd. Cape May Mon, Tue, Thu, Sat 12 – 6 pm, Wed. Fri. 12-8 pm, Sun 10:30 am – 6 pm. Lovely grounds. Good wine, especially their dessert port. Didn’t try food here. https://capemaywinery.com/
WILLOW CREEK FARM & WINERY 160-168 Stevens St. West Cape May Sun – Thu 12 – 8 pm, Fri – Sat 12 – 9 pm Beautiful grounds but cannot recommend, didn’t like the food or wine.
THE RED STORE 500 Cape Ave. Cape May Point; Wed – Mon 7:30 am – 3 pm. Great place for light lunch near Pearl Beach. Also serve breakfast. Adorable items for sale. Usually serve dinner but not during COVID. https://www.capemaypointredstore.com/