My wife and I decided to stay at The Columbia House for our first trip to Cape May, N.J. One of the reason's we did was because it was not an actual Bed & "Breakfast." We liked the idea that it would be a little more private and wouldn't have to be on a schedule in the morning. We were looking for a quiet, relaxing weekend away, with some nice places to eat and some basic things to do during the day. Knowing it was the off-season, we knew it would be quiet and we were fine with that, but there was still plenty available to us. I can't express how happy we are that we chose Cape May and The Columbia House.

Before our trip I sent an e-mail inquiring about some recommendations for dinner, as some places were closed for the off-season. I got a quick, friendly, informative e-mail from Laura offering a few options, based on our tastes. She was spot on with her choices!

Upon our arrival, we were greated at the curb by Jim and Laura (the owners), who helped us carry in our bags. Very nice first impression! They gave us the rundown as far as getting in and out, working the gas fireplace in the living room, any other ammenities, the immediate neighborhood, and the off street parking spot behind the house.

The house is in a perfect location, a couple blocks from Beach Ave (the beach) in one direction, a couple of blocks from the Washington Street Walking Mall and Acme Supermarket in another direction. And it is right where a lot of good attractions are on Beach Ave. Some restaurants are in walking distance, others are a 5 minute drive back towards the bridge to the mainland, but that is the furthest you need to go.

The Columbia House's website was perfect in showing the floor plan of the different suites and showing pictures and listing the ammenities. Definately a helpful piece of information in deciding where to stay.

We stayed in the Parlor Suite, which is on the first floor of the house. You entered into a large bedroom with a huge, extremely comfortable king bed, and plentyful storage for clothes and things. The bathroom is off the bedroom, and the sink/vanity is outside the bathroom. Then you walk into the kitchen living room area. There is a nice size fridge and a complete cooking area with all essentials provided in the cabinets. Pots, pans, utensils, plates, glasses, coffee maker, etc. There was also an iron and ironing board in the closet. The living room had a decent size flatscreen tv/dvd combo on the wall and a great gas fireplace. There was also a door out onto the front porch, where there was chairs and a hanging swing to relax on. The little seating area in the turret part was perfect to sit and have a little snack, or meal. The entire suite was perfectly appointed with decorations and painting to fit the beautiful Victorian feel. You truely felt like you were in a home, not a hotel room.

By no mean's do I consider myself a food critic, but I think I can identify good food, and I will certainly say that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of these restaurants, in a shore town, on an off-season weekend.
We dined at Lucky Bone's for dinner one night. What a greast place. Simply a friendly neighboorhood tavern feel, with a impressive menu that wowed us. Everthing we ordered was fantastic. And a nice beer menu too!
George's Place on Beach Ave for breakfast was worth the 15 min wait. Amazing pancakes and omlete's.
For our Valentine's diner we went to the Blue Pig Tavern in Congress Hall. Very friendly staff bought us a round of drinks when our table wasn't ready at out reservation time. Nice touch. The food was amazing, with gourmet presentaion and very attentive service. Definately a great recommendation.

To sum it up, I don't think you could go wrong at the Columbia House, especially for the price when compared to other actual Bed & "Breakfast" places. You get friendly hosts, that leave you be and keep a perfect house, that is in a great location and offers a very comfortable stay.