The Ashley Rose Victorian Inn is located in a historical neighborhood two blocks from the beach in Cape May, New Jersey. The property has five guest accommodations. Each cottage has a private entrance with a full kitchen and living area in addition to the bedroom and full bathroom. The cottages can sleep two to four guests. The main house has seven bedrooms and two private parking slots. All guests have access to a washer and dryer, outdoor showers, and grills. Pets are allowed on the property as well as children. The Ashley Rose Victorian Inn is part of the Cape Collection: a series of luxury bed and breakfasts owned by Andrew Bares and his wife Kelley in Cape May.
The Ashley Rose Victorian Inn is located two blocks from the beach in Cape May, New Jersey. Sitting on less than an acre, the property has two buildings. The Main House was recently painted a light shade of teal with white trim and teak stained accents. A large porch surrounds the entire home. The property also has a small lawn area. The interior of the home is decorated with a beach theme. The theme includes sea shells, woven baskets, white walls, and blue statement pieces.
The main home is the largest of the guest accommodations. This space contains seven separate bedrooms. Three of them are king bedrooms with private bathrooms. One queen bedroom with a private bathroom, one queen bedroom with a half bathroom, and a queen and double twin bedroom with a shared bathroom. All but one of these seven rooms are located on the second floor. The main floor of the home offers an oversized living room, a large dining area, and a fully equipped kitchen. Two off street parking spots are available for guest use, and a shared washer and dryer. The side garden of the main house is equipped with grills, and a full wrap-around porch surrounds the home. Inside, there are fully operational systems for heating and air conditioning.
All of the cottage spaces at the Ashley Rose Victorian Inn have private entrances. The most popular accommodation is the Beach Rose Cottage. Located in the old carriage house on the property, this two story unit features a bright white kitchen, a private patio, and a fully renovated interior. The kitchen has new appliances and a seating area for four people. The living room is on the first floor and has a sleeper sofa. A full bathroom and washer and dryer are also located on the ground floor. Upstairs there is a king bedroom with a private roof terrace and a luxury bathroom.
The Tea Rose Cottage and Velvet Rose Cottage can both sleep two guests. These cottages are located on the second floor with a living area, kitchen space, large bedroom, and a full bathroom. The Wild Rose Cottage, like the Beach Rose Cottage, can sleep up to four individuals. This is a first floor unit with a dining area for four, a kitchen, a living space, and a shared bathroom between the four guests. None of these cottages have on-site parking, however, there is free parking on the surrounding streets.
Guests can use the outside lawns to sit out in the sun, or play games. There is a dog park nearby for guests to take their animals. Two outdoor showers are available for guest use as well as multiple grills. A shared washer and dryer area is available for guests to use at any time, soaps and detergents are provided. Linens, towels, extra pillows, and blankets are all available in each cottage. For guests staying longer periods of time, the bathrooms are stocked with toiletries for their first few days.
Andrew Bares and his wife Kelley are the owners of the Ashley Rose Victorian Inn, along with the entire Cape Collection. When creating the Inn, their goal was to put together an environment for people to unwind and relax in luxury. “We want people to feel like they are in a luxury resort out of a magazine,” says Andrew. To achieve this goal, the couple spent months renovating and redecorating the Ashley Rose Victorian Inn. By updating the exterior with new paint and trim—as well as updating the interior—the couple was able to bring their dream to life.
When the property's design, breakfast meal, intentionally chosen amenities, and innkeeper’s hospitality come together, the resort-style experience that is desired at Ashley Rose is more readily achievable. Luxury is the owners' number one goal. The Ashley Rose Victorian Inn is different than most bed and breakfasts. The home is historic in its bones but completely updated on the surface. “We want our rooms to be better than what people have in their own homes. That’s what makes their stay special,” Andrew remarks.
Most of the guests at the Ashley Rose Victorian Inn are visiting for a family vacation, wedding party, or anniversary trip. The inn targets a broader demographic of guests seeing as how they offer longer term stays than the other properties in the Cape Collection and have kitchens in each of their suites. Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the property, but pets are permitted. Children are also allowed in the Ashley Rose Victorian Inn unlike the other Cape Collection properties, the inn is family-oriented. The typical age group for the guests at the inn vary from five to sixty years old. Since it was established in 2018, the business has seen many return guests for summer vacations or anniversaries.
The Ashley Rose Victorian Inn is known for being a "luxury inn." Guests often leave reviews regarding the property’s proximity to the beach, the large living spaces, and the property’s convenience for larger groups. For example, “We stayed in the Wild Rose Cottage, we were very pleased. Everything was clean and well taken care of and the owners are very attentive and will fix any issues fast. Location is close to everything,” said a recent guest.
There are a variety of things to do in the area. Most commonly, guests will visit the nearby beaches, walk through the historic town, or take time touring local vineyards, breweries, and farms. Live music and festivals are often held in the area, and some of the oldest seaside resorts in the United States are in the Cape May area. Cape May is known for being a quaint coastal town with high-end restaurants and attractions.
Andrew and Kelley recently started an exclusive restaurant named Provence French Restaurant, which is also owned by Andrew Bares. The restaurant is located within another bed and breakfast called the Peninsula. Other restaurants in the area include the Washington Inn and Jardin At The Hugh. The Jardin At The Hugh is a nine-course restaurant with a prefix tasting menu that focuses on sustainability. This dining spot is similar to the Provence.
The Ashley Rose Victorian Inn is open year-round, with an increase in guests during the summer months. The summer months are most popular for the warm water beaches, blooming plants, and the many music festivals and summer attractions in the area.
Andrew Bares and his wife Kelly purchased the Ashley Rose Victorian Inn in 2018. It was originally built as a school for debutante women in the late 1800s, around 1870. It functioned as a school for almost a century after that before being converted into a bed and breakfast. After purchasing the building, Andrew and Kelly spent months doing a renovation of the interior. They gutted the main areas of the home and upgraded the bathrooms, breaking down walls, redoing staircases, and adding a back deck. Individual HVAC systems were also added. The exterior of the house could not be altered as much due to its historical nature, but it was repainted, and the front porch was rebuilt to be more sturdy. The couple plans to continue small renovations and upgrades such as modernizing the bathrooms.
Andrew came across the small area of Cape May when he and his wife were searching for a beach home. They purchased their first beach home and decided while they weren’t staying there they would run it as a bed and breakfast. After a year of having a bed and breakfast, they decided to get their bed and breakfast licenses and expand. They purchased four more properties that they now run under one entity: The Cape Collection. The couple has also recently opened their own upscale restaurant named The Provence. The Bares enjoy meeting new people and interacting with their guests. Although they are spread throughout the properties, they make an effort to visit each guest house often.
715 Columbia Avenue
Cape May, New Jersey 08204
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Andrew Bares
