The Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is located in a French Provincial mansion on three acres of land. The estate is located in Cape May, New Jersey, ten minutes from the beach, and just a few miles from Stone Haven and Avalon. The property has nine guest suites, one of which is a two story cottage separate from the main house. Every guest has access to the restaurant on property, breakfast, afternoon tea, and the swimming pool on site. Many events are held on the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast property such as marriage parties, corporate events, and birthday gatherings. The Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is open year-round.
The Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is located on Main Street in Cape May Court House, New Jersey. The 12,000 square foot home sits on three acres of land. The yard could be considered relatively large, seeing as how it contains multiple gazebos, fountains, and a small fish pond. Recently re-landscaped, there are also many flower gardens, trees, and large lawns surrounding the main house. Themed after a French Country Estate, the three-story building has tan stucco with many large windows and cobblestone pathways. There is an on-site parking area that can fit forty cars and a pull-through driveway for easy access to the front entrance of the estate.
The inside of the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is virtually as elaborate as the grounds of the property. The home is three stories with nine guest accommodations on the second and third floors. On the main floor, there are multiple gathering areas. These include a large parlor, three dining rooms, a forty-person deck, and an afternoon tea conservatory. Separate from the main house is a two-story carriage home with an additional suite. The carriage house also houses a fifty-person event space.
Two of the dining rooms and the back deck are all part of the restaurant located on the property. This restaurant is called Provence and is an upscale dining location. The eatery serves six-course prix fixe dinners with a tasting menu and locally procured wines. The restaurant, much like the entire Peninsula Bed and Breakfast, is decorated with a choreographed synergy from classic, french, modern, and eccentric themes.
The Les Beaux is a two-room suite located on the second floor of the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast. This room features two king bedrooms and an oversized private bathroom. Single king suites in the main house include the Lourmarin, Marseille, and Cassis Rooms. The queen rooms in the home include the Roussilon, Toulon, and Avignon Rooms. Every room in the main house comes equipped with private heating and air conditioning, LED flat-screen televisions with cable, high-speed internet access, and gas fireplaces. Toiletries are also provided.
Behind the main house at the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is the three-story cottage house, otherwise known as the Avignon. This suite is located on the second and third floors of the house. Inside there is a king room and two queen rooms. Inside the king room, there is an ensuite bathroom with a jacuzzi tub, and the two queen bedrooms share a bathroom. On the second floor, there is an oversized living room and dining room with high ceilings, a gas fireplace, and a private deck. The private deck is fully furnished and looks out over the three-acre yard. The Avignon also includes a full kitchen.
A full breakfast is served every morning at the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast in the restaurant, dining rooms, and the back deck. The menu changes three to four times a year and includes a combination of both sweet and savory breakfast entrees inspired by the tropics. Every main course is also served with a buffet of yogurt, granola, fruit, baked goods, cereal, tea, coffee, and juice. Guests with dietary restrictions can be accommodated if they provide the staff with early notice about their needs. The morning meal is served on the patios and dining area every morning from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Afternoon tea can be taken on the porch or in any of the common rooms, such as the parlor and conservatory. Guests staying in the carriage house do not have access to breakfast and afternoon tea, but they do have access to a full kitchen.
The Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is located within a five-minute drive to the beach of Cape May. Guests are offered bicycle rentals, beach bags, beach towels, and beach chairs to take with them to the beach. In addition, the property is just ten minutes from the nearby cities of Avalon and Stone Harbor.
The Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is owned and managed by Andrew Bares and his wife Kelley. The couple also owns the rest of the Cape Collection. The Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is the most recent addition to the collection. Upon creating the bed and breakfast the couple’s goal was to put together a space where guests could unwind and relax. “Guests should feel like they are in a luxury resort out of a magazine,” says Andrew. In order to achieve the goal of luxury and comfort, Andrew and Kelley spent several months renovating and redecorating the bed and breakfast. The couple updated the exterior of the home with new paint and trim, as well as redesigned the entire interior of the home. By doing these things the couple was able to bring their dream to life. In addition to the large interior renovations, they also revived the long-forgotten restaurant inside the bed and breakfast.
A unique feature of the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is the historical culture of the home. The spaces are all updated but still have original pieces of architecture showcased throughout, “All of our rooms are designed to be better than what people have in their own homes. That is what makes every stay so special,” said Andrew.
The typical guest who visits the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast, visits for an anniversary, honeymoon, or wedding party. Some policies are strictly enforced on the property to ensure the comfort of guests. For example, smoking is not allowed anywhere on the property, and neither are pets. Additionally, children under sixteen years of age are not permitted at the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast. The typical demographic of guests at the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast range from the ages thirty to sixty years old. Since it was established in March of 2021, the business has already seen some return guests for summer vacations or anniversaries. The Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is open year-round, with an increase in guests during the summer months. The summer months are most popular for the warm beaches, blooming plants, and the many music festivals and summer attractions in the area.
Many events are held on the three-acre property. There is parking space for forty cars and a pull-through driveway. In the carriage house, there is an event center that can host parties of up to fifty individuals. Guests are also welcome to use any portion of the yard for their celebrations. The restaurant on-site is also available to cater for these events.
The Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is known for being a bed and breakfast with a greater emphasis on high-quality amenities. Guests often leave reviews regarding the breakfasts served each day, attention to detail in the home's design, and the accommodating staff. For example, one guest mentioned, “I ate at the restaurant as part of my stay at the Peninsula Bed & Breakfast in Cape May Court House, NJ. The 2-course breakfast each day was remarkable. The servers Doris and Alex were exceptionally attentive. Whether you go for a meal or book a wonderful night's stay at the bed and breakfast, you will be transformed and transported into a quaint French provincial location."
The city of Cape May is known for its quaint, coastal atmosphere. Most of the homes, restaurants, and shops are in Cape May or high-end. Several attractions in the area include sunny beaches, historic streetways, vineyards, breweries, farms, music festivals, and other resorts. Cape May is known to host some of the oldest seaside resorts in the United States. The Cape May Zoo is one of the only free zoos in the United States and is located near the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast.
Andrew and Kelly recommend several restaurants in the area specifically their own restaurant inside the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast. This exclusive restaurant named Provence serves multiple course meals in a luxurious dining room. Some other dining recommendations Andrew gives in the area include the Scola, an old-style dining spot themed after the early 1900s. The Summer Salt is another popular eatery in the area, where they serve dishes like lobster ravioli, scallops, salmon.
The Peninsula Bed and Breakfast was built in 1854 by a Civil War surgeon named John Wally. The bed and breakfast functioned as a family home for 16 generations. John Wally was born in Salem, New Jersey. He was a doctor and later married. His wife inherited the land that the Peninsula Bed and Breakfast is located on today. John built the French Provincial mansion in 1854. The establishment was the first home to have indoor plumbing in the town. Albert E. Wood was born in one of the rooms in the home. He studied Geology at Poly Prep in Brooklyn, New York, served in World War II, and was a professor of Geology and Comparative Anatomy at Amherst University located in Massachusetts. Dr. Carolyn Crawford purchased the bed and breakfast when it had been completely neglected and renovated the entire home. Horace E. Wood also lived in the bed and breakfast for a few years before it was turned over to Lorraine Nicholas in 2003.
Lorraine managed the home under the title of The Doctor's Inn for 17 years before selling it to the new owners Andrew and Kelley Bares in March of 2021. After purchasing the home, Andrew and Kelly spent months doing a complete renovation of the interior. They gutted the entire home adding bathrooms, breaking down walls, redoing staircases, and adding new flooring. The exterior of the house could not be altered as much due to its historical nature, but the front porch was rebuilt to be more sturdy, and the entire three-acre yard was re-landscaped. The restaurant was also redone to make it more luxurious and able to operate properly.
Andrew and his wife Kelley came across Cape May as they were searching for a beach home. The couple purchased their first beach home shortly after coming to the area and decided that in the time they weren’t staying at the home they would put the space up for rent or reservation. As a result of this, the idea of creating a bed and breakfast was developed. Andrew had years of experience in the hospitality industry prior to arriving in Cape May and he along with Kelley decided to get their own bed and breakfast licenses to expand. They then purchase four additional properties under one name: The Cape Collection. The couple enjoys meeting all of their guests and interacting with them during breakfast and afternoon tea time.
2 North Main Street
Cape May Court House, New Jersey
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Andrew Bares
Lorraine Nicholas
