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Cape May Preservationists Tom and Sue Carroll began the B&B movement in Cape May in 1971 and when they sold the Mainstay in 2004 to David and Susan Macrae, the Carrolls were the senior B&B innkeepers in the United States, running one of the premiere B&Bs in the nation.. The fourteen-foot-high public rooms in the 1872 Italianate villa are furnished in Victoriana right down to the sheet music on the piano. Especially notable is the ceiling of the entrance hall, where a stunning combination of seventeen wallpapers makes a beautiful accent. The twelve accommodations in the inn and in the pleasant 1870 Cottage next door are named for famous visitors to Cape May. The Henry Ford room has its own small porch and the Bret Harte room (with many of his books in a case) opens onto the entire second-floor veranda. Lace curtains, stenciling, tall walnut bedsteads with matching dressers, armoires and rockers comprise the museum-quality decor. Some bathrooms retain their original copper tubs. Climb a very steep ladder with a wavering rope for a railing to the tower on the third floor, where, with cushions on two sides and windows on all four, you get a good view of town and ocean across the rooftops. The inn and the cottage, both with wide verandas and rocking chairs, are separated by a brick walk and a handsome trickling fountain; the front gardens are brilliant with flowers. Across the street in the Officers’ Quarters, a restored naval officers’ building, are four modern two-bedroom suites with queensize beds, TVs and gas fireplaces. Each suite contains a spacious living room with a dining area, kitchenette and a marble bathroom with whirlpool tub and shower. Guests here have tea at the main inn; continental breakfast is delivered to their quarters. Sue Carroll’s recipes for her breakfast and tea goodies were so sought after that she published eight editions of a small cookbook called Breakfast at Nine, Tea at Four. In summer, breakfast is continental-plus, served buffet-style on the veranda. Other seasons it is formal sit-down around the table for twelve in the dining room. Ham and apple pie, California egg puff and chicken-pecan quiche are among the offerings. “Young children generally find us tiresome,” the inn’s brochure advises sensibly. Except for the Officers’ Quarters, the inn is, as the new owners say, “a total Victorian experience.”
(609) 884-8690. For more information: www.mainstayinn.com or www.capemaymac.com
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