Periwinkle Inn

About Periwinkle Inn

The Periwinkle Inn sits on Beach Avenue in Cape May, directly across from the beach and the promenade at the southern tip of New Jersey. It is family run and independent, and it has grown up around a landscaped courtyard rather than a parking lot, with a heated pool at its center and rooms and suites reached from open-air walkways. Cape May is one of the country's great Victorian resort towns, a National Historic Landmark district of gingerbread houses, and the inn puts the sand, the Washington Street Mall, and the Cape May Lighthouse all within easy reach. Housekeeping here is a point of pride, recognized with a AAA Best Housekeeping Award, and the front desk and staff are named by guests again and again for looking after them.

What Periwinkle Inn Is Known For

The Periwinkle Inn earns its reputation on two things guests mention over and over: how well it is kept and how well it is run. The property has been recognized with a AAA Best Housekeeping Award, and reviewers describe rooms and grounds that feel genuinely cared for rather than merely serviceable. The people match it. The front desk, the housekeeping staff, and the maintenance crew are singled out by name for going out of their way, remembering families year to year, and making an oceanfront stay feel personal. It is the rare beach-town inn where the service and the upkeep, not just the location, are what guests remember.

Amenities

• WiFi
• Heated outdoor pool courtyard
• Separate kiddie pool
• Fire pit
• Barbecue grills
• Shuffleboard, cornhole, and ladder ball
• Children's play area with a life-sized dollhouse and sandbox
• Kitchenette suites
• Private patios and balconies
• Oceanfront on Beach Avenue

The Room

Rooms and suites are comfortable, bright, and well kept, spread across the courtyard and reached from open-air walkways. Many face the ocean or the pool, and each has a private bath, in-room coffee, a mini fridge, and a microwave, with quality bedding and a clean, easy beach-town feel. Kitchenette suites add a compact kitchen for longer family stays, and several rooms open onto a private patio or balcony where you can hear the surf across the street. The look is straightforward and unfussy rather than boldly designed, the kind of well-tended room that lets the pool courtyard and the ocean do the talking.

The Grounds

The heart of the Periwinkle Inn is its landscaped courtyard, built for gathering rather than parking. A heated outdoor pool sits at the center with lounge chairs around it and a separate kiddie pool for small children, ringed by manicured lawns and flower beds. A fire pit, barbecue grills, shuffleboard, cornhole, and ladder ball give families and neighbors reasons to linger outside, and a dedicated play area with a life-sized dollhouse, a play kitchen, and a sandbox keeps kids busy for hours. Parking is free and on site, and the beach and promenade are directly across Beach Avenue, a few steps from the courtyard gate.

The Experience

Staying at the Periwinkle Inn feels like settling into a family beach ritual. You cross Beach Avenue for a morning on the sand, come back to the heated pool for the afternoon, and end the day around the fire pit with a grill going and shuffleboard clacking while the kids run between the dollhouse and the sandbox. The staff greet you by name by the second day, the courtyard stays tidy no matter how busy it gets, and the promenade for an evening stroll is right across the street. In the morning the ocean is a few steps away and the historic Washington Street Mall is a short walk inland for coffee and shops. It is social and easy when you want it, and quiet in your room with the surf across the road when you don't.

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