Trip GrapevineTop places, picked by travellers

Cape May · Hotel shortlist

Cape May hotels with a gym

Britt Sorensen

Britt Sorensen India and the Himalaya

Updated 1 September 2026 · 15 Cape May hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Cape May, out of the 15 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.7 down to 4.5.

Sandpiper Beach Club is the one I would book myself.

Sandpiper Beach Club

Highest rated of the five

Sandpiper Beach Club

★★★★★4.7 from 352 reviews

Sandpiper Beach Club comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.7 from 352 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 3 star property, found under city centre and around $317 a night on the dates we checked.

15 hotels in Cape May qualified for this list and five made it. Congress Hall is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze
  • Kitchenettebreakfast on your own schedule

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. Sandpiper Beach Club1

    Sandpiper Beach Club

    ★★★★★4.7 from 352 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Kid friendly

    Check rates Read more

  2. Congress Hall2

    Congress Hall

    ★★★★★4.5 from 1,768 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

  3. ICONA Diamond Beach3

    ICONA Diamond Beach

    ★★★★★4.5 from 1,353 reviews

    • Pool
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kitchen

    Check rates Read more

  4. Virginia Hotel & Cottages4

    Virginia Hotel & Cottages

    ★★★★★4.6 from 388 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

  5. The Star Inn5

    The Star Inn

    ★★★★★4.6 from 192 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

How this list was put together

15 Cape May hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Britt Sorensen

Britt Sorensen India and the Himalaya

Her work season is winter, leaving whole summers free for mountains in the other hemisphere or trekking at altitude in Nepal and Peru. Carries the lightest pack of anyone she travels with.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.