Recapping Our Dreamy Babymoon In Cape May

We can't wait to go back!

Last week, Mark and I went on a short but oh-so-sweet babymoon.

We’d gone back and forth over where to venture for the occasion. Options included Cape Cod, New Hampshire, and Virginia Beach, but we pivoted at the last minute for several reasons. First, the weather reports in the north were too cool and the weather reports down south were too wet. Second, I’m nearly 8.5 months pregnant, and sitting in a car for hours isn’t as appealing as it might have been in my second trimester.

So we opted to explore a part of New Jersey neither of us has been to (but apparently practically everyone we know has): Cape May.

We arrived at our hotel on Tuesday evening, around 7:15 pm, giving us time to explore the grounds before heading to dinner. We stayed at the La Mer Beachfront Resort. There weren’t many rooms left when we booked, so we stayed in a suite with two queen beds. It had a balcony with a beautiful ocean view (that also overlooked the hotel pool), a little living area, a kitchen, a heavenly rain shower, and two televisions (necessary? no, cool? yes)!

Cape May has the most adorable downtown. It reminded me of a bite-sized, super quaint Disney Springs, with shops and restaurants lining the streets. For our first dinner on vacation, we ate at the Cape May Fish Market and, though bold given it was our first meal on the Cape, we rated it an easy 10/10. Our waitress was very friendly and attentive, the atmosphere was bustling but relaxed, and the food was incredible.

When I go down the shore, I want fresh seafood and pretty much only fresh seafood. Well, fresh seafood is what I got.

I ordered an unsweetened strawberry iced tea (so refreshing) and a crab roll, which the menu describes as “jumbo lump crab sautéed in butter, served on a fresh toasted top-split bun.” Mark ordered an unsweetened iced tea with the crab cake soft taco wrap: “fried crab cake, lettuce, tomato, cheese and chipotle sauce, wrapped in a flour tortilla.”

We dedicated our second day in Cape May to hanging by the pool. But first, we needed breakfast. Virtually everyone we spoke to who’d vacationed there highly recommended The Mad Batter, and it didn’t take long to figure out why.

Despite it being a Wednesday morning, the restaurant was packed. There was a line out the door, with parties upon parties of vacationers waiting for a table. We weren’t starving, so we didn’t mind the wait, though. Plus, if a place is that busy, we figured it must be good - and it was. We both ordered iced tea and water. Mark got plain pancakes and I ordered oatmeal pancakes with blueberries. Both stacks were delicious.

We walked out plenty full and decided to walk off the sluggish feeling with a stroll around town. We popped into a few stores for souvenirs (a onesie for our daughter and a Christmas ornament) then headed back to our hotel to get ready for the pool.

Even though Wednesday was pretty windy, the pool was popping. Once we claimed our lounge chairs, a waitress came by and took our orders from the bar. I got a frozen strawberry daiquiri (virgin, obviously) and Mark got a frozen margarita. We sipped our drinks, I started reading This Summer Will Be Different by

Carley Fortune

, and when the crowd cleared a bit, we took a dip in the pool.

Our only complaint was that there was only one waitress assigned to the entire pool. I’m sure she got great tips, but she was also so busy that the service was (understandably!) a bit slow. We got our drinks from the bar pretty quickly, but the two water bottles we ordered at the same time didn’t arrive for almost two hours, around when we were ready to leave. However, the waitress did give us complimentary water for the wait, which was very sweet.

For dinner that night, we went to a restaurant attached to a hotel down the strip. It was called Harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille. To be completely transparent, we hated the food. I disliked it so much I didn’t even take a picture; it wasn’t worth documenting.

We ordered the crab dip as an appetizer, and it was overly peppered. We both ordered blackened mahi mahi tacos with a side of parmesan fries. The fries were OK. They weren’t particularly hot and, in my opinion, definitely needed the ketchup I made room for on my plate for dipping. The tacos were just awful. Normally I’d complain if a dish had too little fish, but this taco had too much mahi mahi that was poorly seasoned, plus the slaw and avocado aioli was just not good. 10/10 ice water, though, and 8/10 iced tea. Needless to say, unless I’m parched, I won’t be going back.

On Thursday we ate at The Pier House (the restaurant attached to our hotel) for breakfast and it was delicious. I had eggs benedict without the hollandaise sauce, and Mark had two eggs with sausage and potatoes. We were so hungry from the night before that we practically cleaned our plates. After an hour or so of digesting in our room (watching Friends, of course - the quintessential vacation television show), we took my sister’s recommendation (hi April!) and took a drive to the Cape May Zoo.

The Cape May Zoo is a nice size. By the time we got through all the exhibits, we’d walked nearly 3 miles! We were also impressed by the different animals that were there. I’m almost certain that the last time I saw a lion was at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. nearly 10 years ago; I’d never seen a camel in my life; and the only time I’ve seen a bear was in Alaska before entering my senior year of high school.

We also loved that the zoo is free! It was pretty crowded for a Thursday early afternoon, but it was mostly occupied by camps and families. The zoo also has some fans stationed around the different exhibits, which was much appreciated when I needed to take mini breaks from walking.

When we got back to our hotel, we cooled off in our room for a bit and then went to the beach. Our hotel fees factored in beach access, so there were chairs set up for us when we arrived. We sat for about an hour, chatting and looking out over the ocean. Unfortunately, the weather forecast wasn’t in our favor; it was overcast and chilly. So we packed up, went back to our room to change, and went out for our last night at the Cape.

Dinner was at The Ugly Mug, a restaurant that came highly recommended by one of my best friends (hi Ashleigh)! After experiencing it for ourselves, we would also highly recommend it, too.

The food was delicious - I got a fried oyster sandwich and Mark ordered a crab cake sandwich - and the service was excellent. Originally we were seated indoors, but the restaurant has a kind of pub-like feel. It was dark and very, very loud, so we asked if we could sit outside instead. The change in ambiance set the tone for the rest of the meal. There was a nice breeze, and we could hear each other talk! Our waiter was also very nice and personable. We’d rate it a 9/10.

Afterward, we took a few last laps around the downtown area, enjoying the weather and cotton-candy sunset. We stopped in The Original Fudge Kitchen for a sampler to-go and chocolate-covered pretzels for dessert. It’s a must if you’re in the area. The fudge is homemade and there are shelves upon shelves of other chocolates and candies to peruse.

Overall, we loved our miniature babymoon! Usually one or both of us is ready to come home by the end of vacation, but neither Mark nor I wanted to leave Cape May. It’s an adorable beach town, everyone we came in contact with was friendly, the food was fantastic, and there was plenty to do (with so much more to see!).

To think, the next time we visit, we’ll have our baby girl with us! We can hardly wait.