ARRIVAL/CHECK-IN: After a revamped and reduced (but still perfect!) wedding and ceremony Aug. 15, my new husband and I decided to take a mini-moon to the Jersey shore. Like most of your 2020 travels, our honeymoon to South Africa has been indefinitely postponed, so we traded Cape Town for Cape May and made the best of it. As Cape May is known for its Victorian influences and bed and breakfasts, we wanted to try a B&B. After much research, we found the perfect blend of modernity and tradition at Pharos at The Harrison.

Part of a bed and breakfast collection that includes The Harrison, Casablanca and The Ashley Rose, Pharos sits next door to The Harrison, where check-in, breakfast and afternoon tea take place for guests of both. The other two lie just down the street.

We arrived just after check-in time and were given a brief tour and overview before we unloaded the car. Rather than keys, guests have codes for exterior doors and guestroom doors. There’s no on-site parking, but you can load and unload your car directly out front for a short time span. If you don’t mind a walk, I recommend the included parking in an off-site lot about 10 minutes away. Street parking is also available.

GUEST QUARTERS: You can select the exact room you’d like when booking. We chose The Presidential, which boasted a king- sized bed more comfortable than any hotel bed I’ve slept in. I also loved the décor and design of the room.

Our room also featured a spacious bathroom; I appreciated the configuration of the room, as the bathroom sat three steps down from the guestroom. A large stall shower and claw-foot tub finished the bathroom space. As we brought our own beach chairs and a cooler, we appreciated the extra space in the room.

Due to the current situation, room cleaning was by request, but fresh towels were delivered daily, along with toilet paper and toiletries, in a bag left outside the door.

Be advised: There are no elevators, so before selecting a room, check to see its location. Our room was on the third floor, which wasn’t an issue for us but might be for people with mobility limitations.

SERVICES/AMENITIES: Pharos at The Harrison serves guests 16 and older, perfect for our mini-moon or guests seeking a quieter, more adult experience.

Breakfast is selected in advance with two options available each day — one egg dish and one sweeter option. Afternoon tea is also available each afternoon. The food was superb. We were actually excited to view the breakfast menu and decide what we wanted each day. Service was easy each morning, with two seatings offered based on your floor to promote social distancing.

Some of the amenities for guests aside from breakfast and afternoon tea include beach chairs, bikes and a stocked refrigerator with soft drinks, water and ice. A small coffee station with sweet bites in the afternoon was on offer in the common lounge of Pharos, and you enter Pharos through an unmanned gift shop display boasting beautiful décor and other items.

TOP TAKEAWAYS:

The staff is wonderful, including the gregarious and friendly owners.

Make sure to sample the delicious, homemade cookies and treats served at afternoon tea. Each was individually wrapped, so we grabbed a few each day to enjoy later.

The location can’t be beat — just a block to the beach and a few blocks from Washington Street Mall and excellent shops and restaurants.

We were thrilled with our selection and would happily stay there again and/or try the other properties. Pharos at The Harrison also offered us a sense of cleanliness and safety, much appreciated during these times.