Hotel Cape Charles Makes the Washington Post

By GEORGE SOUTHERN
Cape Charles Wave

August 4, 2012

Washington Post travel writer Becky Krystal stayed at Hotel Cape Charles recently, and gave a very favorable review in Friday’s online edition of the paper.

The article is one of a Washington Post series on East Coast and regional lodging.

Unlike some local residents, Krystal didn’t seem to mind the modern look of the just rebuilt Hotel Cape Charles, which she termed “very zen” and “eco-beach chic.” And “not a single cliched pastel shore print hung on the walls” — a definite plus in her book.

This is the second (and more prominent) mention the Washington Post has given Cape Charles in a matter of weeks. On July 13, Krystal wrote more generally about her trip to First Landing State Park near Virginia Beach, Kiptopeke, Cape Charles, and Assateague Island. She mentioned Cape Charles (specifically, Brown Dog Ice Cream shop) only in passing.

Now we know why — she was saving Hotel Cape Charles for a full-length article.

The two Washington Post stories join the July Southern Living magazine story to make three prominent (and very favorable) mentions of Cape Charles this summer. Here are the online links to all three, followed by an intro to the Hotel Cape Charles story:

Southern Living: The Perfect Beach Town: Cape Charles

Washington Post: “Smaller crowds, open beaches at Va., Md. state parks”

(Above article was also just reprinted in Newsday)

Washington Post: “Bed Check”: The Eastern Shore’s cool Hotel Cape Charles”

Bed Check: The Eastern Shore’s cool Hotel Cape Charles

By BECKY KRYSTAL
Washington Post Travel Writer

August 3, 2012

I’d set the bar low for Hotel Cape Charles. After several scorching days with no electricity at home following Washington’s freak derecho, the only amenity I really wanted — needed — was air conditioning.

The new 16-room property on Virginia’s Eastern Shore delivered on that count — and more.

When I arrived, Hotel Cape Charles had been open for slightly more than a month. The similarly named Cape Charles Hotel had closed in 2009, and in the intervening years, the turn-of-the-20th-century building had undergone a total facelift to bring it into the new millennium.

The whole place felt very zen. An unobtrusive front desk sits off to the side of the open, light-filled lobby. The second floor is equally airy. Rooms branch off what management calls the hotel gallery, where guests can hang out and make use of a pair of wet bars.

The untrained interior designer in my head labeled the theme eco beach chic. In my room, not a single cliched pastel shore print hung on the walls. Vaguely nautical blue-and -white blankets graced the feet of the two simply dressed white beds. High ceilings helped make up for the room’s long, narrow feel, as did the sliding-glass doors that led to my harbor-view balcony.

I liked the smaller touches, too. Small lamps, perfect for nighttime reading, folded out from the wall next to the headboards. A Carrara marble-topped “dry bar” with plenty of snack storage also discreetly hid a miniature refrigerator.

Carrara marble carried over into the bathroom as well. Kudos to the architects who thought of installing windows just below the ceiling to let in some natural light from the rest of the room. Still, it wasn’t quite enough to illuminate the bathroom for my underachieving eyes. A ceiling fixture consisting of a series of wood slats obscured the main overhead bulb.

Oh, and the AC. Did I mention the AC? In keeping with the hotel’s up-to-the-minute technology (room key cards that you touch rather than slide, a la subway card readers), a remote control lets guests manage the room temperature with a mere point and click. Sitting under the whirring ceiling fan, I embraced the chill.

And the chill stuck with me for a little while, anyway, as I strolled through Cape Charles, peeking into shop windows and hanging out at the town pier.

Read the full story here: Washington Post: “Bed Check”: The Eastern Shore’s cool Hotel Cape Charles”