Situated on a serene stretch of Washington Street in America’s oldest seaside town, Cape May, NJ, you’ll find The Hugh – a modern and stylish Victorian Inn that has a wild art collection and a unique charm. Here you’ll find walls adorned with original, unapologetically cutting edge pieces of art, breakfast with a cosmopolitan flair, and Jardin – a mindful, restorative dining experience by chef Michael Schultz. The restaurant, which champions environmental stewardship has a passion for sustainability with its conscious-consumption nine-course prix-fixe menu that fuses environmentalism with local, ethical suppliers. Jardin’s French-inspired menu changes with the seasons to reflect locality, and the property’s eight spacious, individually designed bedrooms provide a quiet glamour rarely found at Victorian Bed & Breakfast Inns.

Anyone who steps into The Hugh is immediately transported into the whimsical world of owners John and Sandy Vizzone. Together, these two arbiters of food, fashion, and style created the bold personality that defines The Hugh with their use of stark blacks, bright colors and leopard prints which play off each other to create an ambiance that’s irrefutably cool and irresistibly fun at the same time. Named after the family that originally resided in this historic 1883 French Second Empire house, rumor has it that the Hughes’ friendly spirits reside here still. And who could blame them? We wouldn’t want to leave either.

Words by Yvonne Yuen

Photography by Hannah Wilson