Our family had a great stay at the Sandpiper resort. We stayed in a two bedroom suite with our 3yr old and 4 month old and the space was a perfect size to accommodate all of us with room to spare. The terrace was nice and big (with partial ocean view), but we would try for a full ocean view next time. The pool was a great size for the little ones and we enjoyed the Congress Hotel pool (and bar) next door a well. Note the drinks at the pool bar were delicious. The proximity to the beach made it easy to go from the beach to the pool and the beach staff were very attentive. We even did Karaoke at the Boiler Room one night. All in all an easy way to get away.

Pros - sandpiper is in a fabulous location. Everything is so accessible and easy - the beach, tons of restaurants, mini golf and arcade, etc. Chair and umbrella service is great. Two doors down from great kids' activities at congress hall.

Cons - Front desk staff was not very helpful. Either they didn't have answers or they gave the wrong ones. General manager, however, was very pleasant and provided good customer service.

And there's a reason rooms on 3rd floor are pricier than lower floors. Supposedly they're much nicer!

This is our 3rd summer taking a family vacation in August in Cape May and I think the 3rd time is the charm. We finally found a hotel we like! We rented a 2 bedroom/1 bathroom condo on the 2nd floor with an ocean view for me, my husband and our two sons 3.5 and 6.5 years old.

Pro's:
- great location, easy to walk to beach, restaurants, ice cream shops, mini golf, etc.
- great view of the ocean.
- clean, nice Aveda toiletries, full kitchen, cable TV, free wifi, in-room laundry
- attentive staff - friendly, informative and responsive
- we were able to eat several meals in the condo and save some money, as well as the "fun" of eating out with two young kids
- beach service - was nice not to shlep chairs or umbrella to the beach. NOTE: When I booked I was told that beach service was right in front of the Sandpiper, separate from Congress Hall but that was not the case. Sandpiper guests used the CH beach service, which is only 2 blocks away and not a big deal, but just not what I had expected.
- sister to other Cape May Resort Properties.... loved that I could charge to my room at CH (for Monday carnival tickets as well as lunch on the beach), Star Inn (where there is a starbucks) and Beach Shack (where we had a great, casual meal). Made it so easy.

Cons/suggestions:
- rooms could be bigger. the manager told me the rooms are bigger in the 2bed/2bath units but I didn't see them myself so can't confirm. Both of our bedrooms were small, as was the living room area. I have seen some reviews say the balcony was small but I thought it was a nice size.
- there was a breakfast counter & the coffee table but no kitchen/dining table for eating in our unit
- no place to unpack clothes. There was a double closet in the master bedroom but no shelves or drawers. That said, I spoke to the manager and right away he sent someone with a glass bookshelf-like unit to put in the closet and we used that for our clothes. He was very nice and responsive but considering that Cape May is such a casual beach town, I'd recommend they install shelves in the closet for t-shirts, shorts and bathing suits as I'd think many people come with mostly casual-wear vs. hanging clothes.
- pool was cold... they could heat it to make it a bit warmer. We went in a few times to cool off but didn't spend a lot of time there since it was cold.
- could use an in-room safe
- wish they would create floor plans and post them on the website so that you could be more informed as you choose your room when you book.

Overall, we had a fantastic week at the Sandpiper and would definitely stay there again. It is expensive, but relative to what we paid for at other hotels in Cape May we got much more for our money.

Just for reference/comparison, our first year we stayed in La Mer, which was a nice hotel, but bad location -- too far to walk to the Washington Street Mall and our second year we stayed in Marquis de Lafayette which had a fantastic location but was a dump (you can see my reviews for both places by linking through my profile).

We stayed in a one bedroom oceanview room in mid-August 2012 and were very pleased. The location was ideal - it's within walking distance to the Washington St mall and all the major restaurants and shops, as well as the bike rentals and of course across the street from the beach - all of this is very useful since parking at peak points in the summer is not always easy, and you often have to pay meters. They have an excellent set-up of their own beach chairs and umbrellas/towels between Congress Inn and Sandpiper and the beach is very large and clean with lovely sand and few waves. The pool at the hotel is tiny and there are relatively few lounge chairs around it - so if you expect to have a large pool set-up you will not like this one. We went for the beach and proximity to the main areas, so were not disappointed. The king bed was extremely comfortable, and our daughers were very happy with the sofa bed in the living room. The bathroom was tiny, and really not what you would expect for a one-bedroom accomodation. The terraces are tiny, but servicable, and have lovely ocean views (we stayed on the 3rd floor, and I'd recommend staying at the 2nd floor or above to avoid the street and pool noises below. The common areas are a bit tired-looking, but since the main focus is on the beach and the surrounding area that didn't matter to us.