The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club
Virginia Beach’s Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club has quite a history. Completed in 1927, the Navy commandeered the property once the US joined World War II in 1951. It subsequently fell on hard times, with intermittent closures followed by a huge renovation in 2002. Closed yet again in 2014, the property was refreshed and reopened in its current state in 2018. The hotel, branded as part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, and the two others part of the Cavalier Resort (the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront and Embassy Suites) were sold earlier this month.
Armed with a soon-to-expire 85k Marriott free night award and a spare Sunday night, we booked a quick and easy stay at the property. Here’s what stood out most.
The Historic Cavalier Hotel Highlights
Check-In
Our nightly rate was 97k points, which we covered with an 85k cert and a 12k-point top off. Since this is the Bonvoy program, we were required to pay the resort fee, $47.70 with tax. Cash rates started in the $700 neighborhood for the night of our stay.
We arrived just prior to 3 pm at the Cavalier, well before the hotel’s official 4 pm check-in time. We didn’t necessarily expect our room to be ready but knew we could take advantage of the property’s amenities in the meantime. The hotel takes a more personal touch with its arrivals lounge check-in, sporting two separate desks with guest seating. The hotel was bustling with a wedding reception upon our arrival, but that didn’t overly affect the rather small check-in space. The front desk agent enthusiastically advised our room was ready. I didn’t pursue an upgrade based on our Bonvoy Platinum status; we were happy with a ready room for this brief stay, and we wanted to get on with activities, anyway.
While enjoying a welcome glass of sparkling wine, the rep explained the Platinum elite breakfast benefit and a few other hotel amenities. More on those are below.
RoomÂ
After a quick ride in the unsurprisingly-small elevator we arrived at the fifth floor just steps away from our room. This property only has 85 guest rooms and feels much smaller than it looks from the exterior. Our standard queen room offered expansive garden views across its two windows perpendicular to the oceanfront. The room’s decor popped among the whites across the rest of the space. Beds were comfy enough, yet nothing memorable.
The desk was located under the window deeper into the room, providing an excellent view while working or eating. The television and minibar were set between the two windows, an optimal angle for watching from each bed. Closer to the bathroom sat a chest of drawers with coffeemaker on top. The bathroom offered a dual vanity and large shower.
Perhaps the oddest feature of the room was the small fridge sitting on the ground next to the bathroom entry. Of course, I was happy just to have a fridge for our personal items. But this dorm-like setup felt a bit random when juxtaposed with the rest of the refined space. Overall, though, room furnishings are holding up quite well since the 2018 reopening.
Amenities
Pools
The Historic Cavalier Hotel offers a solid set of amenities for a property of its size. Visitors obtain exclusive access to the Cavalier Beach Club, open daily until 7 pm. After settling into our room, we took the short walk down the hill to this club. Wristband key access grants entry. Beyond the front desk are shower areas and a common room with extensive seating for events. Hosts thoughtfully attended the pool area, where one set up beach towels on our chairs facing the oceanfront. The pool is generously-sized, substantially bigger than those from the adjacent Marriott and Embassy Suites. The attendants run a tight ship here – on a couple occasions I saw employees escort out individuals who weren’t Cavalier Hotel guests. While in the pool, one attendant asked to see my wristband. After an hour or so, my younger one and I departed for a bit of time in the ocean before sunset.
Back up the hill, we visited the hotel’s indoor, heated plunge pool, open until 10 pm. Like most other spaces in the property, this area’s restoration is remarkable. It’s like stepping back in time, in the best of ways. We enjoyed swimming in the expansive pool while gazing through the windowed roof at the higher floors of the well-lit hotel. Big band music impeccably complemented the experience.
The Cavalier also offers Seahill Spa and a fitness center on the lower level, neither which we used. That said, I’ve heard great reviews of each from other locals.
Dining
The Cavalier offers multiple food and beverage options for hotel guests and others visiting the property. The Raleigh Room is adjacent to the lobby and offers afternoon tea and cocktails, with daily live music.
Becca is the hotel’s main restaurant, with both indoor and outdoor seating. We enjoyed breakfast here, a reasonably-priced affair even before taking into account the Platinum benefit. Platinum and above members receive a $20 breakfast credit for themselves plus one guest. I opted for the traditional American breakfast at $19, adding coffee, and my younger one went with a waffle with mixed berries. The $40 credit took care of the entire breakfast and taxes before gratuity.
I’d pay higher rates for more attention to detail; my eggs were overcooked. Instead of sending them back, I took this as a sign I didn’t need those yolks, anyway. I took the waiter’s recommendation of the bacon over sausage, and I wasn’t disappointed. Potatoes, peppers, and wheat toast with whipped butter were just fine. Berries on the waffle were truly fresh, always a nice touch. Coffee could’ve been stronger but was still good enough where I asked for an additional cup to go. The refills didn’t come as quickly as I had hoped during the meal.
The Hunt Room is my favorite restaurant in the hotel, one I’ve visited many times before while not staying in the property. It’s closed on Sundays, so we didn’t visit on this stay. This spot at the bottom of the hotel delivers plenty of comfort food favorites and a huge fireplace with live music every Friday and Saturday night. Adjacent is the Tarnished Truth Distillery, one of few in the States located within a hotel.
Briefly back to the beach club – visitors can enjoy fare from The Deck Seagrill and Bar between the pool and beach.
Conclusion
Reliable service complemented our stay nicely, particularly touches from the front desk. A rep easily granted a 12 pm late checkout (one hour past the official time) due to our Platinum status. At checkout, this agent provided my little one a surprisingly-large box of saltwater taffy adorned with an original sketch of the property.
We’ve stayed in this area on multiple occasions, primarily at the Embassy Suites within the complex. We’d happily stay at the Cavalier again if/when the points price is right. But this hotel is toward the higher end of Marriott redemptions where we prioritize visits elsewhere, primarily with St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, and JW Marriott brands. That said, we’d have no problem using another 85k cert here during high season. Good luck trying to use a 50k cert here, even during low season. The cheapest rate I saw for the bookable future was 76k. Shocker, Bonvoy isn’t particularly helpful here.
Have you stayed at the Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club? How was your experience?
Having stayed at the Embassy Suites in the winter on the Aspire $250 semi year credit and walked through the Cavalier during the Christmas season I can attest to the glory of this hotel. However it is STILL SHOCKING to recently have seen the price for one night in cash in the high season (July) – $1000!!!!! I had to look at it again to be sure I read that correctly. That would take all the fun out of a beach trip.