The Caribbean Motel

The Caribbean Motel may be on the National Register of Historic Places, but that doesn't mean it wasn't renovated and re-imagined to pay homage to Wildwood's doo-wop history.

Courtesy of caribbeanmotel.com.

The Caribbean Motel
5600 Ocean Avenue, Wildwood Crest
609-522-8292, caribbeanmotel.com
Number of rooms: 30; Summer price range: $69-$219

The Caribbean, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, has been renovated and re-imagined to pay homage to Wildwood’s doo-wop history. Built in 1957, the Caribbean was considered ultramodern. Not only could you drive right to your room—a novelty at the time—but it featured plastic palm trees, a crescent-shaped pool, and what was later dubbed a Jetson ramp that curved from the second-story sundeck and lounge down to the first floor.

When Carolyn Emigh and George Miller bought the property in 2004, the sundeck was rotted through and the motel was “slowly deteriorating,” says Emigh. But it was close to the beach and had a loyal following who returned in the summer of 2005 after the renovation.

The exterior has been spruced up, the pool rebuilt, and everything inside has been gutted, restored, and redecorated in the best ’50s-kitsch tradition. Rooms sleep two to six people (rooms with kitchenettes are $10 more). The Caribbean has ten event weekends when Miller and Emigh throw parties for guests, including special dinners. The Caribbean opens in late April and closes after Wildwood’s Fabulous ’50s weekend, the third weekend in October.

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