Ocean City’s Scarborough Inn Takes Guests Back in Time

mvitale

The wraparound porch becomes the center of socializing and relaxing.

By MADDY VITALE When booking a vacation, typically tourists to Ocean City choose a place for comfort, a hotel or inn where they can get freshened up and go out for a beach day that turns into a night of dining in the downtown or amusements at the Boardwalk. Then there is the Scarborough Inn at 720 Ocean Ave. The 125-plus-year-old, three-story Victorian with a wraparound porch is so inviting that, well, some guests spend their days and nights in the company of friends chatting and enjoying the ambience on rocking chairs. Walking up to the porch there are guests sipping coffee and cool drinks, enjoying a time away from work, all while big band music of the 1920s from Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and other greats create an atmosphere of a bygone era. https://vimeo.com/444354469 A chef serves everything from continental breakfast to a full hot meal to “grab and go” breakfast sandwiches for guests who want to get out and explore the resort. Doris Crouse, of Allentown, Pa., has been vacationing in Ocean City for many years and Scarborough Inn is her home away from home. “It is so walkable. It’s walkable to the Boardwalk, Asbury Avenue, the restaurants. There is a city parking lot next to the inn, which is really convenient,” Crouse said, while toting shopping bags on her way up the stairs to her guest room. But what she loves most seems to be the overriding theme when guests stay at the inn. “I love the porch and just sitting in one of the rockers at night,” Crouse noted. Antiques are sprinkled into the décor, just enough to do right by the antique gem. And fresh flowers adorn the porch to create warmth and add to the allure.

Guests relax on the wraparound porch. Innkeeper Sne Avichal, who grew up in Ventnor but worked as an architect in New York City, left big city life to come back to the shore and impart his love and his unique touches on Scarborough Inn. He took over from the former innkeepers a little more than a year ago. His main goal is to create nostalgia for guests, to provide a vacation retreat where they will create memories and even friendships that last a lifetime. “Vacation is a reset for what is going on in your life and I think we can all use a reset button right now. Scarborough Inn is rocking chairs, flowers, lemonade, it's Billie Holiday playing in the lobby,” Avichal said. “It’s a break from everything else going on. I think people go to Scarborough Inn for a home away from home by the sea.” The inn is two blocks off of the Boardwalk and close to the Historic District. "My goal at Scarborough Inn is to make physical changes -- small and large -- to make your stay more comfortable while keeping you connected to this Victorian building’s storied past," Avichal said. "I aim to make Scarborough Inn your home by the sea."

Antiques are mixed in with the comfortable and inviting living room. (Courtesy of Scarborough Inn) During the yearlong renovation, Avichal said he added some modern touches for comfort. He also kept what makes the inn so special, right down to the vintage stained glass windows. Upon entering the inn, guests will see antiques, such as a Victrola and a Victorian wooden box that doubles as a place to hold the room keys. “We want to keep the nostalgia,” Avichal said. “Last year, we added some touches to the inn," he continued. "This year was a complete renovation. Guests have commented on how modern everything feels. However, every fixture, piece of furniture and textile is something that would've been found in 1920s Paris.” Avichal said that his team is vital to creating a successful inn. Assistant innkeeper Nicole Roberts is a major part of that. She worked for the previous owners. She said there is no other place she'd rather work at than the Scarborough Inn. Roberts, of Aston, Pa., and her family, vacationed at the Scarborough since she was an infant, she said. She loved the inn so much that when her family stopped coming down for summer vacation, she and her sister would take a trip to the inn for a stay.

While the rooms have been completely renovated, early modernism fixtures are reflective of the 1920s. (Courtesy of Scarborough Inn) Back in 2018, she contacted the previous owners and said she would love to work at the inn. Earlier this year, Avichal reached out to her and invited her to be assistant innkeeper. “It is just a special place,” Roberts said. Like Avichal, Roberts said that the experience at Scarborough Inn is paramount. “We want guests to feel nostalgic about their stay, even if it is their first time at the inn,” she said. Avichal said, “Nicole knows the building as well as I do. She is wonderful with the guests. She is a true asset.” Avichal said he speaks with his friends in New York often about his new venture into innkeeping. “I say to my friends in New York, ‘Why do you go to Southampton when Ocean City is half an hour closer, and it's more fun?'" he said. He continued, "I am thankful that I get to carry the baton and I am thankful that I get to be Scarborough Inn’s current guardian." For more information, call Scarborough Inn at (609) 399-1558 or visit https://www.scarboroughinn.com/