Timeless Elegance
The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club
Built during the roaring 1920s, The Historic Cavalier Hotel today stands as a masterpiece of modern-day elegance and classic Virginia Beach hospitality. Following a multi-million restoration, the hotel invites guests to relax, unwind, and enjoy its rich history and unique vacation experiences, including three restaurants, an in-house craft spirits distillery, a luxury day spa, and exclusive access to the private Cavalier Beach Club.
The Cavalier Reimagined
The Renaissance Of Virginia's Iconic Hotel
The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club has welcomed travelers to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront for nearly 100 years. Today, following a 4-year, multi-million-dollar renovation, the hotel has been beautifully restored to its original grandeur, offering travelers all the comfort and elegance of yesterday, with today’s modern amenities and conveniences. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Cavalier Hotel gives a nod to both its past and present. Eighty-five completely reimagined guest rooms and suites each feature plush fabrics, gleaming bathrooms and tasteful room appointments. Guests also enjoy a long list of luxury amenities, from a classic indoor “splash” pool and private beach club to world-class dining and a full-service spa.
- Accommodations
85 Rooms and Suites
- Restaurants
Becca Restaurant & Garden, Hunt Room, The Raleigh Room
- Pools
Indoor and outdoor pool
- Amenities
Distillery, Spa, and Beach Club
- Activity Rentals
- Two Pools
- Spa
- Distillery
- Weekly Live Entertainment
- Beach Rentals
- Beach Club
- Fitness Center
- U.S. National Register of Historic Places
- Resort Wide Charging
Three Restaurants
Dining at The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club
With cuisine inspired by their gorgeous surroundings, the hotel’s three restaurants take guests on a dazzling culinary journey filled with unique flavors and exceptional service. Dine in The Cavalier Hotel’s gardens, a recreated hunting tavern, or a classic southern social lounge. Each experience is as unique as it is delicious.
The Cavalier Hotel has offered guests a unique and memorable vacation experience since the very beginning. When the hotel opened in 1927, the first guests were awed by world-class amenities and extravagances almost unheard of at the time, from private bathrooms in every guest room to an indoor swimming pool filled with cool, fresh ocean water.
Called the Historic Cavalier For A Reason
An Oceanfront Icon Steeped in History
A Rich Virginia Beach Legacy
The Famous Cavalier Beach Club
The End of an Era
The opulence came to a halt when the hotel was surrendered to Uncle Sam during World War II. In October of 1942, the U.S. Navy became a resident and turned the hotel into a site for radar training. It is said that the hotel grounds were so cramped that sailors used the stables as living quarters. In 1973, the sister hotel to The Cavalier opened on the oceanfront and the original “Cavalier on the Hill” was closed. The Cavalier Oceanfront was constructed to be 11 stories overlooking the Atlantic Ocean but was not a replacement for the original Cavalier, which reopened in 1976.
Renovation & Restoration
A family feud between The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club’s owners led to a court-ordered sale in 2012. Subsequent inspections revealed significant concerns about the property’s structural condition. There were high cost estimates for renovations. Demolition was planned by every bidder but one group, The Cavalier Associates, a group led by Bruce Thompson, Bart Frye, Larry Goldrich, John Lawson, Frank Reidy and Ed Ruffin. The painstaking remodel brought new life to many of the original neoclassical features that made The Cavalier a visual oceanfront icon. Exterior details – such as the pedestals and finials, the iconic-style pilasters and the portico with classical columns – were meticulously and respectfully restored.
Iconic Architecture
Typified by exquisite plaster ornamentation atop columns which appear to scrape the sky, The Cavalier’s Jeffersonian inspired architecture was designed in the spirit of Monticello, with nods to locations such as Woodlawn, as well as The Lawn at the University of Virginia. Influences derived from notable architects and historical places are, in and of themselves, some of the most remarkable aspects of the architecture of this grand hotel on the hill. James Gibbs, and his work at places such as the Church of St. Mary-Le-Strand at Aldwych in London, inspired the decorative water tower which crowns The Cavalier.
Historic Former Guests of The Cavalier Hotel
Historic Former Guests of The Cavalier Hotel
Muhammad Ali
Jimmy Carter
Calvin Coolidge
Bing Crosby
American singer and actor, Crosby’s trademark warm bass-baritone voice made him the best-selling recording artist of the 20th century, having sold over one billion records, tapes, compact discs and digital downloads around the world.
Bette Davis
Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, Bette Davis starred in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies – although her greatest successes were her roles in romantic dramas.
Doris Day
American actress and singer, Day began her career as a big band singer in 1939. Her recording contract spanned 20 years and included more than 650 recordings, making Day one of the most popular and acclaimed singers of the 20th century. As an actress, she became one of the top-ranking female box-office stars of all time.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
34th President (1953-1961)
F. Scott Fitzgerald
American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, enjoyed long vacations at The Cavalier. This photo of the “The Great Gatsby” author, his daughter Scottie, and Zelda was taken by the Tidewater Photo Service at the hotel’s swimming pool and published in the Norfolk Ledger Dispatch on July 18, 1927.
Gerald Ford
38th President (1974-1977)
Judy Garland
American singer, actress, and vaudevillian who was renowned for her contralto vocals and attained international stardom that continued throughout a career spanning more than 40 years as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on concert stages.
Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as the “King of Swing.” In the mid-1930s, Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America which played at The Cavalier’s Beach Club.
Herbert Hoover
31st President (1929-1933)
Bob Hope
Bob Hope was an American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer, dancer, athlete, and author with a career spanning nearly 80 years.
Lyndon B. Johnson
36th President (1963-1969)
John F. Kennedy
35th President (1961-1963)
Richard M. Nixon
37th President (1969-1974)
Will Rogers
Rogers was a stage and motion picture actor, vaudeville performer, American cowboy, humorist, newspaper columnist, and social commentator.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
32nd President (1933-1945)
Frank Sinatra
American singer, actor, and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide.
Elizabeth Taylor
British-American actress, businesswoman and humanitarian, Elizabeth Taylor began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s, and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. Her career continued into the 1960s and she remained a well-known figure for the rest of her life.
Harry Truman
33rd President (1945-1953)
Fatty Arbuckle
Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He mentored Charlie Chaplin and discovered Buster Keaton and Bob Hope.
Be You. Be Cavalier.
