About Us
Who We Are
I’m Susan Burgos and I host The Shell Cottages.
I care about the homes I present to my guests and about the community that makes them special. My team and I work to anticipate everything that will make sure your stay is perfect. We value your privacy, but we’ll come running if you need us.
I am an experienced property manager with over 25 years of professional real estate experience in Cape May County and throughout the U.S.
As Cape May locals, my team and I have connections with the most reliable contractors. As property management professionals, we have exacting standards.
Cape May has been my family’s home for over 100 years! I met my husband here, we celebrated our wedding here, and we made sure our amazing daughter could call Cape May home. I look forward to sharing this very special place with you!
Susan Kennedy Burgos
What We Do
Every year, we review each property and determine what it needs and how we can continue to improve it. We also consider ways we can invest in our community so we all profit from sharing our homes with guests.
We own, manage, and maintain traditional Cape May and Villas smaller homes with a focus on preserving the spirit of each property and its fit with the community.
Our motto, Welcome Home, guides everything we do. We don’t open our doors to you until each cottage is a home we would want to stay in ourselves.
Why We Do It
Cape May isn’t just where we do business—it’s home. For over a century, my family has lived, worked, and celebrated life here, and I want every guest to experience the warmth and charm that makes this place so special.
At The Shell Cottages, hospitality isn’t just about providing a place to stay—it’s about creating a space that feels like home. We thoughtfully restore each cottage to honor its history while ensuring it meets the needs of modern travelers. And we believe in giving back, investing in our community so that both locals and visitors can continue to enjoy all that Cape May has to offer.
Shell Cottage & The Loft at Shell Cottage
The Early Summer 2023 edition of Cape May Magazine featured photos of Shell Cottage in Pip Campbell’s article, “The Bungalow Comes to Cape May” “Bungalow architecture became a predominant and preferred building style at the beginning of the 20th century. The design was imported from India and other Asian countries in 1880, where its distinctive low-pitched roofs with wide overhangs and porches protected the building and kept insides cool against the blazing sun. … The earliest Bungalows in the United States were primarily architect-designed summer houses constructed in beach locations.” Shell Cottage was built in 1950. At 1800 square feet, it is significantly smaller than the previously popular Victorian beach houses for which Cape May is known, but a perfect example of the next wave of historic architecture to come to town.
Scallop Shell Cottage
According to Richard Degener’s May 22, 2000 article in the Press of Atlantic City, “Local lore has it that Joe Millman won the Villas in a poker game…He made a lot of sales in police stations and fire houses in Philly because police and firemen were the only ones working in the Depression.” According to an article by E.J. “Duffy in December 7, 1983 in the Cape May County Herald, Millman was a Jewish immigrant from Russia who purchased the land and built “a community of low-cost homes for Philadelphia’s city-worn… With outdoor plumbing, the houses sold for less than $300, including lots.” by the 1950s, Millman houses were prominent throughout The Villas, Del Haven, and parts of North Cape May. Scallop Shell Cottage was built circa 1950. The 436-square foot home has been modified from two bedrooms to one. We upgraded the bathroom (indoor!) and the kitchen - and refinished the original oak floors - but stayed within the original footprint of the house to proudly preserve its history in The Villas.
Contact Susan
Have any questions about the cottages? Reach out to Susan below.
