[3][5] The motel opened in 1957, and had one of the wildest designs in the post-World War II era, incorporating a crescent-shaped pool, a levitating ramp, and canted glass walls.

[3] At the time it was proposed, no neon sign as big as the Caribbean Motel's had ever been installed in Wildwood Crest; however, after much deliberation, the town disallowed it.

An admirer of the technicolor film process, Lev's designs are modeled on movie sets of the 1950s, and reflecting the motel's Caribbean motif.

Inspired by the motels and hotels of Miami Beach, the architects and builders in The Wildwoods worked to bring the highstyle architecture of Florida down to an "everyman's" level.

/ The Caribbean Motel's association with high-style modernist architecture comes from the features and materials used by its builder, largely for economic reasons: stucco walls, concrete flooring, mass-produced windows and doors, a flat roof, and minimal detailing.