nowvillage Inn, near Eaton, New Hampshire, must surely be the quintessential New England inn.
Tucked down a back road that doesn’t register on every GPS; planted along a mountain slope in sight of the tallest peak in the American northeast; surrounded by mature trees and a fieldstone fence; laced with gardens and graced by a ghost; owned by innkeepers who love what they do – all adds up to a place destined to turn first-time guests into repeat customers.
Indeed, some have been returning for 30 years. Others, once dragged along by their parents, now make the pilgrimage as adults, their own youngsters in tow.
“It’s a unique clientele that comes to our place,” says Kevin Flynn, who owns the inn with partner Jen Kovach. “We’re not infinity pool chic. The hotel industry got into cocooning, but our guests want to come down to the living room and talk to everybody or play board games. They don’t want to stay in the room. That’s the fun part of being here.”
My wife and I can testify to that. During a recent three-night stay, guests were there for a wedding, one of several at Snowvillage each year. When we returned Saturday night from dinner at a nearby restaurant, one couple from the wedding party urged us to sit down for a nightcap at the bar. Though they were nearly 40 years younger than us, we had a terrific chat.
Jen notes, though, that many guests prefer to commune with nature. She says they’re grateful there’s no TV on the premises: “For connecting to the world, Wi-Fi is good enough for us.”
Those seeking “alone time” can curl up in a wicker rocking chair on the glassed-in porch. They’ll revel in breathtaking views of the White Mountains, including towering Mount Washington. The inn is a four-season destination, with nearby fly-fishing and kayaking in the spring, rock climbing and scenic train rides in the summer, flamboyant foliage and agritourism in the fall, and skiing and dogsledding in winter.
The inn’s 17 rooms are spread across three buildings. The main lodge was originally a country home built in 1916 for Frank Simonds, a New York newspaperman who won the first Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. Today its five guest rooms include a beautiful bridal suite with stunning views along three sides. A 1980s-era Chimney House has four guest rooms, each with its own fireplace, and a common room that makes it a good bet for family gatherings. The remaining eight rooms are in a renovated barn, also with a large common area. Rooms are comfortably homey.
Gourmet fare insures the dining room is one of the most popular in the region. Not bad for a chef found through Craig’s List.
Just weeks before Kevin and Jen opened, their chef resigned. The owners had to scramble. Jen placed an ad on Craig’s List. Brian Anderson, who had once owned a restaurant in Maine gutted by fire, answered. Though he was employed at a prestigious Maine inn, he sought a new opportunity.
“A week from opening, we met for an interview,” Jen recalls, “and here was this passionate, humble person who was focused on local, creative cuisine with Asian and Italian inspiration. My gut told me this guy would be fabulous.” He turned out to be that and more, nabbing state-wide Best New Chef honours earlier this year from New Hampshire Magazine.
Brian, who’s cooked for such celebrities as Dustin Hoffman and the Doobie Brothers, works with local farmers to source much of the produce he uses in such dishes as braised short ribs, Moroccan style lamb lollipops, and garam masala duck. Kevin cooks the hearty country-style breakfasts himself.
Jen tops up innkeeping duties by running Garden Dreams, located on the property. The business makes artisan skin care products, including soaps, massage oils, even insect repellant. My wife, Oxana, bought a slew of jars as souvenirs for friends, but she managed to snag a couple of items for herself, including a lavender-laced hand lotion.
Not surprisingly, then, the inn’s flower gardens are lovely. A local gardening club helped Snowvillage split its perennials last spring, and benefited by selling the surplus plants – from Victorian shoes to moss purses – to support its scholarship fund.
Kevin jokes that the hospitality business is “more like 25-8 than 24-7.” But it’s clearly in his blood. He originally bought the inn in 1994, then sold it in 2005 to become a consultant and manager at other properties. But he missed interacting with clients; when a subsequent owner wanted to sell Snowvillage in 2012, Kevin bought it back.
As it turns out, he isn’t the only former owner haunting the grounds. When the first, Greta Pluss, died, her husband Maxx buried her ashes on a knoll behind the inn. A later innkeeper moved the urn; Greta’s ghost started appearing in a nightgown. “When the urn was brought into the kitchen, all hell broke loose,” Kevin recalls.
They’ve placed Greta back on the knoll. She now rests easy. You will, too.
Snowvillage Inn
Eaton, N.H.
603-447-2818
snowvillageinn.com <http://snowvillageinn.com>
Conversation,
Nature and Passion
The Recipe at Snowvillage Inn
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By Peter Johansen
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20
Inns E-Magazine / Winter 2013