The Notchland Inn located in Hart's Location, New Hampshire is a luxury inn built as a private mansion in the 1860s. The mansion became an inn in the 1920s, and Innkeepers Ed Butler and Les Schoof purchased it in 1993. They are the perfect hosts, along with their friendly Bernese Mountain dogs Crawford and Felonie who greet guests with happy wags of their tails.

The setting is impressive; a stunning granite manor home built on the rise of a hill, nestled amidst birch and pine trees in the Mountain Washington Valley of New Hampshire. The ambience is elegant, yet comfortable, antiques filled, but not stuffy. Located in the smallest town in the state of New Hampshire, if the name Hart's Location seems familiar it is because it is the first area to report their numbers during national political voting.

The Notchland Inn

The inn has eight guestrooms, five suites, and two cottages, all sumptuously appointed, with great attention to detail and décor to ensure guests' comfort, with interesting art and objects from Les and Ed's travels throughout the world, all with in-room wood-burning fireplaces that invite romance. Guests who want to travel with their pets will find a friendly welcome in the two cottages.

Happy Holidays at The Notchland Inn

It is a property where you feel welcome from the moment you enter, where you want to stay and linger, and to relax and soak up the ambience and the hospitality. There are wonderful architectural details in the front parlor, named the Stickley room, with its interesting fireplace and furniture designed by Gustav Stickley, the father of the Arts & Crafts movement, who was a friend of the original owner. As a playful note there is a jigsaw puzzle on a table set in the corner of the room, where guests may add a piece, or if motivated, may complete the puzzle, or play a game of cribbage by the fire.

Front Parlour

The music room is also inviting with its piano that guests are welcome to play. It is a perfect place to enjoy pre or post-dinner drinks, converse, or listen to music. The Notchland Inn has a large selection of CDs available for their guests' use, and it is fun to browse through the cabinet and borrow a few to take to one's guestroom to listen.

Music Room

We stayed in the spacious and sumptuous Kinsman suite located on the second floor of the main house, which featured a four-poster king bed elegantly dressed, a stunning orange and white silk patterned kimono graced a wall, as did other framed silk work. Wood bedside tables held Chinoiserie lamps and an iHome system. A large chest held an assortment of magazines, books, and area information. In the corner of the room, there was a comfortable chair, and a comfortable velvet chair was set near the fireplace. Oriental carpets added beauty, and the windows were attractively dressed with burgundy and gold striped window treatments.

Kinsman Suite

Each night we enjoyed a cozy fire in the fireplace and the ambience of the welcoming room. In the sitting area, there was a blue sofa dressed with a selection of decorative pillows and a blue and white throw, perfect for taking a nap or wrapping up and reading a book or magazine, and marble-topped tables with Chinoiserie lamps flanked the sofa. There was an antique desk and chair, long mirror, and a large closet, which held an iron and ironing board. The only amenities that you will not find in the guestrooms at The Notchland Inn are telephones and televisions. The Notchland Inn wants guests to relax and enjoy the natural beauty of the mountains, slow down a bit and perhaps borrow one of their many board games to play in their guestrooms, or watch one of their many DVDs available for guests to borrow and play on their own laptops.

The large bathroom featured a pedestal sink, toilet, walk-in shower, and a corner deep-soaking tub with an arched stained glass window as an interesting architectural detail and shutters that opened into the sitting room to be able to enjoy the ambience of the fireplace. Amenities included a hairdryer, heavenly scented bath grains, a selection of soaps, shampoo and conditioner, and other toiletries.

Soaking Tub

Breakfast and dinner are served in the light filled dining room, which has two walls of windows that provide scenic views of the mountains, original paintings grace the walls, a hutch holds a collection of antique cans and other objects, and a large fireplace adds warmth to the room.

Dining Room

Just beyond the dining room is the library, which has an eclectic collection of books lining the bookshelves that is also used for private dining. We enjoyed having breakfast there, and gazing out the window at the pretty gazebo set on the banks of the Saco River and watching the birds enjoying their feast at the feeder. The gazebo is the frequent setting for weddings at The Notchland Inn where Innkeeper Ed Butler is also a Justice of the Peace.

The Library

Gazebo 

There is a conservatory beyond the library, filled with ferns and other exotic plants, and a sign over the doorway invites guests to "sit long, talk much" at the corner table and chairs and enjoy the ambience.

Conservatory

Breakfasts are bountiful for guests desiring a leisurely entry into their morning, with pancakes, French toast, eggs cooked to order, oatmeal, bacon, sausage, and ham on the menu served tableside from 8:00 am until 9:30 am. For those on the go, there is a buffet of muffins, fresh fruit or sliced melon, and a selection of cold cereals, available beginning at 7:30 am. A selection of regular and decaffeinated coffee, tea, and hot cocoa, is always available for guests to enjoy throughout the day and evening.

Eggs Cooked to Order

During our stay in December 2012, Edward and I enjoyed starting our day with breakfasts before venturing out to explore the Washington Valley that included blueberry pancakes and French toast with sliced almonds.

  
Blueberry Pancakes                      French Toast       

We also had a wonderful 5-course dinner in the restaurant where Chef Edward Stinchcomb is the talent in the kitchen. For dinner, the chef offers a selection of two soups, three appetizers, three entrees, a salad, and three desserts nightly.

Chef Edward Stinchcomb and Felonie

We pre-selected our dinner choices at breakfast before venturing out, with visions of the tempting meal that awaited us upon our return. A few of the highlights included a hearty mushroom soup with Sherry, succulent crabcakes with Cajun sauce, glazed salmon, and hot blueberry crisp made with tiny Maine blueberries and served with vanilla ice cream. The food at The Notchland Inn is comfortable and delicious, the ambience is inviting, and the service is attentive. From beginning to end, our stay at The Inn Notchland Inn was a perfect romantic getaway.

Mushroom Soup

Glazed Salmon

The Notchland Inn is conveniently located near many of the ski facilities, and is only short drive to the White Mountain National Forest, which is perfect for hiking or mountain biking. There are lakes and rivers to enjoy, and for those who prefer "retail therapy," there is tax-free shopping in the interesting boutiques in the towns, or in the factory outlet stores in located in North Conway.

   
Debra and Edward love up Crawford and Felonie

Read about The Notchland Inn restaurant in the Restaurants section. Read the Chefs' Recipes section where Chef Edward Stinchcomb graciously shares a few of his recipes to provide a delectable taste of The Notchland Inn restaurant.

Crawford says "See you at The Notchland Inn"

The restaurant serves a 5-course dinner Wednesday through Sunday with a single seating at 7:00 pm, is open to the public as well as Inn guests. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The Notchland Inn
2 Morey Road (off Route 302)
Hart's Location, New Hampshire 03812
United States
Telephone:       +1-603-374-6131
Toll-Free:         +1-800-866-6131
Fax:                  +1-603-374-6168
Email:               This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website:          www.Notchland.com

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© December 2012. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.