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Pineapple Hill Inn is named after an 18th century custom that a pineapple on your porch meant you welcomed guests. The Inn sits on a knoll, overlooking River Road, between Bowman’s Tower and Washington Crossing. The original section of this somewhat imposing historic manor house was built in 1790. It’s been a bed and breakfast for 32 years. During that tenure, there have been five owners, the most recent Roy Scott and Scott Stern who purchased and moved to the property in March of this year. Scott said, “We love the small town feeling of Bucks County. Everyone is so friendly. People smile at you and say hello in the parking lots of the supermarket and post office. That never happened where we were living.” After extensive renovations, they reopened their bed and breakfast on May 1.
Pineapple Hill has nine guest rooms, three of those suites. Every room has a private bath. Eight of the nine have gas-fueled fireplaces. All are named for birds. On the first floor is the smallest room, the Hummingbird, which looks out on a stone wall covered by trumpet vines. Those flowers are likely to attract real Ruby Throats. Also on the ground floor is the Baltimore Oriole, the largest suite having a spacious bedroom, a living room with a day bed, a full kitchen, a private deck and a huge bathroom.
The first floor also sports a large dining room and a completely refurbished kitchen with new appliances. And there’s a cozy living room with a fireplace, which Roy and Scott brought back. Scott explained, “The previous owner had turned it into part of a suite.” Roy added, “In our renovations, we had the original wide, pumpkin pine floorboards in that room sanded and redone. In March, we built three decks in eleven days, through snow, sleet and rain,” adding with a smile, “Renovations I can do without.”
On the second floor is the Purple Martin suite, previously called the Knowles, which took up the entire part of the original manor. It now is a bit smaller but still offers a king size bed, a fireplace, a large bathroom and a separate sitting room with a daybed. The Gold Finch was the John Scott, named for the original owner of the property. There also are three other rooms on this floor, the Scarlet Tanager, the Sandpiper and the Meadowlark. These four are in two later additions to the original house, the most recent built about 18 years ago.
The third floor is home to the White Dove suite, which has a fireplace, a separate sitting room with a daybed and a queen size bed. The Blue Heron also is on this floor and features a balcony. “All of the suites can accommodate four people,” Scott said. “And, every bathroom features Gilchrist & Soames soaps, shampoos, conditioners and body lotions. In addition we gradually will be changing all of the towels and linens to white.” Three of the nine rooms have central air conditioning while three are equipped with individual central air. The remaining three have window units.
The entire building is furnished in “an eclectic but comfortable” mix of furniture and accessories. “We want our guests to come into our house, kick off their shoes and be comfortable,” Scott said, “We’re not fru-fru people. We’re just plain folks.” With a grin, Roy shot back, “Speak for yourself.” He added, “We’ve de-pineappled the place a bit. It seems every time someone wanted to give the previous owner a little gift, it was a pineapple of some sort.”
Originally, Pineapple Hill was a 96-acre dairy farm owned by John Scott. This fact has not been lost on Roy, who said, “It’s possible, although not probable, that he was an ancestor of mine.” The present establishment sits on the remaining six acres. The foundation of the original barn is where the very handsome hand-tiled in-ground pool is located. “The pool and the acreage are two of the things that attracted us to this property,” said Roy. He added “At many B&Bs, the owner’s quarters are somewhat cramped. But here, there’s a separate innkeeper’s house. That also was very appealing.”
Scott explained, “We initially started looking at B&Bs along the Jersey Shore, around Spring Lake in Monmouth County. I’m a Jersey boy, having grown up in Berkeley Heights.” Roy continued, “A lot of innkeepers have their properties over-valued. We had a financial guy helping us who specializes only in B&Bs. We had been looking at one specific property in Spring Lake. After we’d decided not to buy it, Hurricane Sandy hit. Although the place itself was not damaged by the storm, the surrounding area certainly was.” At the time, they were living in Warren, NJ in an historic, five-bedroom house built in 1770. “We sold it in a week and moved here,” said Roy.
They met eighteen and a half years ago at a Christmas party given by Scott’s aunt. He commented, “Roy wasn’t supposed to be there. And, I almost didn’t come. We’re incredibly lucky. We each have loving and accepting families on both sides.”
Roy grew up in Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada. “It’s sister city is Catawissa, Pennsylvania.” He added, “When we first moved here, I felt like I was back in Canada because of the friendly small town feeling.” He owns a successful real estate business in Montclair, New Jersey, but also has some experience in the hospitality field, having run a hotel and restaurant for about three years in Wayne, NJ. Scott also has experience in hospitality, having managed a bakery for a number of years. He said, “I had college kids working for me. I told them, ‘I won’t ask you to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.’ I was and still am very hands on.”
Breakfasts at Pineapple Hill are served on cheerful, yellow Fiestaware dishes. They are prepared by Scott, who loves to cook, and according to Roy, is accomplished and inventive. They have a table filled with breads, muffins, cereals, fruits and yogurt. “It’s our Continental breakfast table,” said Roy. In addition, hot breakfasts are offered, including eggs prepared any style, along with other hot dishes, “such as scones or stuffed French toast, kind of one day savory, the next day sweet,” said Scott, “If they leave my table fat and happy, I’ve succeeded.” Roy commented, “He likes to overindulge people.” With a laugh, Scott added, “I must have been a ‘Jewish mother’ in a previous life.” In mid-afternoon, guests are treated to complimentary tea, coffee, port or lemonade and pastries, wine and cheese on weekend evenings.
Roy and Scott are the staff at Pineapple Hill. Roy said, “We’re doing this because we want to be hands on. We have one in house person to help with breakfasts and doing the rooms. In addition, we have a college kid to work outside with the landscaping. We’re adding lots of gardens and enjoying those already here, such as the bank out front that’s filled with day lilies.”
Pineapple Hill already has a good reputation, on which Roy and Scott intend to build. Their first customer was a return guest who stayed in April, prior to the official opening. “We were pretty well booked when we opened,” Scott said, “The people who come to B&Bs are different. They want a certain experience, kind of like going to your grandma’s.” He added, “Our prices are reasonable and very competitive.” Children under twelve and pets are not permitted.
Their enthusiasm for this new venture is palpable and contagious. When asked what sets their establishment apart from all of the other B&Bs in Bucks County, both instantly replied, “Us!” Roy explained, “Someone can copy everything else. The real thing that makes any business successful is the personality of the person running it. We’ve gone into this open-eyed, doing something we love to do.” Scott picked up the conversation thread, continuing, “If you love what you’re doing, you never can go wrong.” He added, “We’re doing this because it’s a passion. We want to be here, doing this.”
To find out more about Pineapple Hill or book a stay, call them at 215-862-1790 or go to their Website at www.pineapple hill.com. You also can also visit their Facebook page where they post comments almost daily.
Patti Guthrie is a freelance writer and antiques dealer from Chalfont, PA.