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Charlotte Raymond
Inn at Bowman's hill, Mike Amery, Tower room , Pool area, orchard view, summer/fall 2011
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Celebrate. Relax. Connect. Remember,” Michael Amery, owner of The Inn at Bowman’s Hill, describes the philosophy that drives his establishment on Lurgan Road just outside of New Hope. This philosophy may be the reason that the Inn at Bowman’s Hill is ranked Number 2 in 2009 by Forbes Traveler as one of the 10 Most Romantic B&Bs from among inns across the United States, Europe and Mexico. This is an amazing honor considering that the Number 1 and Number 3 rated B&Bs have room rates two to three times higher.
From the moment you arrive at the Inn and pass through the heavy, decorative iron gates onto the beautifully manicured five-acre property surrounded by 30 acres of preserved forest, you are made to feel extraordinarily special. “There’s a certain mystique about how you get into a place. Originally, I had the gates installed to keep guests from catching me running around here in my jammies. But, we’ve learned from our customers how much they love them because when they come through those gates, they’ve entered another world,” Mike said.
Across the street are the 150 acres of Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, adding to the feeling of privacy and seclusion. As you enter the property you see the large stone manor house that was built in 1978 for a doctor who not only lived there but also had his practice in the Inn’s Regal Tower Suite, one of two suites, the other being the English Manor Suite, which is also in the manor house. Perpendicular to the manor on the other side of a cobblestone courtyard is the spacious carriage house that has the four standard rooms.
Mike bought the property from the doctor in 2000 and opened the Inn in September of 2005. It has been winning accolades and attracting national attention ever since, even though it remains one of Bucks County’s best kept secrets among county residents. In 2006, it was selected as one of the Top Ten Romantic Bed & Breakfasts and Inns by American Historic Inns, Inc., publisher of more than 2.5 million bed and breakfast guidebooks. In 2009 came the Forbes Traveler honor, in 2010 a Best of Philly award as the Best Weekend Hideaway bestowed by Philadelphia Magazine, and also in 2010 was named Number 2 of the Top 10 Luxury B&B/Inns in the United States by TripAdvisor, In addition, this Inn has earned the prestigious AAA 4-Diamond award for 5 years in a row, starting in 2008. Mike said, “We are currently the only AAA 4-Diamond property (restaurant or lodging) in Bucks County.”
He prefers The Inn at Bowman’s Hill be called an “inn”, a “boutique hotel” or a “resort b&b” because this wiry, energetic Englishman remembers the start of the whole bed and breakfast phenomenon, which began in England when enterprising folks rented their spare bedrooms to travelers. The bathrooms were shared with the resident families, and the breakfasts were communal affairs after which the guests were expected to promptly be on their way. Today many bed and breakfasts in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States still have shared bathrooms and communal breakfast tables, which is why Mike eschews the bed & breakfast moniker for his establishment.
You will find none of the things Mike mentioned at Bowman’s Hill. Instead, each room and suite has its own private bathroom with a walk-in shower and heated Jacuzzi. Mike commented, “With our geothermal heating and cooling system, guests in every room could decide to take a shower at the same time and we would not run out of hot water.” And there is a back-up generator for power outages, which was immeasurably valuable this past fall when severe storms raked the region.
The major difference between a suite and a room here is size. All six feature king size feather beds and working gas fireplaces. All are furnished in simple elegance with contemporary classic furniture that looks old but is mostly new. The Regal Tower Suite has a second loft bedroom, making it ideal for folks traveling together or girlfriend getaways.
Their four standard rooms in the carriage house include, on the ground floor, Hidden Pines, which is ADA accessible and the only first floor room at Bowman’s Hill. On the second floor is the smallest room, Fountain View, and two others—Pond Vista and Orchard Retreat—which both feature balconies that overlook the lush grounds. The third floor houses a spacious board or conference room that can accommodate small business meetings. The Inn is also an idyllic and spectacular venue for weddings.
Prior to guests checking in, each room is carefully and thoroughly inspected by Innkeeper Tim Glandorf who has held the position for five years. All guests receive a Welcome or Welcome Back card, along with a small complimentary gift. In addition, each room is equipped with a basket of snacks, also complimentary. “We upgraded our selection because of guest comments. What we had been offering was not on the same level as our other amenities,” Mike admitted. “We listen to our guests very closely. We have a lot of return visitors, almost all of them coming to celebrate, renew, relax or reconnect. The information about a guest’s particular likes and dislikes is computerized, which enables us to individualize and personalize our service. We try to maintain a high level of service.” He added, “We can do the impossible at once. Miracles take a little longer.”
Other than Mike and Tim, the rest of the staff consists of a chef/groundskeeper and housekeeping. Amery handles sales, marketing, guest management and other odds and ends—pointing out that the burnout rate for bed and breakfast owners is significant. “Running an inn is a lot more work than most people realize.”
Breakfast at Bowman’s Hill, for guests only, is served from 8 to 10 a.m. Not surprisingly, particularly given the host’s background, these breakfasts are memorable. “Some would say we serve the best English breakfast on the East Coast. It’s our signature piece. We call it ‘cholesterol to go.”’ The menu features multiple choices, cooked to order. Guests can opt to eat at a private table with a gorgeous view overlooking the grounds or in their rooms. “About fifty percent choose breakfast in bed.”
A typical menu consists of eggs any style, stuffed French toast, scratch muffins with fruit, cereal, quiche, granola, fresh fruits, pancakes, waffles and specialty coffees, along with a last minute special. They also offer an impressive selection of juices including orange, pineapple, V-8, pink grapefruit, cranberry, apple, wild blueberry and pomegranate. The Inn’s eggs could not be any fresher since they have their own chickens. Guests even have the option of gathering the eggs, a feature quite popular with people from large cities. “The chickens are a big hit, even though the rooster sometimes crows at 3 a.m.,” Mike said. The Inn has a commercially laid out kitchen with refrigerated drawers. Mike noted, “When I was 13, I learned to cook out of necessity. A few years ago, I entered and won a significant breakfast competition at a national meeting. And I used to do most of the cooking here. But, our resident chef has taken it to a whole new level.”
There’s much to see and do at the Inn itself, if being between New York and Philadelphia and very close to Hew Hope and Lambertville isn’t enough. In addition to either lounging around or swimming in the heated in-ground pool or feeding the two to four-foot-long koi in the large pond, guests can relax in the orchid conservatory and enjoy seasonally appropriate mid-afternoon snacks. They also can schedule in suite massages with a certified therapist on a heated thermostatically controlled portable massage table. Besides all that, the grounds are a certified wildlife habitat. “With the Wildflower Preserve across the street plus the preserved forest that surrounds us, we have pileated woodpeckers, great horned owls and great blue herons. Guests can see or hear 100 different birds in one weekend. We also have nest boxes for wood ducks, massive snapping turtles and lots of deer,” Mike said. “We even offer deer adoption papers to our friends from large cities.”
Among their guests have been numerous famous” people, including sports stars, high level military personnel, anchormen and women, musicians and so on. Mike told the story of jazz pianist Rio Clemente who was a guest this past Veterans Day: “He performed selections from his post-9/11 work America’s Spirit Re-Discovered, confessing that one of his dreams was to play the White House. As an indirect result of his appearance here, he did perform at the White House last December.”
Amery grew up about 5 miles from where the Pilgrims launched their ships to come to America. “It’s ironic that I now live about five miles from Washington’s Crossing, which led to the successful Battle of Trenton that turned the tide in favor of the Colonists during the Revolutionary War.” He came to the United States 32 years ago, after living in Norway for 12. He spent 35 years in the field of medical devices/pharmaceuticals before opening his Inn. He’s a serious amateur violinist. He has two grown children, his son working in risk management for a health insurance company in Philadelphia, his daughter a nurse in Ann Arbor, Michigan studying for her Master’s degree, while also teaching.
If you would like to plan a mini get-away that will take you far away from Bucks County without actually leaving Bucks County, especially during the week, The Inn at Bowman’s Hill is the perfect local getaway. The Inn at Bowman’s Hill is better known by New Yorkers and Philadelphians than by local residents. Yet this most romantic inn sits in our midst, quietly, efficiently and luxuriously encouraging its guests to “Celebrate. Relax. Connect. Remember!”
For more information, including the Inn’s plans for an adult Easter egg hunt, complete with a significant prize, please call 215-862-8090 or visit one of their websites at: theinnatbowlanshill.com or themostbeautifulinn.com.
Patti Guthrie is a freelance writer and antiques dealer from Chalfont, PA..