I was a mere youth — my knees still knocking at the sight of a breaking swell — when I first heard tell of the woman they call Captain Temperance Longbottom. It’s a name that tastes of salt and iron — a name for a mariner who feared neither the gale nor the gallows.

She commanded a tall ship of no small renown, the Avellana, a vessel that seemed to take wing upon the whitecaps. Legend has it that while plying the foam in uncharted waters, she stumbled upon a pirate's lair — a secret cavernous hole at the world’s edge, stuffed to the gunwales with the spoils of myth and fairytale. There were statues of forgotten kings, arcane paraphernalia that would make a scholar’s head spin, and gold enough to sink a galleon.

Now, a common rogue would have kept the lot and died rich and miserable. But Longbottom was of a different cast. She set her course to return these ill-gotten gains to their rightful homes across the map. She was a soul possessed by a singular, restless purpose, and she sailed until the Avellana became a ghost upon the sea.

She never returned from those final voyages. All that remains of her wanderings is her ramshackle property, known now as the North Star Suite at the Hazelnut Inn. If you step within, you’ll find yourself in the very Captain’s quarters where she once charted her course by the stars. The room is filled with reminders of her travels — strange curiosities that she, in her haste or her wisdom, left behind.

It is a place for those who hear the calling of the tide, where you may sleep under a glowing ceiling that mirrors the heavens and imagine the Captain still out there, chasing the horizon.

The North Star — and your own great adventure — are waiting for you.

Who is Philbert?

Well dear… If you ever visit us at the Hazelnut Inn — which is less of a hotel and more of a daydream that someone accidentally built out of bricks — you’ll find Philbert’s the name on the door — or at least the official email address. He’s our caretaker; our groundskeeper; our warden of passwords; and, despite all his muttering about “infernal technology,” it’s Philbert’s Netflix account you’ll be borrowing during your stay.

Now Philbert, bless his slightly threadbare cardigan, isn’t one for the limelight. Like the Under Hill’s elusive Mr. Burrows, he sometimes seems more myth than man — and he certainly isn’t your typical groundskeeper. His quiet presence is a steady anchor against the tides of the world. He’s the one who makes sure your fairytale isn’t interrupted by anything as gauche as a leaky tap or a wilting fern.

And the Hazelnut Inn thrives under his care; the beds are absurdly comfortable; the gardens impossibly vibrant; the Wi-Fi inexplicably speedy.

The legend around here (which is a grand word for what is essentially hotel gossip) is that he isn’t just the Hazelnut Inn’s caretaker; he’s part of the inn — a fairy creature woven into its very foundations. And not the “Tinkerbell” variety either — he’s far too tall and much too interested in drainage — he’s the ancient kind. The kind that remembers when the Avellana’s captain was just a girl with a wooden sword.

It’s why he’s so good at maintaining the Copper Crown — he’s not fixing a castle; he’s tapping into ancient ley lines. Mind you, Philbert doesn’t do anything flashy. You won’t find him flying through the northern sky in a streak of pure light. He prefers the quiet satisfaction of a well-swept path and a guest who hasn’t noticed that the indoor temperature is exactly 20 degrees, regardless of the weather outside.

In short, he’s the reason the Hazelnut Inn is such a magical little hotel. And that, my dear, is the simple, slightly spurious, utterly charming truth about Philbert.

The Hazelnut Inn is a highly immersive, handcrafted boutique hotel where every detail evokes the feeling of stepping into a story. Its design is more than a collection of tropes — it is a deeply layered homage to the storytellers who continue to shape our imaginations. We were inspired by the romance of classic literature and the nostalgic charm of traditional children's tales. We have woven the spirit of these literary worlds into our three distinct suites:

Sea-Pirates & Ancient Magic

The North Star Suite is our love letter to the high seas. We built this space to feel like the secret lair of a seasoned explorer.

Drawing on the aesthetics of an imagined “golden age of piracy” — in keeping with Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel — the North Star is filled with artifacts our {fictitious} Captain Temperance Longbottom discovered in a pirate’s lair.

Temperance herself — an adventurer who sailed the world, returning these curiosities to their rightful homes — is a spiritual successor to the independent, seafaring spirit found in Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking.

Anthropomorphism & A Cozy Pastoral Burrow

We buried the Under Hill under a man-made hill to fulfill the universal dream of living in a secret, underground home. This suite evokes both J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth and the charming, pastoral world of Keneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows.

It is owned by our own {fictional} Mr. Burrows, whose family has lived here for generations. Like Grahame’s cozy underground animal homes, the Under Hill is a luxurious sanctuary tucked away from the outside world.

Dungeons & Dragons

The Copper Crown is the ancestral home of dragon-riding aristocrats and the suite is rooted in the architecture of European folklore. Crossing the suite’s moat into its courtyard garden, you can almost feel the chivalric aura of King Arthur’s court.

And while we’ve created our own unique mythology for the Copper Crown, the tower bedroom, stone arches, and leaded-glass windows would easily lend themselves to a retelling of Rapunzel and her tower.

Tell Your Own Story

However, while our magical little hotel draws inspiration from the pages of classic literature and the whimsy of fairytales, it is also the beginning of another kind of story.

Whether you are seeking a romantic escape, a moment of reflection, or of quiet celebration, our suites provide the backdrop for a narrative that belongs entirely to you.

At the Hazelnut Inn, the most important story being told is the one you create during your stay.