The Under Hill Suite at the Hazelnut Inn was built beneath the roots of a tree. Its design brings together references to Tolkien’s Third Age and the gentle, watercolour world of Beatrix Potter’s English countryside.

The journey begins in a secluded courtyard. Pass through a handcrafted moon gate into a garden with a waterfall, then approach the suite’s heavy, arched entry doors. Carved into the lintel above it is a phonetic inscription declaring that this particular hole in the ground is pure comfort.

Inside, hand-painted wallpaper, warm Tiffany lamps, and bespoke ironwork give the suite a distinctly pastoral character. Above, a large root system twists across the ceiling, making the tree itself part of the room. A king-size bed rests in a recessed alcove, while a large soaking tub for two provides a place to settle in and slow down. Modern conveniences are deliberately kept out of sight, preserving the sense of stepping into an older world.

The moon gate, the garden, the carved inscription, the ceiling shaped by tree roots, and an interior that brings together two very different literary and visual traditions make the Under Hill Suite unusually specific.

It is a hole in the ground—but definitely not an ordinary one.

Some places are built, while others are dreamed into existence. When we first began shaping the Hazelnut Inn, architecture and story often found themselves occupying the same space. The North Star Suite — with its deep colours, private corners, and a ceiling that opens onto a sky of its own — was influenced by many of the fantasy worlds I’ve explored through the years.

I’ve always loved reading, and I’m particularly fond of Naomi Novik’s work. Her fierce, deeply empathetic characters and richly imagined worlds have stayed with me long after the final page.

If you are packing your bags for a stay beneath our stars, here are two of her books I’d recommend for the North Star Suite.

A Deadly Education

The North Star Suite, with its midnight tones and quiet private spaces, has a certain darkness that makes Novik’s A Deadly Education an easy companion.

The novel takes place in the Scholomance, a school that is actively trying to eat its students. Its enclosed, perilous world offers an interesting contrast to the quiet of the North Star. The room provides the sanctuary; the book provides the danger.

His Majesty’s Dragon

For something altogether different, I’d consider His Majesty’s Dragon.

The story trades the claustrophobic danger of the Scholomance for historical adventure and open skies. Captain Laurence and his dragon, Temeraire, feel like they belong beneath the suite’s sweeping celestial ceiling.

Perhaps the best books to bring with you are the ones that make the room around you feel a little different by the time you reach the final page.

At the Hazelnut Inn, we built each suite as a place to slow down, settle in, and make memories of your own.

Heavy timber doors close behind you. Steam rises from a deep soaker tub for two. Above, cathedral ceilings, sculptures, and hand-painted details create a space unlike anywhere else.

But the moments that matter most aren’t ours to create. They’re the quiet conversations, the laughter, the lingering looks, and the simple feeling of being completely present with each other. Long after the door opens and you return to the world outside, those moments will remain.

We made the room.
What you remember is your story.