Pathway lined with trees, leading to a house with a thatched roof.

Refresh and Renew

By Shea C. Nelson

We never rest in our quest to provide our guests with the best food, service and Castle Hill experiences possible. Our property is an historic estate established in 1875; therefore, preservation is a guiding principle in any renovation. Since we have several accommodation types nestled around our forty-acre property and several food and beverage venues, our efforts to refresh and renew are multifold each year.

Each year we close for the majority of January to refresh the public areas frequented by our guests and kick off renovation projects that sometimes require months to complete. While this may temporarily curtail some attributes of the Castle Hill experience, we must strive to maintain the integrity and preserve the highest standards of the guest experience for the seasons ahead.

Historic house with scaffolding under a clear blue sky.
Festive room with Christmas tree, candles, and decorated mantel.

Starting at the top

The process is underway to replace the central chimney brick by brick which, of course, has required us to temporarily forgo the use of our iconic lobby fireplace. We compensate by utilizing the other wood-burning fireplaces on the main floor and doing our best to keep it festive, which proved quite a success at holiday time.

Cliffside house with bare trees and rocky foreground under a blue sky.

Upgrades Underway

While the Inn rooms are benefiting from some refurbishing such as window replacements and furniture refinishing, other room types are being seriously revamped. Our Harbor House rooms have a new roof and will soon have new entry doors and sliding back deck doors, with additional deck work being done both front and back, while new floors and ceiling fans will be installed inside.

Beachfront cottages with wooden decks under a clear blue sky.

A major re-haul is taking place at our Beach House rooms as well, with new windows, re-installation of radiant flooring, power washing of the building, and an almost complete replacement of the front and back decks, lattice work and railings. You know that new car smell? Can’t wait to experience the revamped beach house smell!

Refreshing the Inn

Back at the Inn, the entire exterior will soon be repainted. During this time, Inn rooms will be unavailable, as the Harbor House and Beach House rooms are currently. Until we have everything refreshed and renewed, we will be rotating the availability of rooms — a sacrifice we are willing to make to ensure that your future stay will be in a carefully restored and pristine atmosphere.

Bar with floral red cushioned stools and wooden countertop.

Lest we forget the bar and dining areas – the Mansion Bar has been livened up with an eye-catching Arts & Crafts style fabric treatment for the bar stools along with new drapery for the windows. Out on the Terrace, where alfresco dining will soon commence, we are polishing up and replacing some of the blue stone pavers and the bluestone wall cap. Even the seagulls will be impressed!

Terrace overlooking the sea with empty seating and string lights.
Rustic house atop a rocky shore with people by the water.
Path leading to a calm blue lake surrounded by autumn trees.

Hollywood's Hidden Hideaway

Lastly, we love to tell the story of Grace Kelly Beach, so named for the glamorous movie star who stayed at Castle Hill while filming High Society (1956) — her last film before leaving Hollywood and marrying Prince Rainier of Monaco. We have rebuilt the original stairs that allowed her to escape down to this private little cove.

These projects and others have but one goal: to exceed your expectations on your next visit to our magical forty acres. We can’t wait for you to see us! See what I did there?