SmarterTravel Spotlight: Pickering House Inn, New Hampshire

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Earplugs. A good pair has saved my sleep and sanity many times!"

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.

Travel Motto: "Don't be boring."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle (when the first class private suite isn't available)."

E-mail her at cteel@smartertravel.com.

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Built in the 1800s as a home for a wealthy businessman, the Pickering House was transformed in 2018 into a luxury boutique hotel. The painstaking efforts that went into the landmark’s renovation are evident as soon as you pull up to the hotel.

I visited the Pickering House Inn in January for a cozy winter getaway, and to experience one of the inn’s demonstration dinners.

The Location

The Pickering House Inn is located in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, a quaint town nestled on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. The town is much quieter in the off-season, but there are plenty of fun events taking place on the frozen-over lake throughout the winter, like ice fishing and beer festivals. The inn is also located near the Abenaki Cross Country Trail Network, nearly 20 miles of groomed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails. The Pickering House Inn has trail passes that guests can borrow for free.

The Rooms

The boutique hotel has eight guestrooms and two suites, all of which are outfitted with luxurious amenities, such as Frette robes and towels and Beekman toiletries. The rooms are designed in rustic New England style, but have modern touches for guest comfort—like remote-controlled blinds, an electronic shower that allows you to set the temperature with the push of a button, and heated bathroom floors.

Dining

The inn’s rates include daily breakfast, freshly baked afternoon treats, coffee and tea, and morning pastries. On the night that I stayed, I returned from an afternoon of snowshoeing to find homemade cookies waiting, and the next morning, pre-breakfast scones and almond croissants were stocked for early risers.

Pickering House Inn hosts demonstration dinners on select evenings. The hotel’s chef, Patty Roche (who previously taught at Stonewall Kitchen’s world-famous cooking school), showcases how to make a three-course dinner. The night I dined, we enjoyed a little gem salad with a homemade chive and lemon vinaigrette, chicken saltimbocca, mashed potatoes with mascarpone and fresh herbs, and a seasonal vegetable pasta while we picked up cooking tips and learned how to make the recipes. The night ended on a sweet note with a decadent tiramisu made by the in-house pastry chef, Barbara Mosley.

Price and How to Book: Weekend rates in January start at around $345 per night. Book on the Pickering House Inn’s website or compare rates on TripAdvisor, SmarterTravel’s parent company.

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Caroline Morse Teel was hosted by the Pickering House Inn. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline for photos from New Hampshire and all around the world.

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