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One of the best bed and breakfasts in Port Hope Ontario,
as recommended by Janette Higgins.
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Area East of Toronto along Lake Ontario
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Penstowe Bed and Breakfast
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Larry & Betty Ann Knutson
98 Ontario St.
Port Hope, Ontario
Canada, L1A 2V2
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| Phone: 905-885-4317 |
| The suggestion of romance lingers in the air at this fine B&B. |
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Review by Janette Higgins
author of The Best Places to B&B in Ontario: A Selective Guide
Six editions of the book were published to critical and popular acclaim. Janette now publishes her B&B
reviews and holiday reports online.
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Note 1 to reader: Every Ontario bed and breakfast receives my consideration. I travel incognito, pay where I stay and write reviews of the top 5%. Here is one I recommend. Janette Higgins
Penstowe Bed and Breakfast is the finest example of Queen Anne Revival architecture in Port Hope but it took new owners Larry and Betty Ann Knutson to expose the impressive façade long hidden by shrubs and trees. There are now extensive gardens on view behind a spiffy black iron fence and as you walk up to the front door you’ll marvel at an unusual tree planted, it turns out, at the same time the house was built. Its gnarled and twisted branches, now artfully-pruned, mark it as a rare Camperdown elm.
B&B hosts Larry and Betty Ann have decorated the house with the help of a talented local design firm. Downstairs, bed & breakfast guests may use the living room populated with Betty Ann’s collection of teddy bears. As well there’s an enclosed wicker-furnished sun porch and, out back, a potting shed with veranda. Back inside, two of the designer guestrooms are upstairs. The large Romeo and Juliet Room has a couple of chairs plus a daybed from where you can watch TV if you like. And, as you might expect from a room named after this romantic duo, there’s a small balcony. What you might not expect is the walk-in shower with body jets. Next door, the dramatic Antony and Cleopatra Room has an en suite bathroom with a two-person Jacuzzi.
Two more rooms are to be found downstairs in a new addition. The Napoleon and Josephine Room is defined by a red-and-ivory French toile, and the Freddie and George Room (named after Fredrick Chopin and George Sands) has extra-long twin beds. A fifth bedroom, the Browning Suite on the second floor of the new addition, takes its inspiration from Tuscany. The blue of the Italian sky is captured in the ceiling and it is elegantly decorated in cream, black and gold. Extras include Egyptian cotton towels, 300 thread count sheets and complimentary toiletries.
Breakfast won’t disappoint either. How about warm banana-pineapple crisp to start, followed by herb vegetable frittata with English breakfast sausage. In summer those herbs will have come from Betty Ann's garden. Larry, now retired, is the workweek chef while the many-hatted Betty Ann is off to work as a nurse or finding treasures for her backshed antique shop. Weekends, though, they both pitch in to make for a memorable bed and breakfast experience.
I also want to point out that this is one of the very few B&Bs I know of that will accept small, well-behaved dogs. So if Fido is obedient, toilet-trained and 'seen but not heard' you're in luck if you'd like to bring him along. Just remember that the Knutsons have two of their own little darlings.
Note 2 to reader: I appreciate your support of the continuation of my research by letting Larry and Betty Ann know you read my review of their bed and breakfast on this bbontario website. Many thanks! Janette Higgins, Travel Writer
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of Ontario's best bed and breakfasts
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Penstowe Bed and Breakfast, Port Hope, Ontario
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| Tell your hosts Janette Higgins sent you! |
| E-mail: |
Click Here |
| Website: |
http://www.penstowe.com |
| Best to call: |
before 10 AM, after 4 PM |
| Languages: |
American Sign |
| Season: |
all year |
| CDN $ Rates: |
S $115-125, D $120-135 plus 13% HST
Corporate rates available on request. |
Currency converter
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| Cards: |
VISA/MC/AMEX |
| Restrictions: |
children 13 and over welcome; smoking in garden; small well-behaved dogs welcome |
| Facilities: |
5 bedrooms (4 queen, 1 with twins); 5 en suite bathrooms (4 shower only, 1 combined shower/tub); several common areas for guests; wireless internet |
| Parking: |
ample |
| Breakfast: |
full |
| In Residence: |
two small dogs including Rascal, the cockapoo |
| Location: |
Port Hope is 1 hr E of Toronto on Lake Ontario |
| Directions: |
from Hwy 401, take Exit 464 S into Port Hope (Hwy 28. Hwy 28 turns into Ontario St in town. Look for bed & breakfast on right |
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