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Jackson Harris and Mary Lou Levine never expected to own an inn, but they went to lunch with a broker and somehow got talked into buying Dana Place in 1985. They've been busy upgrading the inn ever since, except for a brief hiatus when they sold to an absentee owner who doubled the inn's size within a couple of years and nearly ran it into the ground. "We felt we had left the job unfinished," said the Levines, who reacquired the inn in 1989 and returned it to stability. Following its expansion, the historic Dana Place is an unusual mix. It's at once a rural country inn with a few quaint rooms sharing baths, juxtaposed against luxury suites in three new additions. Its elegant, high-ceilinged Lodge Room with a fireplace, a huge sectional, oriental rugs and quite a library is New England traditional; the airy new addition with an indoor free-form swimming pool and a jacuzzi is anything but. The lobby and entry have been expanded and the side patio enclosed to make a bar and cocktail lounge with a dance floor. An addition nearly doubled the size of the dining room (see Dining Spots). Two clay tennis courts were installed. The out-of-the-way location of the inn, which still carries the name of the original owners of the Colonial farmhouse/inn from which all these additions have sprung, is special. It's up in the mountains some 1,000 feet above North Conway, just before you reach Pinkham Notch in the midst of the White Mountain National Forest, and right beside the Ellis River at the base of Mount Washington. The Ellis River cross-country ski trail, one of the most skied trails in the country, ends at the inn, and skiers often come inside for lunches of hearty soups and chili in the lounge. In summer, inn guests cool off in a scenic swimming hole in the rushing river. The 35 guest rooms vary in size and decor from rustic to deluxe. All have been redone with pretty floral wallpapers, period furnishings and wreaths or straw flowers on the doors. Six rooms with shared baths are used as two-room family suites. The large room with sitting area in which we first stayed in the original inn has a view over the gardens toward Mount Washington, a kingsize platform bed and a large modern bathroom with tub and shower. At a recent visit, we enjoyed one of the ten large "porch rooms" in a rear addition, with decks or balconies overlooking the Ellis River and mountains. Our corner room had not one but two decks (on the rear and on the side), and the sound of the rippling river lulled us to sleep at night. Six more rooms are available in two guest houses with contemporary cedar facades and more modern furnishings beside the river. One is called the Tree House for the tree growing through two of its porches. Its third floor contains a family suite for six, and the five bedrooms in the building can be private or inter-connected, making it good for groups. A country breakfast is served (and available to the public from a menu). We liked the eggs benedict and the omelet of the day (onions, green peppers and cheese), the latter a huge plate bearing garlicky hash browns and whole wheat toast, more than onecould finish. Afternoon tea produces a changing array of goodies, perhaps spice cake, peanut-butter squares and nut breads, served in the pleasant Pinkham Notch Pub. Aprés-ski nibbles are put out in winter. (603) 383-6822 or (800) 537-9276. Fax (603)383-6022. For more information: www.danaplace.com Thirty-five rooms and suites with private baths. Doubles, $155 to $255, MAP. B&B when available, $135 to $185. Material excerpted from Inn Spots & Special Places in New England, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2004. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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