The Hawkesdene House is a resort-style location for high-end venues, such as weddings, reunions, and retreats, that has 35 rooms available. Its secluded location in Andrews, North Carolina, and the maximum capacity of 102 guests makes The Hawkesdene House more ideal for guests that come accompanied by a larger group and plan on holding a celebration. The Hawkesdene House is open at all times of the year, with the more busier time of the year being from the middle of April through to the middle of November. The property's staff includes a culinary expert who has over three decades of experience and is capable of making a large variety of dishes and meals.
The first thing that should be noted about the Hawkesdene House is that it is designed for large groups celebrating high-end events. Renting out individual cottages is not possible. The properties at Hawkesdene vary in size and function, including the main house, eleven cottages ranging from one to five bedrooms apiece, gazebos, llama stables, a basketball court, an open-air pavilion, horseshoe courts, and the main entrance. All of these buildings are complimented by hiking trails, creeks, and over 50 acres of forested land available for exploration. The grounds are described by the owner Ron Scheiwiller as being "very Martha Stewart," considering its driveways, gardens, and other exterior decorations.
Hawkesdene is home to thirty-five different rooms, split between the main house and eleven additional cottages. Altogether, the property is capable of housing anywhere between 50 and 102 visitors. Every room on the property is self-contained; that is to say that each one comes with a private bathroom and close access to the common areas or other site features, even if the room is not within the main house itself. The cottages are equipped with full-sized kitchens. Ron explains that the cottages have any amenity that would be necessary for a long-term stay, though oftentimes, visitors remain at Hawkesdene for less than a week. The linens are of high quality, and the hair and bathroom products are imported from London. The rooms in the main house are structured a little more like hotel rooms—lacking kitchens—though they have slightly higher-quality furniture and decorations.
At the Hawkesdene House, dining plans are purchased in conjunction with the rates of the room (charged per person). These dining plans allow for unlimited access to the property's extensive culinary team, which provides meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and more. At the head of Hawkesdene's culinary staff is proprietor Phil Rampy, who is an Alabama native with over 30 years of cooking experience. The only food/drink items not provided as part of the dining plan are alcoholic beverages of any kind. Guests are free to bring their own, and they will be served at no additional cost during the course of their stay. Due to the nature of the culinary possibilities on-site, guests typically don't leave the property during the course of their stay. Hawkesdene House is open year-round (including wedding services), though their peak season is from mid-April to mid-November. During those months, they are often booked out every week for a year or two in advance.
The culture of Hawkesdene is what drives its business in the first place: weddings. The entire property is designed to be a "high-end resort-quality experience," explains the owner Ron. This is a drastic change from what the property once was: a bed and breakfast. And, despite the property's mountainous location, Ron says that it's "not your typical mountain 'campy' feel."
Currently, the property handles reservations of almost exclusively wedding-going guests. The entire premises are rented out all at once and contain practically any necessity that a guest might desire. The idea is that groups can enter the property and not feel the need to leave until their entire stay has come to a close. "It's a park," says Ron. Hawkesdene is secluded in the mountains of Andrews, North Carolina, roughly 90 minutes west of Asheville. "You can hear soothing sounds of rapids all around the property," Ron notes. The views of nature draw many people to the property for the wedding picture potential. In fact, the staff at Hawkesdene strive to make all aspects of wedding planning as simple as possible. They can handle decorations, catering, transportation, and more. In this sense, they act as concierge—taking pressure off of the parties involved in the wedding.
Other factors that draw in guests are the custom furniture on-site, king-sized beds, original artwork, and the individual cottages' proximity to the main house. Guest reviews of Hawkesdene are generally quite positive, emphasizing how easy it is to work with the property's team when making arrangements, the quality of the service provided, the good food, and the fact that everything (including the staff) is accessible. One guest stated, "My husband and I got married at Hawkesdene over Labor Day 2018. Our wedding was nothing short of amazing thanks to the incredible staff at Hawkesdene. Their team is incredible at taking your vision and making it a reality." The nearby town of Andrews, North Carolina, is known for being "artsy and craftsy" and offers attractions such as whitewater rafting, ziplining, and horseback riding.
The Hawkesdene House first began its career as a lodging property back in 1995, though it was called Hawkesdene Inn Bed & Breakfast at the moment of its opening. As its prior name implies, the property was of a smaller scale at that time, catering to individual guests and couples more than large groups. It operated this way for seven years until two men saw the property's potential and purchased it. Those men—Ron Scheiwiller and Phil Rampy—as well as Ron's domestic partner Jami Dyer, are the current proprietors of Hawkesdene. The "Inn" and "Bed & Breakfast" portions of the property's name were removed, becoming The Hawkesdene House instead.
At the start of this new ownership, the premises consisted of 14 rooms and 26 acres. Over the years, Ron used his previous expertise in hotel management, bed and breakfast ownership, real estate knowledge, and interior design to expand the property and buyout competitors. Today, Hawkesdene is over double its original size, clocking in at 35 rooms over the span of 54 acres. Before functioning as a lodging site, Hawkesdene was a tomato farm.
381 Phillips Creek Road
Andrews, North Carolina 28901
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Rob Scheiwiller & Phil Rampy
