Once upon a time… Honeymooning at the Hazelnut Inn

Honeymooning at the Hazelnut Inn 

By Lorie Steiner

Hidden away in the scenic Upper Fraser Valley of British Columbia is the charming little village of Yarrow – home to an enchanting storybook haven where magic lives and couples find their bliss.  

It all started a decade ago with Hailey and Peter Sawatzky’s own romantic trip to Italy. Peter shares, “On our honeymoon, we were lucky enough to stay in a beautifully restored villa just outside Rome. We slept in a tiny tower room and the next morning, over breakfast, Hailey broached the idea of building our own little “castle” hotel. I was intrigued and we spent the morning dreaming together, planning our own magical getaway.” 

Fast forward ten years and that wish has come true – The Hazelnut Inn is something right out of a fairytale and custom designed with the most delightful surprises!

From field to fairytale

For decades, Peter and his dad, Dan, have worked together with a talented team at their family company, Imagination Corporation; designing and building small theme parks and other tourist attractions across North America – ultimately honing the skills to build something special. 

As fate would have it, right next door to their business in Yarrow, a section of an old hazelnut farm came up for sale. Peter admits, “When the acreage became available, we thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. So, Hailey and I sold our home and started building the Hazelnut Inn, named in homage to the history of the land. Since this is a side passion project, it took about six years to finish our first suite. We opened it in June 2024 and we opened our second suite in June 2025. Our third and final suite will open in 2026. It’s been a doable project because I can literally walk over from my ‘day job’ when I have an hour or two and get some work done.” Hailey is trained in drafting, so she’s able to turn their flights of fancy into practical plans that make the ideas work.

“We’re something unique.” Dan adds, “It has turned out to be exactly what Pete and Hailey visioned when they first imagined it. I’ve talked to guests, and they all say there’s nothing like it anywhere they’ve been in the world.”

Desirably Intimate

Each of the Hazelnut Inn’s three suites is a unique experience; designed as a couple’s whimsical getaway, with a private garden, firepit, water feature, soaking tub for two, intricate sculptures and, most of all, a magical atmosphere.

The North Star Suite evokes the romance and adventure of the sea. Staying here is like stepping into the pages of Treasure Island or a sequel to the Pirates of the Caribbean. You even sleep in the captain’s quarters, guarded by twin mermaids.

As for the Under Hill Suite – if Beatrix Potter had written The Hobbit, then Bilbo “the rabbit” would have lived in the Under Hill. It is actually built into a hill (which Peter and the crew created) and the twining roots of a tree perched on the hilltop above the suite form its ceiling. 

Excitement is growing for the reveal of the last of the trio, the Copper Crown Suite in June 2026. It will be the castle that Hailey envisioned on their honeymoon. Now in the works, this magnificent suite befits royalty with all the bells and whistles. After all, couples in love deserve to be pampered.  

From a design perspective, each suite has a story, but guests bring their own imagination. Peter and Hailey wanted to create this little world that people can feel like they’d stepped out of their life into their own fairytale. Privacy is a feature, not only in the suite but around it, so every suite has its own private walled garden with a firepit and water feature. The smells, the sounds, everything is designed to delight. Of course, there are king-sized beds, glorious giant soaker tubs and little kitchenettes. A lot of guests don’t leave after check-in, because staying at the Hazelnut Inn is an experience all its own. 

Hidden surprises

All the suites are filled with hand-crafted details, which are always fun for people to discover. North Star suite has a nautical theme and the little brackets that hold up the dining table are shaped like sea horses, but they’re underneath so you won’t see them unless you’re really looking. The light switch plates are all custom, everything is hand done and over the top. 

Most of the large-scale pieces are sculpted concrete. Peter explains, “We’ll often weld a structural framework using pencil rod, which is a ¼ inch bar that you can bend into whatever shapes you want. Then we attach lath to it and apply the concrete and then you just have a little window where the magic happens. The tiling in all the bathrooms is whimsical and it’s a blast to make, we have had so much fun building this Inn.”

At the open houses, Hailey and Peter get to stand at the front door to invite people in. About 1300 attended the first open day! “As an artist, it was an amazing experience for me,” Peter recalls, “because you could hear their breath change as they stepped in. They would gasp. I remember one person said, “Oh, I didn’t expect this feeling,” and we had a handful of people break into tears. To see the reaction is humbling and emotional for me. We’re very, very excited now. It’s amazing to see the end in sight.”

Ready for romance?

The Hazelnut Inn in Yarrow is situated right on the border between the towns of Chilliwack and Abbotsford, BC. Getting there is easy, you can fly from Toronto to Abbotsford airport which is just 20 minutes away from The Hazelnut Inn, and it’s just over an hour’s drive from the Vancouver airport. To plan your fairytale getaway, visit hazelnutinn.com. 

It’s easy to see where Peter’s love for creating came from, when he says, “We’ve been doing this for 37 years; I grew up painting murals and building crazy stuff.” If you want to get a feel for their amazing work closer to home, Imagination Corporation built a wonderful indoor entertainment centre – ‘NEB’s Fun World’ – in Oshawa. nebsfunworld.com