Magical Cottage at the Governor's Retreat on Dingmans Creek
The cottage is nestled among high hemlocks facing Dingmans Creek, which can be heard gurgling night and day. After duty as a stable and carriage house the barn was converted to living quarters sometime in the 1950s. It was renovated in 2001 and won Better Homes and Gardenâs Home Improvement Contest and was featured as their cover story in October 2002. The guidelines for the renovation were to âpreserve the irreplaceable.â
The lower level has two fireplaces. The one in the living room is wood burning and the one in the kitchen is gas. The walls and floors are primarily stone and the living room's vaulted ceiling is 30 feet high. The six skylights allow guests to enjoy sun, rain and snow.
The loft has a magical bedroom with windows that overlook the creek. The cottage was featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping and Wood Beautiful. It was also used as a location for Hallmark Cards 2005 Christmas card collection.
Due to circumstances beyond our control, we had last minute scramble to find a place for 3 adults and our dogs. Lee was responsive and allowed us to rent it on the day of check-in. Thank you for saving our Thanksgiving. The Governor's Retreat was perfect. Clean, cozy, quiet and relaxing are the terms that come to mind. We can not wait to visit it again.
This place is not done justice by the pictures and description. If you imagined a getaway place this is what youâd have dreamed up. A stream literally right out the front door, stone and wood, fireplace⊠fantastic!. The entire property would be a fantastic place to gather as family for an event or just to get away from the world for a bit
This is a special place, uniquely situated feet from the Dingmans Creek. The cabin is well appointed and cared after, the pride of owners Lee and Sonda, a peaceful retreat from the busy world outside Dingmans Ferry.
We thoroughly enjoyed the cabin and the company of the owners, enjoying a beautiful early fall weekend. Our only regret is being too early for the peak foliage but we enjoyed being outdoors for meals and fires for a spectacular night.
We also enjoyed Lee's retelling of the history of the place and the cabin and it was special to know the history of Gov Sproul, a name familiar to all from Delco.
The Govenor's Retreat is a truly special place and one we'd like to revisit with our dog, Sasha.
Cottage was amazing. Scenery was beautiful. The pictures and descriptions online are very accurate, but you cannot fully appreciate it until youâre there in person. The property host (Lee) was very friendly and accommodating. We donât often say this about weekend getaways, but we will be back here again.
This was a very much needed little break! The cottage is spectacular and everything was so clean. Lee was the best host giving ideas and tips for walking trails and eating out! We really enjoyed our stay!!
We had a lovely time at Lee and Sonda's cottage on their beautiful property. They live on site and welcomed us with a tour and a little history of the Governor's Retreat. The stream running through is lovely and the structure is intricately built. It was the perfect spot for our anniversary weekend.
My husband, dog and I spent memorial day weekend at the Governor's retreat and we cannot wait to return. The photos do not do this place justice. It truly is magical. We enjoyed hiking nearby, there were several really great restaurants and unique shops, and best of all, we were ably to truly relax. Close to everything, but we felt like we were worlds away. Lee and Sonda were wonderful hosts.
The Governor's Cottage in Dingman's Ferry was a perfect weekend getaway. The cottage was warm and welcoming with a beautiful creek right outside. The owners, Sonda and Lee, provided great tips and suggestions about the surrounding area. We enjoyed eating out in Milford, hiking with our dogs in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, napping on the hammock outside the cottage and sipping on wine beside the fireplace.
Dear Sonda
I want to thank you for the BEAUTIFUL time we've spent at the cottage. So many details to enjoy; the house is amazing (it truly is an award winner and a landmark), two days of a dream. It was warm, it was comfortable, it was amazing from the second we came. The housekeeper is great, everything was clean, ready, spotless. For those who will visit I want to say - all you might need is in the house - towels, soap, shampoo, drying fan, books, movies, CDs... The kitchen has all the utensils and appliances. I would love to recommend the house to all my friends and visit myself again.
This arts and crafts stone cottage was without comparison the most beautiful place we have ever stayed. Two fireplaces, stone floors, charmingly decorated, much larger than anticipated. The beautiful trees, the roaring creek, the stone-top outdoor tables and various outdoor nooks - numerous near-by locations to hike. Lovely town of Milford nearby for groceries, antiques, fine dining, casual dining and so forth. However next time we may just plan on never leaving the grounds. Were there for our 27th anniversary - plan on coming back when possible with two of our children for hiking, tennis and fishing. Thank you Sonda and Lee for sharing your retreat with us.
We just returned from a wonderful weekend at the Governor's Cottage in Dingman's Ferry. Both the cottage and property are beautiful and relaxing. Sonda and Lee were incredibly gracious hosts - recognizing our anniversary and giving us a tour of the surrounding property. We actually looked at the calendar to book our NEXT trip while we were still there. Can't wait to go back!