The Inn at Tabbs Creek changed hands in December and is now undergoing an extensive facelift in preparation for a grand reopening in May, just in time for the annual Tour de Chesapeake on May 17.

Located at Port Haywood, the inn sits on Tabbs Creek, with a view out to the East River and handy access to the Mobjack Bay.

New owners Sherry and Ridge Crewss and inn manager Sara Goode have been “in total restoration mode” for months as they upgrade the kitchen with all-new appliances, a new water filtration system, and refurbished cabinetry; install remote-controlled electric fireplaces in every room; and modernize the bathrooms with bright, natural tones, walk-in showers, and heated floors.

“A lot of stuff is happening right now behind the scenes,” said Sherry Crewss. “It’s changing every day.”

The addition of a new whole-house generator will ensure that guests are always comfortable, said Crewss, and upgraded Wi-Fi with “exponentially higher capability” will keep everyone connected at the same fast speed. As an added touch, the swimming pool will be heated, with a pergola installed over part of it to give it a hot-springs feel. “You’ll be submerged in warm water,” she said, “but the weather will be cool around you.” When guests return from the pool to the main house, they’ll be able to shower off in the cabana bath just inside the entry.

Crewss said the idea is to make The Inn at Tabbs Creek more of a destination, with amenities that allow people to come in the typical off-season months, “to make it a warm, cozy place.”

To that end, the former library will now be a morning room, said Crewss, still with books for guests to browse, but more open feeling, and the gathering room, with its large gas fireplace and huge center island for buffets and coffee service, will now include a wine fridge, treat freezer, and microwave/convection oven for late-night ramblings.

A back porch off the former Pub Room, now renamed the Cigar Room, will be enclosed to make it a “three-season room” where smoking will be allowed and oak barrels will hold complimentary bourbon and whiskey, said Crewss. The bright dining room, with windows lining two walls, will still have its large dining table, designed to seat anyone who stays for breakfast.

The guest rooms in the main house will all have neutral colors that make them very similar to each other, said Crewss, but they will be individualized with different colored accents. The garden suites, located across the lawn from the main house, will be redecorated in botanical colors to make them look more serene and spa-like, and the exterior is going to get all-new siding, shutters, and lighting.

Among the things that won’t change, said Crewss, are the original hardwood floors, doors, and hardware; a butler’s pantry with its original shelves and glass doors; and the historical feel of the c. 1830 structure. She said she’s been going through storage and finding older pieces that had been removed and pulling some of them in for reuse.

“It’s a mess right now,” she said, “but we’re working seven days a week because we’re under time constraints and want to make our guests happy.”

Most of the people who already had reservations before the sale of the inn were accommodated in spite of the renovations, said Crewss, and most of the remaining ones are being rescheduled.

“They’ve all been super sweet about it,” she said.

Manager Sara Goode is a longtime employee of The Inn at Tabbs Creek, with a cumulative 10 years there that includes a stint as a housekeeper. A Mathews resident for many years, she now lives in Urbanna. She said she loves working at the inn.

“It’s pretty special out here,” she said. “It’s a gorgeous piece of property.”

Crewss said she and her husband were longtime Florida residents who inherited a boutique hotel in Hollywood, Calif., that was 125 steps from the ocean and operated it for almost 15 years. It kept getting flooded, so they decided to retire and move to Georgia.

“But we were bored out of our minds,” she said.

They decided to go back to working in the hospitality industry and started looking at bed and breakfasts across the country, visiting seven or eight of them along the East Coast and out farther west.

“We saw this for sale and stayed here twice without saying we were interested in buying it,” said Crewss. “We kept looking, but this is the one we kept coming back to. We fell in love with it, and now we’re no longer retired—or bored.”

Crewss said her husband Ridge was concerned about the possibility of flooding and snow in Mathews, but she assured him it hadn’t flooded or snowed in years.

“Then five days later, it snowed,” she said, laughing. “It’s been one of Virginia’s coldest winters. But it’s made us love it even more to wake up with the river covered in a sheet of ice and a bald eagle walking on the ice.”

Crewss said plans for the inn continue to evolve as they hear from people who’ve been guests.

“We want people to feel they can stay here,” she said. “They can read, eat, paddle, swim, fish, kayak, but we’re adding Mobi Mats to the kayak launch for easier accessibility, and we’re buying fishing kayaks that hold gear and that you can steer with your feet or your hands. Because that’s what guests asked for, and we want to make our guests happy.”