How Nordic Hill Manor Turned a Family Dream Into One of Kitsap’s Most Sought-After Retreats
Perched above Poulsbo with sweeping views of town, forest, and—on clear days—even the Seattle skyline, Nordic Hill Manor doesn’t immediately reveal the century of family history behind its stone façade. From the road, it’s the kind of place you might glimpse once and wonder about for years afterward—a turreted, castle-like house tucked among 20 acres of evergreens, trails, and meadows.
For Heinz and KJ Lange, the couple who now run it as a thriving vacation rental and retreat space, Nordic Hill Manor is equal parts family legacy, hospitality business, and ongoing love story with Kitsap County.
“We’re really just creating the space,” KJ said. “People come here to make their own memories, spend time with family and friends. It’s humbling to know we get to be part of that.”
A Dream House on the Hill
The story of Nordic Hill Manor begins with Heinz’s father, a USC-trained cinematographer and avid photographer who fell in love with European bed-and-breakfasts.
Heinz and his father traveled through Europe, staying in small inns and guesthouses. His father captured images of stone manors, cobblestone courtyards, and turreted roofs. When he settled on the family’s land above Poulsbo—property that’s been in the family for more than 100 years—he began to imagine building his own version of those places.
“He always had a dream of building this manor up here, kind of like a bed and breakfast,” Heinz said. “We went to an architect with some of my pictures and emails—cobblestones, the turret, that European feel—and we were our own general contractor. It took about five or six years, doing it ourselves.”
Heinz’s father started the project at 78 years old.
The manor that emerged from that vision is no modest B&B. At more than 10,000 square feet, with multiple floors, seven bathrooms, and bedrooms outfitted with kitchenettes—a nod to a short-lived idea of housing independent seniors under one roof—the house was always meant to function as both a home and a gathering place.
“He always wanted to build his generational dream house,” Heinz said. “He lived in the lower part, ran it as a bed and breakfast, and the idea was the next generation would take it over.”
From Bed-and-Breakfast to Destination Rental
When Heinz’s father passed away in 2016, the couple faced a reality check: they loved the manor, but they did not want to live on site and operate a traditional bed-and-breakfast.
“Guests come at nine, eleven, midnight. They want breakfast at five or six,” Heinz recalls. “KJ was the one here waiting for them.”
KJ quickly realized why most B&B owners live on the premises. But the Langes already had a home elsewhere and didn’t want to relocate.
Rather than shutting down or selling, they made a measured pivot. At first, they honored existing reservations and slowly transitioned the property to a vacation rental model.
“Our dream was always that you give people a code, they come in, and it feels like their place—like when we go on vacation,” KJ said.
The result is a full-house rental that can sleep up to 25 people—“depending on how well you like each other,” KJ joked—though most groups fall into the 14-to-16 range, which the couple considers ideal.
Then came 2020.
Heinz retired from a corporate career in international supply-chain logistics, planning to focus on growing the business. Within months, the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out every booking for the first half of the year.
“I thought, ‘This was a good decision,’” he said. “We lost all the bookings. The first six months were gone.”
But as travelers gravitated toward private, drive-to destinations, Nordic Hill Manor rebounded.
“We got really busy that year, and it hasn’t stopped since,” KJ said.
Today, weekends and summers are often booked a year in advance. The Langes are increasingly focused on midweek retreats for remote workers, small businesses, and special-interest groups.
A Castle with a Sense of Humor
Though officially a manor, the house has taken on another identity in the minds of guests.
“People nickname it as a castle,” Heinz said. “We call it a manor, but if you Google ‘castle Poulsbo,’ it’s us and the place on Viking.”
That identity fits naturally with the couple’s heritage and Poulsbo’s “Little Norway” roots.
“My father was Norwegian. My grandmother came directly from Norway. I’m Austrian. KJ is Swedish,” Heinz said. “We fly four flags out front—Norway, Sweden, Austria, and the U.S. We call it Northern European hospitality. It has a very European influence and flair, with a Norwegian tilt that fits right into Poulsbo.”
“It’s a place that has a sense of humor, but we take our hospitality seriously,” KJ said.
Guests arrive to a stately hilltop “castle,” then discover playful surprises: a hot tub tucked inside the turret, massage chairs overlooking the valley, and a home theater complete with a popcorn maker. Outdoors, trails wind through wooded acreage, while lawns host games, reunions, and wedding-adjacent gatherings.
One amenity consistently earns rave reviews.
“The gourmet kitchen,” Heinz said. “Airbnb even has a special category for that, and we fit right into it. People walk in and say, ‘This is the most well-stocked kitchen we’ve ever seen.’”
That reputation is intentional. Both Heinz and KJ love to cook, and years of hosting large family gatherings shaped every decision.
“Every year, we’d say, ‘We should have brought this’ or ‘We really need one of those here,’” KJ said. “This year was the first year I didn’t think of anything else to add.”
“People always ask, ‘Do you have drip? Do you have a French press? Do you have…?’” Heinz said. “We just answered by putting in everything—grinder, drip, press.”
Space to Gather—and to Breathe
Beyond any single amenity, guests comment on how spacious the manor feels.
“Once you get to that 14 to 16 range, people are amazed it doesn’t feel crowded,” Heinz said. “You’ve got three floors, all kinds of different activities, and nobody’s on top of each other. Seven bathrooms helps.”
That flexibility has attracted returning groups, including a now-annual Dungeons & Dragons retreat.
“There’s a group of mostly guys. It’s like a four-day extravaganza,” KJ said. “We installed special internet equipment so they could all be online and hooked up together.”
“We have a fourteen-foot table and an interactive board in the conference room,” Heinz adds. “They’re streaming to friends across the U.S., all playing together. They’ve been coming for four or five years.”
The conference room also supports corporate off-sites and midweek retreats.
“For a board or small business group, you can work, then relax. Bring in catering, or cook. You don’t have to leave, but you can,” KJ said. “Work, play, relax—that’s kind of the formula.”
Community Connections and Giving Back
Though Nordic Hill Manor draws guests from across the region, the Langes remain deeply connected to the Kitsap community. KJ is a longtime realtor and Rotary member, and the business partners with Visit Kitsap and Visit Poulsbo.
“We support local nonprofits. We’ve donated stays for auction items,” Heinz said.
One organization especially close to their hearts is Fishline. Over the years, the couple has hosted benefit events at the manor, including the Halloween-themed “Scare Away Hunger.”
Several years ago, the couple hosted Nordic Music Fest, an outdoor benefit concert on the hill that drew around 200 people and raised funds for Fishline. When that proved logistically more complicated than they wanted to repeat, they collaborated on a new fundraiser: Scare Away Hunger, a Halloween-themed, ticketed event hosted inside the manor.
“Amanda at Fishline has a Hollywood background, so she came with this whole vision,” KJ said.
At the time, Fishline was facing a major budget gap—about $80,000 needed to finish out the year. The Langes set a goal to raise $20,000 to help meet that need. In previous years, similar events had raised $10,000. As the event approached, an anonymous donor stepped in with a challenge.
“They told Fishline, ‘If you get your $10,000 from the event, I’ll make it $20,000,’” KJ said. “We did it. It was amazing.”
The Halloween theme would have delighted Heinz’s father, who once staged elaborate neighborhood scares involving a faux crate from “Universal Studios,” heavy breathing on a tape loop, and a towering “Frankenstein” emerging from behind a screen.
“When we did Scare Away Hunger, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, he would have loved this,’” Heinz said. “Amanda put one of his old animated faces right by the front door in his honor.”
Hospitality in the Hard Moments
Some of the manor’s most meaningful stays are also the quietest.
“One group came because a family member had stage four cancer,” KJ said. “They knew it was the last time they were all going to be together.”
“It still chokes me up,” Heinz said. “That’s when it really hit us—we’re not just renting a big house. We’re helping create spaces for these once-in-a-lifetime, sometimes last-in-a-lifetime, memories.”
The Langes live about 10 minutes away and remain hands-on owners. When power outages, snowstorms, or unexpected issues arise, they respond quickly.
Once, guests were due to arrive just as a power outage swept through the area.
“I ran to Walmart and bought batteries, a bunch of flashlights, some treats, even a couple of coolers because I wasn’t sure what they’d bring,” KJ said. “I had it all by the front door when they arrived. The power didn’t come back on until the next day. They were pretty glad to have it.”
“Some people aren’t used to that kind of weather, especially if they’re from out of the area,” KJ said. “Being local means we can show up, reassure them, and get them moving again.”
Looking Ahead
For the Langes, Nordic Hill Manor is a long-term investment in both family and community.
“We see it as multi-generational,” Heinz said. “The property’s been in the family for over a hundred years, and our kids are excited about it.”
“It’s a business we’ve created that will run whether we’re here or not,” KJ said. “We have cleaners, systems, everything in place. Hopefully we can hand that down, and they’ll make it even better. That’s what you hope for with your kids.”
There are ideas still on the horizon, but the core mission remains unchanged.
“Joy, laughter, great memories, experiences,” Heinz said. “That’s really what this place is about.”
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