Belhurst Castle

I can’t comment on the food because I only ate at their smaller restaurant and I thought it was fine. The wines were very good especially their white and rose wines. The views of the lake and the castle itself is fantastic

Great views! The grounds beautiful! The winery was nice had a great variety of wines. Restaurant just as great. Some of the wine was pricey. You can a tasting or have a glass outside. I will definitely book a room on my next visit.

Beautiful grounds! This is definitely a must see when you’re in the area, the winery itself is just okay … they have much better in the area. However this is a must see for the beautiful castle and lake front setting. Staff is very friendly and knowledgable about the wines as well as the history of the castle and stories behind. Next time I’d like to try their restaurant.

We spent a night in the castle during a trip to the Finger Lakes. The castle itself is stunning. We enjoyed having a (free!) glass of wine next to the fire pit. We also enjoyed wine tasting at the castle. It was nice that the wine tasting was open after 5, unlike many other wineries in the region, but we did not end up purchasing any wine.
The room was just OK. We didn’t have very high expectations for a drafty old castle. The windows throughout the castle, including in the dining rooms, really need to be replaced, air comes right through them. The bed was not particularly comfortable, but the linens were nice. There is no TV in the room; instead of a TV, they provide a computer monitor that is hooked up to cable. The bathroom was spacious, clean, and nicely appointed, though. And I was happy to have functioning wifi, which I wasn’t sure about with a castle.
We ate at Edgar’s for dinner and breakfast. The service was wonderful for both meals. For dinner, we had the scallops and the prime rib. The scallops were amazing, perfectly cooked and tender. I cannot recommend them enough. The prime rib was less than amazing. The meat was a bit tough and not particularly well seasoned.
Breakfast was a lovely experience. We had the frittata and the eggs benedict with sausage gravy. Service was quick, attentive, and friendly, and both meals were tasty. They provided a good base for a day of wine tasting.
Overall I would stay here again. The grounds and castle are lovely, customer service was good, the restaurants were good, and the room was adequate.

We had a memorable experience eating lunch in a private room at the castle to celebrate a friends 30^th birthday
The server Jude was wonderful. No complaints from 11 people on the food
The food was very good
We had to make a reservation for a tasting because there were eight of us drinking it was a preselect sample that was disappointing to us
When I did asked to try the sparkling wines they were very accommodating
And that is what I bought there
The castje and the view exceptional
Would have a drink at the bar and lunch again

Beautiful beautiful castle spectacular grounds I have just celebrated my 55^th birthday there we stayed in the carriage house it was a little run-​down little shabby cracks in the walls around the bathtub and the toilet moves when you sit on it the sink emptied very slowly
But we didn’t really spend any time in the room so it was no big deal to us we had dinner at the stonecutters and we had breakfasted a Edgars
I can honestly say both meals were slow coming out and the breakfast was cold. My husband doesn’t like to make a fuss so eat his stone cold breakfast. It was a nice break but needs some TLC!!!

Phenomenal place to stay if you are looking for a fun get away. Town has great food and shops and many friendly people. The castle itself is stunning with many historical pictures and displays and just the feel of stepping back in time. Stayed in both the Vinifera and the Master Suite of the castle. Be forwarned the castle can be spooky to stay in but very enjoyable otherwise. Great spa as well. Ask for Molly if you go. The biggest thing to me is that for as high end of pricing the place was they treated everyone with great respect and offered help in every way possible. Will be back again soon.

This was my second stay with Belhurst, my first being ten years ago. The staff was very friendly both in the castle and in the wine tasting area. The room disappointed a little bit. I had my girlfriend choose which room for a birthday overnight stay. She choose the Bronze room, soles for the grand fireplace that was advertised. The room was quaint enough and comfortable. But the main draw, the fireplace, never worked. Upon entering the room we turned it on (gas of course) but it went out after 5 minutes, pilot and all. The pilot restart would not work, so we contacted the front desk (as per instructions on the mantle). Two hours later, someone came to the room and restarted it for us, only to have it go out again, 5 minutes later. we didn’t bother again after that.
Dinner at The Stone Cutters was very good. Great menu with fair prices. There where very few people there that night, but they still seemed under staffed. Another small disappointment was the complimentary wine spigot for the guests. It was empty the whole stay, even after we brought it to the attention of the front desk (again, as directed on the sign near by).
I will defiantly go there again to eat, but for the price of the room… and what did not work… I will not stay there again.

If your main selling point is being a castle, it would be nice to endulge your guests by having exterior accent/​landscape lighting so one might actually be able to see the exterior at night. I drove an hour on NYE to be let down immensely by the experience.

We had a magical experience at Belhurst Castle. We stayed in the tower suite. It was beautiful! We were there for a weekend in the dead of the winter, during a raging snowstorm. The perfect place to be! We enjoyed our room, the wine spigot, and some excellent meals — especially the breakfasts. We did a couples massage at the spa that was incredibly relaxing and enjoyable. The afternoon when the snow was at its height was spent in the pub reading, relaxing, and enjoying some wine and appetizers. I highly recommend the castle in the winter — so quiet and relaxing. The perfect getaway!

We were staying at Geneva on the Lake for the weekend and had dinner reservations at Belhurst Castle (made months in advance).
For starters, the castle itself is really pretty, albeit a bit outdated. But that’s where the beauty ends. We were two couples. We had reservations in Edgar’s, and had requested a table near the fireplace. They ended up putting us in a small room that was once a porch on the castle. It had 10 tables in it and only two were being used. One of them was a party of seven 13 – 15 yr old girls… all talking at full decibel… and they put us right next to them. Sure, we could’ve asked to be moved, but they should’ve known better than to seat us there in the first place.
Then came the meal. Two of us ordered steak, one lobster, and one chicken dish. Apps, soups, and salads came out in an acceptable time frame. Dinner, on the other hand, was delayed by more than 45 minutes. After about 40 minutes of sitting there, the waiter (Carl) somehow found our table again. He explained to us that he put our dinner order in just BEHIND the order for a party of 19. I had ordered a Delmonico. When it finally arrived, it was cold. Not warm, not cool, COLD. I had requested a side of mushrooms and a Beranaise sauce on the side. The sauce was also ice cold. After walking the floor of the restaurant to locate Carl, my wife slowly led him back to our table, so as not to lose him on the way. Once there, I informed him that my steak, and Bearnaise, was the temperature of coldcuts. He apologized and promptly took it away. He then returned it 10 minutes later, after having just removed it from the oven. It was definitely much much warmer. And also much much more than medium cooked. It was completely over cooked. …and the sauce was still cold. The waiter informed me that the «chef» told him to tell me that Bearnaise has to be cold or the egg will cook. I’ve had Bearnaise in Bern’s in Tampa, Peter Luger’s, Gallagher’s, basically every quality steak house around, and it was ALWAYS warm. Never cold. Ever.
This place is a joke. It captures people, like a spider web, because of its exterior, but nothing inside is worth the money.
Avoid avoid avoid.

One star is generous for Belhurst. Whatever you do trust me when I say don’t book your wedding here. The planner Carmen cares nothing to call you back or support you in anyway. The management and ownership cares about one thing. taking an event from the highest bidder but providing the bare minimum in service. This venue cancelled by wedding 6 months before when I booked two years in advance because they did not want to accommodate basic guest service requests and as it turns out booked a larger more expensive wedding on the same date.
I also tried to book spa services for my wedding party and they demanded I pay upfront which is outrageous. They also denied me certain religious needs after verbally agreeing to them. Do not trust this venue or anything they tell you.

Belhurst is absolutely terrible as to management and food, which is sad because the Castle and the grounds are so beautiful. I reserved the Carriage House, one of the small houses adjacent to the Castle, for a wedding. The problem was the bathroom. There was only a narrow bathtub and a shower. No effort had been made to place handles you could use to get out of the shower; in fact, there were no strips on the bottom of the tub. As a result, when I tried to take a shower, I nearly fell trying to get out, and I pulled the shower curtain down trying to find something to hang on to. If you are older, this is really dangerous, since there is no way to communicate with anyone if you fall. There is no phone and you are away from the Castle. I reported this to an Assistant Manager in the morning, who scribbled something on a notepad. Apparently, telling them about something so dangerous is of no real concern. I then told her I was going to get some breakfast, and to please tell my brother to meet me there. I gave his name and described him. They never told him anything. He sat in the lobby directly in front of the Assistant Manager for nearly an hour, and I found him since I was wondering where he was. Belhurst never apologized for the problem in the bathroom, or made any attempt to resolve it.
The food was terrible. The chicken I had at the reception was the epitome of the «rubber chicken». The first Eggs Benedict I was served at breakfast was actually cold. The second was better.
Do NOT pay for a wedding or event at Belhurst. You may think the setting is beautiful, and it is. But it is NOT worth the money or the aggravation.

This place is CRYING to be updated! Ugh, the potential is so, so, high, but the reality is so off the mark!
Who DOESN’T love a castle? I mean, really? This place makes you feel like Cinderella… but not the version in the gorgeous gown with a hunky prince squiring her around. Belhurst is the grubby Cinderella, waiting for her prince to arrive.
The actual castle interior is gorgeous. The wood detailing, the stone, the fireplace with the knight… YES! But everything needs a dusting, a polishing, worn carpets replaced, etc. It’s so lackluster and depressing.
I’ve never slept (term used loosely because it was the worst night of tossing and turning… was I being tested like The Princess and the Pea?) so bad in a hotel bed. It felt like a relic from the 1880’s, hard/​uncomfortable mattress, it was tiny (why are all the beds tiny full/​queen ones? I’m in a castle-​KING ME!), whatever the mattress is made of is so loud. I could barely take a deep breath without hearing noises from the rickety bed frame, or the mattress. I wonder if the owners have tried sleeping in one of the castle chamber beds? They should, to understand what guests are experiencing. Unfortunately, it’s not the restful sleep of Sleeping Beauty.
Everything in the room is outdated from the fixtures, to the wallpaper/​blinds and décor. It’s all mixed-​matched furniture from the ’80’s adding zero atmosphere to the room. Fairy Godmother, where are you with that magic wand?
The coffee maker has a basket next to it with cream/​sugar in a package. I guarantee those packages haven’t been changed out or replaced. When I picked one up, the cream was spoiled and smelled so awful. The modern day poison apple? Perhaps, but I wasn’t daring enough to find out!
Things are dusty in the room, the knick-​knacks, the glasses just sitting around, pretty much everything. I just don’t know what is being cleaned at all. If the maids spent as much time actually deep cleaning, as they do on twisting all the guest towels into weird configurations and knots, that room would be GLEAMING… like a magic mirror!
Pros: Front desk staff helpful and accommodating, staff at Stonecutter’s and Edgar’s attentive, spa staff was friendly and inviting, the masseuses we had were great, the grounds are gorgeous and well kept.
I love castles, I stay in one whenever I can find one while on vacation. I wanted to love it here and wanted to come back and sadly, I have no desire to come back to this hotel.

Recently had a meal at Edgar’s. One star is a generous ranking for this place, and it is only because of the wonderful view of Seneca lake. The view is the only thing this restaurant has going for it.
The décor was severely outdated, think 80’s or early 90’s, tacky lamps on the table, and dead light fixtures adorned the walls. The ancient window air conditioner was also not pleasant.
Service was mediocre at best. For a party of 9 people our 1 server was not sufficient. It took 3 hours from start to finish. We should have had 2 servers and 1 busser. Our dirty appetizer plates sat in front of us far too long and prolonged the delivery of our food because our table was not clear and ready. All of the tables around us finished and their dirty plates and glassware sat there for the entirety of our meal. Our food arrived on plates still wet from the dishwasher, haphazardly presented. No thought what so ever was put into the presentation, it was just slopped on the plate. The meal itself was barely warm, and severely under seasoned. I cannot say one good thing about it. Dessert was what you would expect from any premade frozen and then thawed item. For the price point I was extremely underwhelmed, disappointed, and frankly in shock that this place is even in business. One final note, 4 of the 9 people in our party were sick. We will never return.

As a native of the Finger Lakes area I like to take out of town friends to Belhurst Castle for a meal. After last Sunday’s breakfast I will not be doing that any longer. The Eggs Benedict was so poorly done I was embarrassed to have brought my friend there. The poached egg was closing in on hard boiled and the English muffin was obviously the cheap off brand Walmart sells in their refrigerated section. It was not even toasted enough. Even the couple at the table next to me mentioned the poor quality of theirs.
I mentioned it to our server later and he said he has had many complaints like mine and they all fall on the deaf ears of the current chef.
As far as I am concerned, the quality of a restaurant’s breakfast speaks volumes about what I can expect from their other meals.
I brought a tour group of 40 here for 6 years in a row when they had a breakfast buffet and it was wonderful. Since they went to individual table service at breakfast I stopped bringing my group. I’m glad I stopped so they never got to experience the poor quality food.

Winery and historic castle just minutes south of geneva on seneca lake. On the national register of historic places. Previously a speakeasy during prohibition with owner Bud Dwyer. Also houses two restaurants — Edgars and Stonecutters. Cabernet Franc, Carrie, and pheasant wines

Ok fellow Unilocalers. You might want to vote with your hard earned cheese by going somewhere else when you travel to the Finger Lakes area. Its’s sad: this place has SO much potential but just does not live up to what it costs to stay there when headed to wine country in upstate NY.
From the outside the looks are reminiscent of 1700’s castle over looking Seneca lake. But within a few feet of stepping into facility this potential rural garden of eden became more like the wilted and decayed boroughs of Cain and Able.
I really wanted and expected this place to be cool – especially for its steep price of admission. Alas, it never delivered and left me wanting to retreat home as soon as the sun rose. From the sticky vinyl chairs in the «up scale» restaurant to the 1950’s musty carpet reminents that provide wall-​to-​wall dirty passage ways. This place had not been cleaned in a very very very long time.
Room wise, the only redeeming factor was room size. Besides that, they were infested with mosquitos from cracks in the window air-​conditioning units. Plug-in’s for your modern day devices: no sir. The outlets could not even hold a plug to charge a phone due to their age (seriously dated around 1950’s).
This place has such great potential to be a mecca for those wanting to travel in the NY wine country… but leaves one feeling so cheated because it doesn’t deliver even close to what is expected by today’s modern travelers.
Unilocalers beware…

The view is STUNNING
Customer Service. OH HELL NO.
We are waiting at the tasting bar the woman does not even acknowledge us, but a group of four 20 something’s she takes care of. I talked to the cashier and told her. «Hey we were waiting and instead of taking care of us she walked up to the group of four. Your customer service is piss poor and I will be taking my money elsewhere.»
Don’t bother. Better vineyards abound…

Oh dear. I do wish I would have read the other reviews before booking a suite here and making reservations for brunch. We decided to stay at Belhurst because the look of the place is just bad ass. It’s a big old castle on Seneca Lake. It’s a really cool building and the grounds are gorgeous. The are guest rooms located in the original castle, as well as in a 1980s-​style addition called the Vinafera Inn. We booked late in the season, so we stayed in the Vinafera, which we were both totally fine with.
Here’s the good: Our room was really spacious and had a huge hot tub, shower, and working fireplace. Our nights were cozy and we could barely hear any other guests, even though the place was full. The décor was definitely from the mid-​1980s, but the room was clean and I didn’t mind all the mismatched furniture. Also, the bar overlooking the lake (Stonecutters) is so chill. The bartenders are friendly, the view of the lake is stunning, and (most importantly) there’s a large selection of wines and alcohol. We ordered the fondue, which was served with apples, pears, and an assortment of breads. It was yummy. (On a related note, the Belhurst spa is great for a relaxing massage to sooth a wine-​induced hangover.)
And the not so good: The service at the Belhurst is horrible. The individuals working at the reception desk looked at me like I was a martian when I requested an extra pack of coffee for the next morning. (I was anticipating a hangover, thank you very much.) The winery is alright, though not comparable to some of the other wineries in the area. Finally, I feel like I need to address Edgar’s, the restaurant. It’s located on the first floor of the castle and tries very hard to be grand, but desperately needs some upgrades. We had breakfast and I felt like we overpaid by about 50%, given the quality of the food. I had a veggie omelet that I couldn’t even eat because it was served in a bowl of grease. Yuck.
All in all, our stay was fine, but I won’t be back.