Lakeside Terrace

My husband and I returned to Lakeside Terrace in late September. For the second time we had a great experience. Merri, the owner was wonderful and the property is perfect. If you are looking for nature and serenity you have come to the right place. Things to do in neighboring areas are varied. We went to the Apple Squeeze Festival in Lennox which was fun and charming. We visited the Norman Rockwell Museum which was very nostalgic. We ate at various restaurants in different towns and enjoyed them all. But we enjoyed staying at the Inn more than anything. We felt like we were staying in a relatives home, because Merri could not have been more welcoming or informative to help us have a perfect 4 days. We were never bored and just being at Lakeside Terrace is cleansing and wonderful. We will be returning for years to come.

the owner is nice on the way in and pushy on the way out. while relaxing in the living room after taking a morning swim she reminded us again that check out was at 11, and she said it with an air of slight rudeness, not the bubbly welcoming lady that greeted us after a 8 hour motorcycle ride. Personally I felt the room was overpriced for the accommodations provided. Cheap continental breakfast, and not enough of it by 9am (breakfast is from 8:30 — 9:30). deffinetly felt pushed out the door. :(

This really should have been more of a 2.5. My husband and I got this groupon for memorial day weekend. It was $ 299 for 3 nights. Regular price is $ 175 per night. It came with continental breakfast of hard boiled eggs, coffee, OJ, cereal, and English muffins.
PROS:
1.)This place sits at a secluded spot right on Lake Garfield.
2.)The owner has a boat and about 4 kayaks.
3.)The house is 150 years old, very charming, and BEAUTIFUL!!!
4.)Its located 15 minutes from Great Barrington, farms, and near Tanglewood, and other events.
5.)We got to meet great people and started some awesome friendships.
6.)Free WIFI
7.)Cable on the TV in the living room.
8.)Fireplace in the living room.
CONS:
1.)Because the house is so old, it is very cold OR very hot. No AC or central heat. When the fireplace was lit, the first floor is warm, but the bedrooms were cold if you don’t keep your bedroom door open and exposed to other guests. The owner did tell us this before we got there. You can always bring blankets and jackets if its cold, but I can imagine some pretty hot summers. Each room has a fan though.
2.)I sprained my ankle while I was there and the owner never even asked if I was OK or what happened (I got more help from the guests)
3. The walls are paper thin, and all but 1 of the rooms are on the same floor. So I could hear everyone’s conversations and um… intimate moments. Not much privacy.
4. When I go on vacation I like to do the things I can’t do all the time; like stay up late talking, playing, laughing, enjoying some drinks, and letting loose. My husband and I and a few other couples stayed up until between 2−3am. When my husband and I decided to go outside on the lawn, the owner turned the lights off immediately. I guess the party was over. No staying up to see the sunrise. We were not rowdy, nothing got knocked down or ruined. It would have been great if there had maybe been a fire pit, or tiki torches or something to keep us warm so we could have went outside with our «party».
5. We stayed in room 7. Rooms 6 and 7 SHARE a bathroom and are VERY small rooms. (She did warn me about that) I just want to let you know how it is. We paid the same amount as everyone else. Through groupon the daily rate was about $ 100 a night. Six other couples were in rooms with 2 – 3 times the space and a private bathroom for the same price I paid. So if you stay in room 6 or 7, please get to know your neighbor because you’ll need to figure out a bathroom schedule.
6. Heaven help you if you’re not off the property by 11am. We were already packed up and out of the house, but decided to sit on the lawn for another hour or so to talk to guests who remained there. My husband was pretty much told in a «polite» way that unless we were gonna pay to stay another night, we’d have to leave. This has NEVER happened anywhere we’ve stayed at.
I hate to say this because the owner seemed to be a nice lady, but she was kinda the main problem. I felt like there was an unwritten list of rules, but you didn’t really know you were breaking them until she mentioned it after the fact. We’d never stayed at a Bed and Breakfast before, so if this is the norm then we’ll probably stay at a regular hotel next time. This is a great experience if you are sporty, don’t mind being in close proximity to people, and go to bed early.
Overall the experience was like staying at your easily annoyed grandma’s house. except you’re paying for it.

Great location right on Lake Garfield with a private deck to boat. Tiny room with beds from before the beginning of time, shared bathrooms with fixtures from the 50ths and paper thin walls to boot. A tenement experience rather than a romantic one, accompanied by a ‘continental breakfast’ that is uninspired (penny-​crunched describes it better). Would I buy the property? Yes. Would I come back? Definitely not, at least not with current management and accommodations.