Catskill Mountain Lodge

Bad decision in dinning and friday night jazz. Your better off eating road kill and listening to bad thrasher bands.

The Catskill Mountain Lodge was a wonderfully refreshing, clean and friendly place. Very nice location, just outside the Catskill Park… not too far from the 87 Thruway. Nice quiet town, off the main path of the major Catskills attractions, but very conveniently located. We stayed at the main lodge just off of 32A, where you can hear the traffic, but not too loud as to be annoying. We ate at the steakhouse restaurant on premises, and had the pleasure of being served by the sweetest most wonderful little girl (daughter of the owner, who plays the saxophone in the jazz group that plays at the restaurant). The Jazz group was very professional and skilled, and food very good.
Overall a very pleasant experience… nice clean rooms, quiet, convenient location, and the price was good ($ 129 per night booked from Expedia)

There are very few places outside of the concrete jungle where you can get the thrill, art, culture, adventure and excitement that the city holds while remaining tranquil, in your comfort zone, and at peace. This is by far the best vacation I’ve had upstate, or in America for that matter. So good it got me to download Unilocal so I could let the world know. In describing what makes my stay here truly unique, I must first touch on the activities going on inside and around the lodge. Currently, I am sitting on the balcony outside of my room, a beautiful two bed, large bathroom oasis with just enough sun to wake you up in the morning, watching the pool, where a young girls dreams turn to reality as she acts as the lead role of a feature film. The movie they are shooting here is not only a beautiful concept and a great story to watch, but is in no way disturbing or demanding of my attention. On the contrary, I have noticed I wake up excited to find out where each new scene is during each of my days here. I actually extended my stay so I could keep watching the creativity! The entertainment and the thoughts it brings me are remarkable. Now I could stop here, because the fact these people are letting this movie flourish here is enough to bring me back to these woods, but the accoutrements are also top notch.
I was welcomed to my room by an extremely attentive and relaxing staff, my bathroom had complementary high end hair and body products, plenty of towels and great water pressure. AND TOOTHPASTE! Hotels never have toothpaste and I always forget it :(. soo was very happy right off the bat. There’s a tv and plenty of space for clothing. The beds have two blankets, one fuzzy soft one and one plain down comforter, over the top sheet. the first comforter was all I needed, so I was sleeping on a fuzzy bed of amazingness. If it weren’t for the babbling of the brook and the thrill of the film shoot, I may not have woken up. The air conditioner is high tech and has all the settings you could possibly want to create the perfect room temperature.
the food was amazing, the restaurant next door is full of staff who want to make your bellies and your wallet happy, and after finding that I didn’t want anything on the menu, (im really annoyingly picky about food) one of the kind owners made me a special dish all my own, at a fee that a freelance artist in college could afford.
In general the place is clean, open, woodsy, and smells of fresh saw dust and pine can be tasted in the air. There is a beautiful stream out back with a small playground and chairs for sitting, I took a walk by the stream and was stunned at how long I stayed sitting on the rocks. The place literally puts you in a meditational state. I obviously loved it here, and I hope many people see this and share my experience.
THE TWO NEGATIVES: The screen door leading to the balcony is very clean and thin, so clean I ran straight into it and knocked it off the hinges. with a couple clicks I had it back on the door working in perfect condition, but I’d say always make sure your balcony door is open before you try to walk through it.
Secondly, the wifi is a little weak inside the room but on the balcony and in the restaurant I had no issues.
the movie ends shooting next week so get here while you can still get a look at the action! :)

Would not recommend this place. The beds were comfortable and the rooms while far from pristine are usable. But the way that this place is run is clearly not for the benefit of customers. You feel like you are staying in a place run by serious misers when it comes to comfort. And we did not pay rock bottom prices to stay here. We came for the Rhinebeck festival and booked late so our pickings were slim.
Some highlights:
-«Game room» which is a nice feature but had broken games, missing parts.
–The bedspread we were given smelled strongly, musty and maybe mothballs? We saw when the lady was getting us the blanket others in the closet wrapped in plastic and asked for one of those instead but it was clear she didn’t want to use good blankets on paying customers.
–A leaky toilet
–A continental breakfast, laid out late, that is a complete joke. Cereal out but no spoons or bowls? Once the first pastries run out the staff are told by management not to put out more (actually overheard part of a conversation that made this apparent.)
-«In room coffee service:» 2 pods for 3 adults (and we paid extra for the third adult!) and you buy any more at $ 2 a pod.
It’s sad. This place has so much potential. But it’s clear the management isn’t interested in doing what it takes to make the place shine.

We had an amazing time at the lodge. The owners were awesome! I thought Kathy would hate me because I called so many times with questions. I needed a fridge for medicine but did not mention when I booked it. Kathy changed us to cabin 18! It was adorable. As a child I spent every summer at the Catskills & I would come back with my family again & again. Even though we brought our own Kureg any time I went to the lobby I got coffee. One time the pot was empty and Kathy made me a fresh pot immediately.
For all those that say there was no coffee is lying. Anyone saying Kathy & Al aren’t nice, welcoming & helpful are completely LYING!
Such a sweet place we will be back!!!

The Catskill Mountain Lodge was *fine*. We were having a last minute getaway and based on the website, we were expecting something a little more modern or charming. We stayed in the deluxe lodge on the ground floor. The room was clean, but everything was dated and a little shabby (stained towels, no hallway lights, creaky floors).
The owners were very nice and gave us a partial refund when we needed to cut our stay short.
There was nothing wrong with the place, but we wouldn’t stay here again. It’s fine if you’re passing through, but not the destination we were looking for.

The people working at the hotel were very nice, which is why I’m giving 2 stars (and not one)
Restaurant/​bar — food was passable, with 13 beers on tap and good service… décor was 1960’s dive, but hey, it’s a lodge
Hotel rooms — holy crap… these have not been properly cleaned in DECADES… I know it looks like I’m using hyperbole, but alas, no… the corners of the room my wife and I shared had spider webs thick enough to hold the accumulated travel trash from my pockets, with dead bugs and dust on the floor underneath them… the bath towels looked like old bandages that had become too thin to be used for their original purpose… we asked the person working the counter if we could ‘upgrade’ and she was very nice and showed us a few rooms in the other building… these reeked of mold, and were no cleaner, so we politely declined…
Amenities — the ‘gym’ is a basement room with some rusty free-​weights strewn around an ancient nautilus machine… inexplicably, there is an open door leading to what looks like the final scene in every zombie movie I’ve ever seen… I will say that the pool looked very clean and inviting
In summary, it was completely gross, and I wouldn’t stay again, but the staff were friendly, the pool looked clean, and my wife and I have a hilarious story to share with friends

We have chosen the Lodge because it is pet friendly and had a great experience. The owners are very friendly and pleasant to talk to. They gave us tips and advice about where to get skying gear and places to visit. We stayed at the cabin, which was spacious and had a fridge as well. The cabins are simple, but clean and comfortable.
The restaurant in the Lodge has a live jazz music — really good actually — and the food was tasty! We really enjoyed it… try the toast or english muffin with your breakfast meal (its amazing!)
The environment is quiet and there is a creek behind the Lodge as well as a children’s playground. It is great for families or couples… and dog owners!
Overall, it is a clean and comfortable country style accommodation with great restaurant, and friendly stuff, located 30 minutes from skying slopes and hiking places!

Just spent a weekend at the Catskill Mountain Lodge with my fiancé, and we had a great time. The lodge is family run and the owners and they were very accommodating at every turn and went out of their way to help us in any way they could — information on skiing, hiking, etc.
The cabins are simple but clean and nice, with plenty of hot water. The restaurant attached was excellent, with live music on the weekends — jazz in the evening (with Al, the owner, playing in the band), and nice acoustic guitar during the day…
Overall, we had a great experience and would recommend for others planning a ski weekend or summer getaway.

I began reading the reviews AFTER I checked in to the lodge and found them quite amusing. I, contrary to the posted reviewers, had a great time there. The owner Al couldn’t have been more accommodating, (some stated he is rude??) The bartender Carol had a great personality even after we made her stay quite a bit later than usual. The dinner we had there was delicious. I would definitely stay there again.

Edit 8÷12÷10 — After discussions with the owner, I have edited this review to make corrections and to acknowledge the latitude the group was provided.
My review below is from my experience staying in early July. The hotel was booked solid for four day «rally» and the management did not staff accordingly. The rally booked the entire lodge, and did so again for 2011. The Owner did provide the group with a lot of latitude, and should be commended for that. I originally booked a reservation for next year’s rally to be closer to friends, but realized that if I were to truly stand behind my review, I could not stay here again.
This place *has* potential. It is because of this potential that I would stay there again if I *had* to, because I certainly wouldn’t *want* to. As the owner took the time to contact me directly, I’ll give a nod and bump up my rating to two stars, from the one star that I «awarded» earlier — that was overly harsh.
First and foremost, some of the photographs listed on the site here are outdated. The creek is nothing more than dried-​up creekbed with a plummeting drop down to it (more than 6ft). There were no safety netting or «do not cross» line warning people — I guarantee some idiot will fall in at some point.
The housecleaning service was sub-​par throughout most of the stay. Garbage was not emptied until the last day, sheets were never switched out — seemed like whomever was working the first three days did only what they absolutely had to — make the bed. After talking with other guests, the level of service received was consistent with what others were experiencing.
Attempting to get new bath towels after the first night resulted in a confrontation with one of the owners, who didn’t give the opportunity at first to explain that their maid did not change them out earlier in the morning. Yelling and accusations ensued that just shouldn’t have happened.
On the last day the maid was different — she had these really cool «Happy Bunny» pants — and she cared about the job she did. Result? The room was *nice*. I’ve been accused of being a complainer, but if the level of service on day 4 was the consistent throughout the stay I’d have *zilch* to complain about in that department.
The room also had some sort of failing water valve that slammed the pipes in a rhythmic fashion throughout the night. Since the hotel was booked solid, I didn’t bother asking to be switched and just dealt with it. Lastly, it seemed the pillows and mattress were from the Nixon era — I’ve never slept on a more uncomfortable bed. Perhaps just my room? Not sure — the room I had was in the oldest portion of the Lodge.
The on-​site restaurant was understaffed and serving warm/​hot juices at breakfast. Clearly they were not ready for the amount of business. $$$ value was less than what I was used to. The on-​site bar which touts 13 local beers on tap was… well, not well stocked on those taps. On the night of check in ~half were not pouring, on Saturday night they still weren’t fully stocked on taps. Again the ownership was accommodating to the Rally group and our desire to congregate outdoors at late hours, including bringing our own libations onto the property and congregating around the bonfire ring. Not that we were going to bother any other guests…
What bothers me about Al G, one of the principals, is the way he conducted himself in contacting me after he read my initial review. At times he convoluted the distinct points raised by myself and another similar review on his establishment. After being dubbed a «complainer» and a «moody teenager» in private messaging, I was left feeling bewildered after writing to him what I felt was a fair response to his comments. He did apologize, but last I checked, name calling is not a great way to conduct business and get someone to alter or delete their review (as he requested).
Any Unilocaler that would like a copy of the correspondence between the owner and I contact me directly and I’ll be happy to send it to you.
As I said to Al in my last message to him, «we’re done here».

Our housekeeper only made the bed and I was YELLED at by the co-​owner for requesting fresh towels. The restaurant was so poorly organized that the waiter didn’t even realize that he served all but one person. There was a loud, bizarre noise in our room that kept me up all night. The bed was hard and the pillows must’ve been 20 years old.