The Catskills B & B

I could give this multilpe 0 stars if possible. We paid for 2 nights on a last minute getaway from New York City and after meeting Lewis we immediately decided to not stay the second night and he wouldn’t refund our money, but offered us a credit. We then started to think about who we hate that we could send for the last night. Lewis is an absolute ass and wants you to think he is intelligent, but he just regurgitates whatever he has read on Wikipedia. Thankfully we didn’t want dinner because breakfast was HORRIBLE. I asked for tea multiple times, but never recevied it, Lewis was too busy talking about how smart he is. I will take the $ 181 hit and review this on every site, just to make sure no one makes the same mistake I did. I do feel bad for his wife!

Beware of this B&B. We went sometime last year through Living Social and ended up getting a partial refund (along with a number of other people… Living Social ended up removing the deal all together from their website). I concur with the 0 – 1 star reviews about this place: was a complete disappointment and the host is really someone you won’t want to spend too much time with. The problem is, he doesn’t really stop talking or leave you alone until you make it REALLY obvious that you want to go to your room (which I ended up checking over and over to make sure there weren’t any weird peep holes or anything). Just saw this deal posted on How About We and we wrote a review there… the company ended up temporarily removing it pending further investigation. Want to spread the word that this place is not somewhere you wanna spent ANY time… and plus, there isn’t great reception up there. Could be bad.

First time in a b&b, so I am no expert by any means. I stayed here with my boyfriend recently with a package purchased from living social. It included a «welcome kit,» daily breakfast, and a seven course dinner. I will explain what each consisted of for those of you who have yet to experience your time here. The welcome kit was a couple of books and brochures about activities in the surrounding area. For breakfast, we received a small serving of eggs with two small pieces of bread with oatmeal. The dinner consisted of pickled vegetables, soup, soba noodles, and a casserole of puréed broccoli and cheese layered with phyllo. On a scale of 1 to 10, the food was 5.
The hosts were kind and accommodating and the husband was very talkative. He’s intelligent and likes very much to talk about what he knows. Go with an open mind and go with someone that you love spending time with. If you do these things, combined with a hike and a stop at the local pizzeria, you will have a good time.

Hoping for a break from the daily commute and the big city, I booked a weekend through a LivingSocial deal and I’m really glad I did!
I stayed for a weekend last month with my husband and we had a great time. It was exactly what I wanted from a B&B experience — a big cozy house with hospitable hosts. It was an unusually wet and chilly weekend in the area so it was lovely to have a warm, huge, comfortable bedroom to come back to at the end of each day.
Being a shy person, I was worried about sharing space with strangers but it barely came up — in fact, I appreciated that the host unobtrusively fetched us for meals, helped keep up the conversation over breakfast and dinner, and pointed us in the direction of the amazing Bibliobarn and quaint «Taste of the Catskills Festival». Otherwise, we were left alone to play card games and watch Netflix (as boring as that sounds, it’s definitely what I needed at the time).
I was really surprised to see some of the reviews here because they sound so different from my own experience. I would recommend this place to anyone that was looking to explore the area (though it’s kind of a dull place to be if you’re looking for anything besides autumn leaves and relaxation).

Alas, it is Monday morning and I am back to the grind, so there is little time for this or that and this again… So, for my review I will simply excerpt from the letter that I’ve written to the pleasantly lunatical Lewis and the true star, the underpinning, the rock-​hard foundation of this B&B — Lilia.
Dear L&L,
Chelsea and I had a splendid time staying at your beautiful home this past weekend. Thank you once again for your warm and engaging hospitality, the mile long yarn of amusing stories, as well as our newfound and truly meaningful friendship.
The day we left we ended up in Woodstock for dinner after gallivanting about Delaware county and we were seated, sandwiched in the uncomfortable in-​between of two rather pretentious young women who seemed to be on a first date (who reminded us of a lot of the wanna-​bes back home in Manhattan) on one side — and an older couple on the other, who simply did not speak to each other throughout almost the entire meal.
This experience, rightly reminded us of how great it was to meet you both and to immerse ourselves in your idiosyncratic authenticity… even if we had to press the pause button on Lewis a few times, so that we might escape and take advantage of the gorgeous countryside called the Catskills (which, by the way, are far more beautiful than the rides through the Adirondacks and the Poconos).
We are seriously considering seeking a second home in the area and quite honestly, the greatest impetus to possibly be in Stamford, is simply to be next to you two crazy kids.
…
With Sincere Regards,
Lorenzo

LOL who else wants to bet that lewis is writing the only positive reviews?

We just returned from a 2 night stay, and we were pleased with our experience. I was a little concerned by the website, there seemed to be some inconsistencies between the business website and what I thought had been offered through LivingSocial. I know business owners who work with the online deal businesses, and none of them have been 100% happy with how the writers portray their business or their offers, so I attributed the disparity to an effort of the vendors to sell coupons.
I agree the cooking class was less than I expected, I had hoped for a demonstration at least, with something to taste at the end. We were the only ones there on Sunday, so the discussion was informal and I did learn some things which I am eager to apply to my own cooking.
The welcome packet served the same purpose as the list of local information in a hotel room. The main difference is that at the B&B, there is one, rather than one for every room. I found this to be a creative way to provide good, up-​to-​date information without wasting resources. Guests are free to take what brochures they find interesting while leaving those they don’t need, and the printed pages need only be done once, saving paper and other resources, truly GREEN. We followed several of the hosts’ suggestions and had a great time at the book village, and then the next day exploring the region and enjoying the view from the nearby Mount Utsayantha and the fire tower.
Lewis is definitely a talker and enjoys animated discussions. While we were there, we participated in several wonderful conversations, and learned much from both Lewis and Lilia, as well as the other guests.
We have been to other B & B’s and the various hosts have engaged themselves with us and others to different degrees and at various levels of intensity. This is is one of the variables that is part of the B & B experience. As with any new travel, keeping a flexible and open attitude is an important part of enjoying and benefitting from the new experience.
We stayed on the 3^rd floor, and found the room quite nice. The one window did not allow air in, and when we asked, we were shown how to open the skylight to provide ventilation and allow the cool night air in to freshen the room and facilitate sleep.
We are not vegetarian, so I was not sure what to expect from the meals, and was very pleased with how flavorful, varied, and creative they were. I have friends with celiac disease and others who have food allergies, so I asked about some of the recipes and was given an overview of how he prepared the dishes, with a list of special techniques and seasonings. I was very intrigued by the stuffed mushrooms and how the filling tasted like sausage!
I have been cooking for over 30 years myself, so found his overviews to be very similar to the way I cook, and easy for me to remember. It would probably not work for someone who wants a precise list of ingredients, quantities and preparation instructions, but even sharing the special twists he uses is more than many chefs would do, and I was pleased with this gracious addition to my experience.
Why only 4 stars?
We were disappointed that the advertised internet availability was not working when we were there, and I debated whether that should add or reduce a star from the rating because while we do use the internet for finding ideas and researching where to go next, we spent less time with our computers and more with each other and our fellow guests.
There is some degree of email and internet connection required by my husband’s work, and not having access at the B & B caused some unexpected inconvenience, so I chose to withhold the star. Getting away is much easier when we can take a small piece (internet and email in this case) with us.

This is in response from Lewis to Essie Z.
I have to say that the experience became less desirable after reading this response. Going into this I had no idea what the accommodations were and I don’t care that Lewis made a mix up and then brought us to our correct room. The fact that he berated my wife because she was getting upset was unprofessional and inexcusable.
I did not know the room we were staying in, I didn’t know any of those details. On the merits of the room alone we first saw it was very nice but obviously not what my wife paid for and telling us we need «a reality check» because you thought we didn’t book in advance isn’t a way to treat guests. Telling us to leave because we won’t enjoy ourselves and saying we have a bad attitude was uncalled for.
Dinner was extremely long. I did enjoy it. The food wasn’t bad and the company was amazing. It would have been nice to know in advance it was so long. If we had plans to go out on our vacation we would have had to have left dinner early.
The bathroom window on that first floor only has the bottom window frosted. People are allowed to feel uneasy in a situation like that not.
The eccentricity of Lewis made it uneasy. Having a conversation would not have been an issue but each conversation lasted a very long time and tended to include him speaking about Game Theory, his radio show, his mother thinking he was gay or not being politically correct either singularly or a combination of them.
This isn’t a question of your hobbies or past jobs or anything of the kind.
Perhaps we aren’t familiar with the Bed and Breakfast culture but we were really looking for a nice place to stay where we could relax and get away from it all. It is difficult to do so when you can’t leave the table.
I would have liked to have rated this higher but unfortunately I cannot, not with the response that was given back to my wife. Our first B&B experience just started off so too poorly.

*****MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT THE MANY 1-​STAR REVIEWS IN THE FILTERED SECTION FROM OTHER ANGRY, HONEST CUSTOMERS!!!******
This place = Most deserving of zero stars on all of Unilocal.It is SO bad that Google Offers, Groupon, Living Social, and other deal-​offering sites have started issuing refunds because there are so many legitimate complaints.
My review, as per the shady owner’s assertion, is not character defamation whatsoever; nor is it mean-​spirited. It is simply the TRUTH, as evidenced and validated by countless reviews of other angered customers who were also taken advantage of. It is mind-​boggling for someone in the hospitality business to obtusely not realize that who he is and how he acts is one hundred percent reflective of how his business functions. Which, in this case, is a bona fide disaster that needs to be shut down by both the Health & Sanitation Department and by the Stamford, NY police.

I booked reservations here for my husband and me three months in advance for two nights in a room with a queen size bed and private bath, a daily full vegetarian breakfast, a seven-​Course gourmet vegetarian dinner with beverage pairing, a gourmet vegetarian cooking class, a welcome kit with self-​guided driving-​tour maps, and a hiker’s day pack for $ 369. This was our first visit to a B&B, so we weren’t sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this. I was brought to tears by the end of our tour of the premises.

Lewis greeted us in the driveway and offered us cookies and tea. Somewhere in the rambling greeting, he said «You won’t be in the room with the private bath. I would have given it to you if I could, but you have to understand I’m booked solid through September, so you have to share the bath. But I’m going to give you a gourmet dinner with a beverage pairing at no cost to you.» He must have seen my confused look as he told me this, because he followed it up with, «This is what happens when you call me at the last minute and want a room.» Huh?
He took us on a tour of the gardens before taking us up to our room, where instead of a queen bed there two twin beds that he would help us push together. At this point, I was completely baffled, and asked, «Soo… what happened that we can’t have the room I reserved?» He decided I needed a «reality check» and condescendingly lectured me about my attitude and outlook. «If you’re going to come in here with a mind that you’re not going to like it, that you’re not going to have fun, then you’re not» and so on. After a few minutes of this, I was speechless and livid, but he continued. «I’m not going to make you stay. If you don’t like it, you can leave. You don’t have to stay.» The second he was out the door, I cried. I could deal with the shared bath and even the separate beds, but to be berated and treated so poorly for no apparent reason? I couldn’t believe it. We thought about leaving even after we were given a room with a private bath (after he double checked his reservations since «you people looked so grumpy» and realized he had me confused with another guest who hadn’t arrived yet), but we decided to stay for the night and try to make the best of it.

Good:
–Lewis’s soup, garlic bread, pickled vegetables, and hummus were superb.
–The fresh juices and home-​made juice punches were delicious; some of the best I’ve had.
–The house is beautiful and in a lovely, very convenient location with a really interesting old cemetery next door.
–Everything was clean and there are a lot of interesting things in the house.
–Lilia is a sweetheart.
–The rooms were very charming, even the small one with the twin beds.
–Lewis was upfront from the beginning about why certain things that were supposed to be included in the package weren’t, such as the welcome kit and hiker’s trail maps.
–Lewis asked for feedback and opinions on things he was thinking of adding or doing for future guests.

Not So Good:
–Dinner lasted a whopping three hours. Tapas are ok with me, but I was hoping for something with a little more substance to keep us full.
–The website is deceiving. While the house is gorgeous, it isn’t advertised accurately.
–The lock on our bedroom door didn’t work.
–The window in our shower was in one of the meditation gardens, where a chair was pointed right at the house. Even the frosted glass did not make me feel comfortable showering after dark.
–Lewis’s eccentricity is overwhelming. He will talk at you forever and can be extremely difficult to understand and follow. I think he reads people just fine but doesn’t respond accordingly to what he’s reading. His stories and commentary are often inappropriate and likely to be found offensive by many people. I’m not often bothered by off color remarks, but some of the things said made my eyes bulge. Aside from the awful interaction when we first arrived Lewis wasn’t rude. I think he means well and tries to be accommodating, but has no filter.
I avoided the common areas so that I wouldn’t have to interact too much with Lewis. Sitting on the porch or in the garden or exploring the books and antiques in the house would have been delightful, but I was tense and on guard any time I wasn’t in our room. My husband and I actually planned an entire day, complete with change of clothes in the car, out of the house and snuck back to our room late in the evening. We even skipped the cooking class, which I had been looking forward to.
Would I say this is one of the best places I’ve ever stayed? Absolutely not. It wasn’t a great intro to a B&B, and I wouldn’t go back. The best thing about staying here was meeting the three couples we had the pleasure of sharing the house with our first night. But it is certainly one of the most memorable trips I’ve taken.

I will not beat a dead horse by restating negative point already covered in other reviews I will say most are true. But I will say the place is way over priced. I understand it’s b and b and had no expectations of 5 star hotel accommodations. But for the price of 200+ dollars a night I expected a 5 star b and b experience. I was truly disappointed. If it cost half what we paid I would of given it 4 stars. But it is what it is. And what it is is bad

My wife and I went here for a long weekend getaway. We had a very relaxing weekend and truly enjoyed our hosts and accommodations.
We had a nice big room with a big bed and private bath. We had plenty of privacy and alone time in our room and at a local park so it was very romantic. We both slept very well since it was so quiet at night. Pretty quiet during the day too… LoL.
We enjoyed two different seven course meals prepared to our vegan needs by Lewis and Lilia. They actually had to modify their meals for us but Lewis did so with ease. I never really cared much for eggplant but the way Lewis made it I enjoyed it thoroughly. Breakfast was served each morning with lots of coffee, fresh juice, fresh fruit and we had pancakes one day and waffles the next… both were excellent.
One of the things that stands out about this B&B is that Lewis and his wife are very engaging. In some other B&B’s I have stayed at there has been no interaction with the host and in many cases not even when I needed assistance. Lewis and Lilia are very helpful and even offered to help us plan our day in and around town. They also held a very informative cooking class. Lewis explained that he is not insured to have us actually chopping vegetables and cooking and so on, but my wife and I learned a lot from his ideas. He showed us several spices that he uses and explained how things work together and a few easy recipes for beginners like me.
I am sure that some people have a great expectation and are experts on everything which leads to great dissatisfaction as per their reviews. I find it best to discover places like this and see what they are all about. The B&B industry is artistic in nature and each experience stems from the hosts idea of what a B&B should be. If you want all sorts of standards and amenities the B&B’s across this great nation are probably not for you. I enjoy experiencing each one and taking them for what they are. In this case I found great conversation, warm and cozy atmosphere, and on the day I left I felt completely at ease. Lewis is a social type and he is well educated and if you sit tight you just may learn something. I did and this was a great experience for us.

I came up here with a friend for a weekend. The town of Stamford itself is charming (there are some cute little shops and restaurants, a nearby hiking trail, and a local bowling alley), but my experience at the B&B was disappointing, especially considering the cost. Here are some details:
Atmosphere: As for what to expect, the B&B itself is nice. When we checked in, we were greeted with cookies and tea, which was very nice. The rooms are comfortable, and there are beautiful antiques throughout the home. There is a porch swing that you can sit on and read. However, there are some things that need to be changed: The only TVs in the B&B are in TV rooms, and the rooms are not set up for comfort – so much so that we chose not to use them; there are no sofas or comfortable chairs near the TV. Also, my friend and I got into town earlier than check-​in time but could not get into the B&B until much later in the afternoon. We were not able to leave our bags indoors.
Owners: Of the couple who owns the place, Lilia, the wife is lovely and makes delicious desserts. However, Lewis, the husband, is a handful. Previous reviewers described him as eccentric, but that is an understatement. If you want a vacation where you really want to bond and talk a LOT with the hosts, this is the place for you. However, if you want to be left even a little to yourself, this is not at all the place for you. Lewis will talk your ear off and tell never-​ending stories. He is well-​meaning, but he is egocentric, inappropriate, and offensive (he calls Native Americans «Indians» and homosexuals «gays;» tells stories of the transgender couples that came to visit at the B&B, in the sense that he couldn’t determine whether one guest was a man or a woman – what does it matter?! – and recaps stories of his own past sexual escapades and one-​night stands, with his wife right in the room). What’s more, all of this means that the guests don’t have much opportunity at all to easily have conversations amongst themselves. If you try to interject, it is very difficult to do so and you end up just listening to him talk. It got to the point where we spent an entire day outside of the B&B just to have some quiet.
Food: Breakfast was just okay – I did not feel that ours was up to par with what previous reviewers wrote here (croissants, oatmeal, and frittata would have been nice!); we were served whole-​wheat pancakes that were pretty bland. For dinner, a seven-​course vegetarian dinner was included in our package. It was good, although extremely heavy on vegetables and extremely light on carbs and protein (our menu: lentil soup, pickled vegetables, potato salad, potato skins with salsa, sautéed baby Portobello mushrooms and sundried tomatoes, steamed carrots, and chocolate cake). Some of the items, like the potato skins, were interesting to try. We paid for a second dinner out-​of-​pocket, and we were given a half-​off price of $ 30 per person. This seemed a bit steep for what we were served; I definitely think the original price of $ 60 would have been overpriced.
Cooking class: The biggest disappointment of the weekend was the cooking class that we paid for as part of our package. In the class, we were supposed to make a lunch that we could take hiking with us. But the class consisted of Lewis rambling about the different spices he uses, what foods he keeps in his freezer, etc. The «class» was extremely unorganized, with absolutely no focus and definitely no planned lunch creation. Even Lewis admitted that he never plans his meals out in advance and cooks what comes to him at the moment – but for a planned cooking class, there needs to be some actual planning and cooking involved! The class was so boring that we excused ourselves after 15 minutes. We didn’t make any food in the class, and we didn’t prepare any lunch; instead, we had to purchase a lunch in town before we went hiking.
All in all, I might visit the area again but I would not stay at this B&B and would definitely not recommend it to anyone else. I do not feel that I got the serenity I was seeking for at this establishment. The package that we bought was at a discount but was still quite a lot of money to pay for a weekend getaway that wasn’t top notch.

My boyfriend and I bought a Google deal for this B&B and used it in early April. We weren’t sure what we were getting into, but it was a great deal, and I really wanted to get out of Brooklyn for the weekend. I’m so glad we went! From the moment we drove up the hill towards the mansion (yes — it’s a 17 room mansion) until we walked out Sunday morning with a bag of Lewis and Lily’s homemade trail mix for the drive home, the weekend was perfect.
We stayed in a room on the third floor, which Lewis described on the phone as «small.» I certainly didn’t feel that way! It had a queen bed located in an alcove under the slanting ceiling, with a huge skylight directly above. At night we could see the stars! (Only downside: the light came in in the morning… but it was worth it). The room was located on a large common room with a television, and had a bathroom across the hall shared with the other bedrooms. I was initially a little wary about the shared bathroom, and if we’d been paying full price I think I would have wanted a private one, but it worked out just fine. It was kept very clean, though some hand soap would have been nice. If we’d had a private bath, I think this B&B would unquestionably get 5 stars. As it is, I know there are some more expensive rooms that do offer private bathrooms, but we had a wonderful stay regardless and I loved our skylight room. Note: bring slippers or thick socks, because they request that you take your shoes off in the house.
As for the hosts, Lewis and Lilia: they were lovely! My boyfriend commented that if you get him talking (which isn’t hard to do), you’ll soon find out that he’s the Catskills version of The Most Interesting Man in the World. His stories ranged from tales of his exploits as a personal shaman for the Gabor sisters to sitting in on top governmental meetings to creating his own thousand-​page manual on game theory. Pay no attention to Lewis’ comments that he is «not a real chef.» The breakfasts and 9 course dinner that we ate there suggested the contrary. A few of our favorite dishes: tomato miso soup with glass noodles, Spanish tomato rice, warm lentil salad with vinaigrette… For those meat-​eaters skeptical of a vegetarian meal: my boyfriend is a big meat-​eater, and he genuinely enjoyed the dinner. Also, Thomas K. is right: the homemade croissants at breakfast are AMAZING. Fresh out of the oven!
We went hiking on Saturday (Windham Peak) and the B&B was a great jumping off point. I’d definitely recommend this B&B for those who want to hike or ski in the area, or who just want a quiet weekend in the country with plenty of good food and eccentric, entertaining hosts.

We just got home from a relaxing weekend at the Catskills B & B. Lewis and Lily are wonderful hosts. The food was amazing. Our stay included breakfast and dinner each night we were there. Lewis is a great chef who comes up with absolutely amazing recipes. We aren’t vegetarian, but the vegetarian meals were so delicious and satisfying.
The room we stayed in was beautiful. We opted for the suite with the jacuzzi tub. This included a private movie room, bedroom with a comfortable queen size bed, and a bathroom with a shower, bidet, jacuzzi and twin sinks.
If you go, you HAVE to ask to try their home-​made trail mix and this dessert that Louis recently came up with that has the texture and consistency of ice cream, but has no dairy in it at all. It was banana-​peanut butter-​ginger flavored and is absolutely amazing.
All in all, we loved staying at the Catskills B & B and would recommend it to others who want a quiet weekend getaway.

My boyfriend and I stayed here during the New Year’s Eve weekend. Its was the perfect place for a romantic and quiet getaway. The house is gorgeous, we had a beautiful bedroom with a queen size bed and a private bath. There is a lake right across from the house and the hiking trail to Mount Utsayantha is just 15 –20 minutes walking distance.
The hosts Lewis and Lilly are very gracious and welcoming. Breakfast was delicious with lots of variety, good company and conversation.
I would definitely go back and would highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking to escape from the city.

We stayed here for the weekend of New Year’s and had a great stay. The room was large, comfortable, filled with antiques, and a private bath with a jacuzzi (wasn’t working), twin sinks, and a bath/​shower, and a great queen sized bed with plenty of covering to keep us snug.
The meals provided were vegetarian and more than enough to fill us up. Here’s a sampling of what we dined upon:
A vegetable Napoleon with phyllo dough, sliced squash, and locally sourced cheeses; whole wheat spaghetti with basil infused olive oil and steamed broccoli florets; garlic crostini; tossed salad with home-​grown arugula, shredded carrot and red onion; spiced apple cake and a home brewed herbal iced tea. That was only the first night!
For breakfast we were treated to puffed millet and kamut cereal, homemade croissant with guava jam, and a vegetable fritatta, oatmeal with dates, raisins, and local maple syrup.
Lila and Lewis were kind and talkative hosts with many (TOO many, really) stories to tell. They’ve got no prior experience running a B&B, and it shows… but they try. It was difficult to break away from some of the longer, one-​sided conversations so as not to be disrespectful, but probably should have insisted.
There’s plenty of things to do in the area such as skiing and snow activities at Hunter Mountain, hiking, antiquing, etc. Steer clear of the services at this «spa»…as it doesn’t have that kind of feel or atmosphere.
We came because of a Groupon special which was a pretty good deal.