Avon Old Farms Hotel — Hotel in Avon

I thought it would be nice to try something different and the reviews drew us to Avon Old Farms this time 'round. What a mistake. Either the restaurant has recently gone down hill or the people reviewing are affiliated with the restaurant. I have photos I am posting of the food which was not just bad but unsafe. Burners were out on some of the food and several of the items were definitely cold that should have been hot. I worry about our health after eating here. The owner (Sean) was not there on this Sunday (27-Dec-2009) and the manager was very young and seemed overwhelmed when I showed her the health code violations. The carving station meat was so dry you couldn't possible eat it (pork and turkey). The fish was swimming in oil and so over cooked you could not eat it as you couldn't cut into it. I have photos of all of this to share with the board of health in ct. This wasn't a matter of subjective interest, this was a health issue that I have documented. The place should be closed and the chef arrested. Service...poor. Waited 10 minutes for milk for cereal for our kids (the only edible item). Coffee was not refilled and cold. drink order (juices, sodas) partially incorrect. They make it a point to tell you they charge for seconds on juice, then they give you these little juice cups. Its an all you can eat brunch? Soft drinks are typically included in this unless apparently you can't figure out how to adequately make a profit and have to nickel & dime your customers too. Food...Omelets were actually scrambled eggs as the "Chef" who looked all of 17, had no ability to flip in the pan and watching 4 pans full made he had no ability. Also, a dirty rag was kept near the eggs so he could wipe out the pans with it. I have no idea how long the use of the rag to wipe out pans had been occurring but this is not a sanitary method for cleaning pans. Chicken in a pan. Cool to touch and badly burned. When we arrived there was nearly a pan full of this item, when we left the same amount was in the pan minus the one I tested (note I did not eat it just checked its temperature and doneness). Risotto. Consistency of lumpy oatmeal with an odor that alone could make you ill. The pan had not been stirred and in the picture I took you will see a ring of risotto as people took from the middle of the pan and all that remained was outside ring of disgusting crust. "kids" buffet...chicken parm. Cold and burned and tasted like bitter peppers. disgusting. "kids" buffet...pasta & Sauce. Overcooked and stuck together but edible if you are a kid and surprisingly hot given the rest of the experience. crepes with blueberry. I can't comment on the taste, I have a photo with someone bringing stern-o to heat them as the pan they had been in was cold to touch until I brought it to there attention. Hence, this item was way beyond safe temperature for serving. They tossed new potatoes in oil with onion and stick them in a pan to serve. Barely cooked and awful tasting. Eggs benedict? They were out completely when I first got there and it took them about 10 minutes to replenish which I think is appalling. The hollandaise was off color yellow (almost brown) and so bad that I really believe this to be the single biggest reason to take there license away and put the chef in jail (or back there assuming perhaps its where he got his training...insult or not this food was criminally disappointing). The hollandaise was truly awful, the muffins were not even warmed let alone toasted. the canadian bacon was overdone and the eggs were overdone. What an insult to the inventor of this normally delightful sunday brunch delicacy. Even their crescents were awful and then there were only two items for dessert. The items were mini-pumpkin cheesecakes and cannoli. Both were sour and likely ruined from the Sunshine hitting the table. They need to revoke the so-called brunch award and close this place down. This was the first brunch my family and I ever had to leave hungry and wanted...

I really wanted to love this hotel. I stayed here at the beginning of the summer, The staff seemed very friendly upon entry and the location seems very convenient to food and shopping or whatever you need. The main lobby is stunning and picturesque, but I couldn’t help but notice a combination of a lovely fragrance and food, but both things combined made it for an unpleasant smell by day two. In the main building, there was no one to receive guest or to help with luggage. Upon arrival, my room was a lot smaller than expected, but not bad. I was disappointed to see how dated the TV was, and there was only cable available and you couldn’t stream any services. And the terms they did have were very few. The one thing wanted to do was sit by the pool and read a book, and I was disappointed to learn that it was closed. They wouldn’t even allow for sitting by it. I understood it not being open for the season yet the pool was my only reason for a booking. I went off to explore the grounds with a bicycle that was provided, which was nice. But there were areas of the grounds that are not well kept up with there was a lot of moss growing on things and chairs were dirty. The images on Google are a little bit deceiving just because the grounds are not as nice as I hoped. The swing looked dangerous and unstable. The chessboard had not been cleaned in a long time, and it was covered in spiderwebs and other critters. While getting ready for dinner, I noticed an increasing number of ants in the bathroom and when I called for help, I was told that the maintenance person had left so there is no one available after a certain time (around 5) To help with anything that goes wrong in the rooms. As the hours went on, the amount of ants increased more and more. I wanted to have dinner at the restaurant that is open only a few days a week and it was not open the days that I was there which was pretty disappointing. Every time I walked into the main lobby, there was that combination of food and heavy fragrance, and it was terrible. Because the restaurants were not open, but something was being cooked for something. Breakfast isn’t exciting, but edible. The gym is completely outdated well over 30 year old equipment that looked pretty dangerous. I wanted to use the sauna but even after 30-45 minutes of turning it on it still was barely warm. The gym is also pretty hard to find and they aren’t very obvious signs for it. At night, the bar was not open So sitting and trying to socialize with other guest is out of the question. I think the hotel has a lot of potential, but a lot of changes would have to be made in order for me to stay here again. The major Takeaway being better entertainment in the rooms, Updated gym equipment, and sauna, The restaurant should be open every night for guest that want to eat there and not drive somewhere. The ground should be kept up with a little better, and whatever doors lead to kitchens should be sealed shut so that there is not a constant smell of food. The mattresses could be updated as well. There should be a bell person at the entrance when there are expected guests to check it. There should also be a bar attendant every single day. A band or something one or two days a week would also bring people out...

This was a very interesting stay. We only stayed one night unfortunately so we didn't get to take full advantage of everything that this place had to offer but it was a very unique place nonetheless. This hotel is like a mansion, it has different wings and it is quite gigantic. It has actual grounds and activities. You can go and have a giant game of chess in the backyard or you can hang out in the hallways and play board games. You can play pool or go to the bar, they have breakfast included with their stays. It is a very interesting and unique experience. At night they have beautifully lit up trees throughout the garden, they have gazebos that you can spend time in. The hotel itself is a little bit dated but the whole experience makes you feel kind of like you're in a magical type of movie. The vibe is great. The staff wasn't exceptionally warm and welcoming but they were decent enough. There was one person that was working in the breakfast area who is downright rude however. My wife asked for water and he completely ignored her. It seems as though they have a lot of events that you can plan here such as weddings and things like that. They also have a gym which is very small but if you're desperate it'll do. We didn't get to experience the pool because the pool hours are terribly orchestrated, at least on Sundays. Check out is at 11:00 but the pool opens at 10:00 so it gives you no time to enjoy it. The Wi-Fi didn't work for us well and we were on the first floor. When we went to the main desk to let them know about the situation there was someone else sitting in the main room with their laptop because they could not access the internet properly either and they were also on the first floor. So, the staff gave us a credit and took the grounds tax off of our bill which was fine enough since we were only staying for one night but keep in mind if you're coming here to work you may or may not have issues when it comes to Wi-Fi. The staff will blame the mountain for the Wi-Fi being bad but if you know anything about the internet you'll know that the mountain has nothing to do with your bad Wi-Fi connection. What it has to do with is the fact that the grounds are gigantic and they don't have enough range on their Wi-Fi. Overall I wouldn't mind staying here again (as long as I knew that the Wi-Fi would work) so that I could really get to appreciate the beauty that this plays offers. Again, it feels like you're in kind of like a magical or a haunted movie. Very...