Idlwilde Inn — Hotel in Town of Dix

My husband and I stayed at Idlwilde Inn in Watkins Glen, NY, for two nights. We had a wonderful time! Watkins Glen is a pretty little town with so many different things to do. We went because we wanted to see Seneca Lake and Watkins Glen State Park, both of which were beautiful. There were many things we didn’t have time to do during our visit, so we hope to be able to return sometime. If we do return, we will definitely stay at Idlwilde Inn again! I can not say enough good things about this place. The inn itself is a beautiful old house. The bedrooms are comfortable and charming. They were very well appointed. We could see Seneca Lake from our room. The public spaces were pretty and welcoming. They had many areas within the house, as well as outside on the property, where you could sit and relax or play games. Our favorite spot was the gazebo. They have an Alexa in there that you can use. We liked to sit in there and listen to music. You can see the lake from some areas on the front porch, which has a lot of comfortable seating. The owners, Elin and Marcus, and other staff were all so helpful and nice. Marcus gave us some good recommendations on what to see and where to eat in the area. They served breakfast every morning from 8:00-9:00. There was seating inside as well as outside. The food was absolutely delicious! It was always served hot and fresh. The house smelled so good in the mornings when they were preparing breakfast! They also had several beverage options for breakfast. They offered water, orange juice, freshly brewed coffee, and tea, as well as a Keurig machine that you could use anytime of day. The staff did a great job of keeping the bedrooms, bathrooms, and public spaces clean. The Idlwilde Inn is located very close to downtown Watkins Glen and Seneca Lake. We were able to easily walk into town and down to the lake. There were informational brochures available at the inn to help you find out more about local attractions. This inn had absolutely everything we could have needed or wanted. I would highly recommend the Idlwilde Inn to anyone looking for somewhere to stay in Watkins Glen or near the...

This was our first-ever stay at a B&B. Marcus and Elin (and Stella :) ) were very friendly and welcoming and helped us with every little thing we required. Our room was quite big and comfortable. The shower had great water pressure. The owners prepared breakfast every morning, so it was a different fare every day which was awesome - really great food and plenty of coffee. The wifi was VERY GOOD, though I never heard Marcus' explanation as to why (apparently there's a story behind it). There are plenty of board games and books to keep one entertained in the inn itself in case it's raining or something, but we mostly just went hiking immediately after breakfast. The building itself is gorgeous and is lit up beautifully at night as well. There's plenty of parking for everyone around the driveway. The inn is minutes away from the main street which has some very nice restaurants (the climb back to the inn is VERY steep though - learn from my bitter experience and don't walk if it's raining unless you like wading uphill through a stream). It's also ~10 minute walk from the Watkins Glen State Park, if you enter through Greenwood Cemetery which is lovely also. The benefits to entering this way are: a. Until mid-may, the lower trail (the Gorge trail) is closed, so there is no point entering from the main lower entrance. b. When all the trails are open, starting at the top means you're walking downward, making the trail easier. c. Parking at the inn is free, while parking at the park entrances isn't always.

2 minor points of improvement I'd suggest: More pillows in the room - I guess I could have asked for some but I kept forgetting until bedtime, and certainly wasn't about to bother anyone at 11:00pm over pillows. Power outlets - the room had plenty of outlets, but every outlet that was close to a surface (desk, nightstand) was already occupied by a nearby lamp, so we charged our devices on the floor. Using some kind of a splitter would...

Short story: these people cancelled my booking and never notified me by phone as their policy on their website promised. The booking agent (an obviously elderly woman) is unable to access her own booking system from inside her own hotel building. UPDATE: The older lady just called me back simply to argue with me on the phone, not offering anything to help my situation. I hung up on her without another word. For the full story, read on.

I supposedly booked a room over the weekend for an upcoming IndyCar race, having spoken to a woman on the phone who assured me that "if the room is listed online, it is available." I didn't believe a word of it, but she was adamant and so I went along. Booked via the online form and expected a confirmation call within 24 hours as the website promised. Over 50 hours later still no call. I called them to confirm, and lo and behold I was told that the reservation was rejected because the room was not available as of the time I booked it. The same woman, when I told her what had happened, offered me several much more expensive rooms, still even at that exact moment unable to confirm with me if I would get the rooms or not AS I WAS SPEAKING ON THE PHONE WITH HER. She was unable to access her own computerized booking system from inside her own hotel building. I asked if there was anything she could do to help me out with the situation given the circumstances and she bluntly refused. When I told her that her system is obviously a joke, she told me that no, this is just how things go. As mentioned above, after a short time she called me back basically to tell me off. Lovely people. So, if you like getting your reservation pulled out from under you as "it's just how things go", then by all means, book a room with these idiots. If you'd like to actually have a place to stay on your vacation, then...