NewVida Preserve — Restaurant in Town of Jay

My partner and I came here for an anniversary weekend. While the stay was overall lovely, there were some hiccups that could not be overlooked.

Let's start with the positive.

The location was great. Easy drives to all the Legacy Sites. We didn't have an opportunity to hike the property but it looked like it would have been a lot of fun. The resort itself was beautiful (see the pictures). It was clearly restored with a lot of thought and care. Many places to hang out, relax, read, eat, drink, play, lounge, do whatever.

The food and drinks - cannot say enough good things about it all. Breakfasts always hit the spot. And our dinner tasted amazing. From our morning lattes & drip coffees, to our evening mock-tails and Proseccos - chef's kiss.

Our room was super comfortable. The bed was huge. The tub was MADE for soaking and had its own room. Everything was clean and roomy. And once we figured our way around the place, it was very easy to make our way from our car, right to the room without going through the entire place.

Now on to the less positive ...

The resort had emailed us a list of items to expect to have in our room when we arrived - none of them were there (which included a "Do Not Disturb" sign). And the toilet paper roll was nearly empty too, with no extras in any cabinets or drawers! Annoying when one arrives at nearly 10 PM after a long drive and just wants to relax.

We had to explicitly mention to a staff member that it was our anniversary (even though we clearly noted it in the reservation), since most other resorts and hotels take extra steps for guests in those circumstances without being told.

As we arrived for our dinner reservation, the hostess intentionally mis-gendered my partner, which put a sour mood over the rest of our evening. And, perhaps the waiter was still new, but I had to explicitly ask for a steak knife for my pork chop order - since I only had a butter knife to work with.

There were a few other random things that were 'off' and maybe because the place is new and is still getting its bearings. Like, the dining area only had one shaker for salt, one for pepper, and one for sugar. So whichever guest got to it first, that was it. No other guest was going to have those things with their meal.

The staff that worked in the cafe/bistro tended to ignore customers if the lead staff member wasn't at the counter. Someone would take your order, but would then ignore you. No one would tell you that you can go have a seat in the dining area because they'll remember your face and bring you your food. And sometimes the food will come out quickly, other times it'll take 25-30 minutes. So hopefully you don't have anything time-sensitive planned that morning.

The final thing was the 24/7 coffee station. I had no idea how it worked and there were no instructions. I included a picture so maybe it's obvious to someone who has this same/similar machine but there was a spout but nothing came out most of the time, and there was no place to pour in water. Though there was fresh coffee in the top. I wanted coffee and nobody was around to explain this thing to me :-(

Overall, I'd probably come back if this place ends up being reasonably priced in comparison to other hotels or Airbnbs in the area but otherwise, I'm not sure it's worth...

Unfortunately we tried dinner here this week and are very disappointed with our experience. My mother has a peanut and pea allergy which was mentioned before ordering. When ordering, she clarified her dish would be safe for her allergens but after it arrived and she had a bite, we asked the staff to clarify what the sauce was. After checking in the kitchen, it was determined her plate contained the pea pesto which was unlisted on the menu for the dish she ordered. This PEA pesto obviously contained one of the allergens she told staff about ie peas. I, on the other hand, have celiac disease which I often explain as a gluten allergy to make it easier to understand what food items I have to avoid. I felt comfortable to order menu items that were clearly marked as gluten free (gf) on the menu and on the website with the addition of clearly stating that I have a gluten allergy when ordering my meal. However, after my mom’s meal was messed up, I wanted to clarify that my side of broccolini, which was marked at gluten free on the menu, was safe to eat for someone with a stated gluten allergy. In this case I specifically asked if the soy sauce was marked gluten free as soy sauce often contains gluten and must be gluten free to be safe. After checking in the kitchen, I was informed that this dish was in fact not gluten free due to the soy sauce. At this point, I had eaten some of the side as well as the meatballs that I ordered which were also marked as gluten free on the menu. Again, after checking in the kitchen, it turned out that the meatballs also contained gluten in the form of bread crumbs despite the gf listing on the menu. This is really horrible service to anyone with an allergy. Menu items should show all ingredients of a dish and not be listed as gluten free if they contain gluten. Our experience shows that the menu planners and kitchen staff do not fully understand allergies and their severity. Until changes are made to the menu and in allergy awareness for staff I will not feel comfortable...

I'm truly saddened to share this experience, especially since I had high hopes for New Vida based on several glowing reviews. My husband and I visit the Adirondacks every fall, and on our final day, we decided to try this place since it was conveniently located near our rental.

Our initial visit was uneventful; we arrived just before 5 PM and spent a few moments exploring the grounds, which were completely deserted. Not necessarily a negative thing, but it was very odd as this is advertised as a hotel/resort as well.

Once inside, we were seated at a window table. While my husband enjoyed a lovely view of Whiteface, I found my view obstructed by the window frame, and the glare of the sun made it difficult for him to see as well. Nothing we haven't experienced before.

Soon after we settled in, we noticed a disturbing number of flies buzzing around. At first, it seemed manageable, but it quickly escalated. There were at least 6 to 10 dead flies on the window sill behind me, and more scattered on the table. To my horror, I discovered that my jacket had almost touched a pile of them on the floor. I have pictures attached, but they hardly capture the unsettling scene of flies twitching and circling on the sill.

As if that weren’t enough, my husband looked around and spotted mouse droppings in the corner of our area. Mice droppings.

Despite the unsettling atmosphere, we had already ordered our food and opted to take it back to our rental, having spent around $80 on a beer, a glass of wine, two flatbread pizzas, and a side of garlic fries. In hindsight, I can hardly believe I made that choice after the unsanitary conditions we encountered.

When we returned to our rental, we found that the $18 flatbreads were barely substantial enough to feed one person, and the quality was disappointingly poor given the price and the experience we just endured.

New Vida was more like a...