Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa — Restaurant in Town of Marlborough

Overpriced, Property in Disrepair, Rude Management, No Peace, and Fraudulent Business Practices.

Let's dig in.

Fraudulent Business Practices: I booked not knowing that there would be a construction site right next to our room, trucks going by constantly, hammering, banging. The room I booked specifically had the word "peaceful" twice in the description. Also, the pool, steam shower, and sauna were all closed, though I didn't see any of that information from the main page through booking. When I received my spa confirmation week of our reservation, I saw in bold text at the top of the email that the pool, steam room, and sauna were all closed. Emailed expressing my disappointment asking for some discount given this wasn't what I expected. They responded that it was included in my confirmation email. Yes, that is true, but allllll the way at the bottom under the terms section. Also, no mention of construction next to our room. Plus, I shouldn't be made aware after spending money, but before. Explained this. Then, they mentioned that it was listed on an about page (category to be clicked off of main page), but why would I go to the about page if I had information from a friend? Also, wouldn't you put that information on the main page to be up front? Or maybe anywhere throughout the entire booking process? No, they didn't. Instead they blamed me, the guest. Luxury "resort"? I don't think so. For the record, the assistant GM, Camile did offer to let me cancel day of but my sister and I had already taken PTO and she was on her way, so not really a viable solution. They also offered an upgrade when I arrived but I reminded them that I was traveling with my pet (why I booked the pet friendly room). Thus, they couldn't move us. The simple fact was, they could have solved this with a voucher on dinner, a bottle of wine, anything up front. But instead, they doubled down on shady business practices. So, I filed a complaint with the BBB. Businesses who operate this way should be held to consequences. While ultimately, this business continued to do nothing to resolve, I hope it serves as a warning to others.

The room: The bed was nice and comfy but overall, the room was dark, save for the bathroom with the skylight. Walking up the stairs to the property, everything was rusted and falling apart. Inside, the decor was mostly old and in need of repair. While almost every hotel I stay in now has a smart TV, this one has cable channels only and was very small. Considering I paid $712 for 2 nights, certainly not the "luxury" experience as described. I'd maybe pay $250 a night for this room.

The spa: Enjoyed my CBD massage. It was fantastic. A+ The scrub was a bit lighter than I would have wanted, but the woman doing it was so lovely and accommodating. The view of the Hudson outside of the spa was also nice.

The property: It is very pretty with flowers, willow trees, ponds, views of the Hudson. Ducks everywhere. My sister fed the ducks from her hand. There is also pigs, chickens, and peacocks.

Pet Program: They mention dog beds, dog bowls, and toys in the room. None of that was provided.

The breakfast: The highlight of the whole thing. It was delicious and the staff here were so lovely. That breakfast was the luxury service that needed to be applied everywhere else. Spot on. Cheering on chef.

Buttermilk Falls: We walked down to see it but nothing like the photo. Not really worth seeing. That said, there is a train track down there and it is very cool to see the trains roll by.

Henry's Restaurant: The service was A+. The food? Mixed. Calamari was delicious. I got a burger that was burnt (even though I asked for medium) as was the bun. The truffle frites were flacid and dripping in oil. My sister got the short rib and she loved it.

I'd recommend Crew Restaurant in Poughkeepsie. That place was amazing.

Overall: Thumbs down but that...

I can only share my experience regarding the spa. I have been waiting to come here for probably a good three years now but for some reason or other, had to keep canceling my appointments. I finally got there today and I have to say that my first impression left me a bit underwhelmed. My husband called on Friday to confirm my appointment for today and they were able to switch to a different massage since he had accidentally booked the wrong one. I arrived a half an hour before my appointment and was greeted and asked if I had been there before. The front desk woman brought me to the locker room and explained how to use the locker and then instructed me to wait by the pool after changing and the massage therapist would call my name. There was no mention of the sauna or steam room, and I could certainly have asked, but I did not. I was hoping to use the steam room but I did not really mind waiting by the pool. It just would’ve been nice to unwind by myself in the steam room. The pool and locker rooms are advertised as “quiet rooms,“ but there were small groups of people around the pool chatting, and it was definitely not quiet. It wasn’t overwhelmingly loud and I’m not faulting people for talking in a public place, but it was hard to tune out conversations (and a ringing cell phone). The pool room was also warm and I was getting a bit too warm after sitting in there for 20 minutes in the spa robe. It definitely would’ve been more fun if I had a friend with me during that part. I booked the mill stone massage since I love the smell of lavender and I don’t quite get the point of the warm/wet towels. It took away from the hands-on time of the massage and didn’t really add too much to the experience for me. My massage therapist was good but there were a few instances where one of the coverings was stuck under my body and she just yanked it out. And honestly if I didn’t know that it was supposed to be a lavender massage, I would’ve had no idea. The oil did not smell like lavender in the slightest, and I have a very sensitive sense of smell. My only other criticism was that my massage therapist did not realize that I had booked a 90 minute massage and I didn’t see the time until after she advised that it was time to get dressed and left the room. So once I realized the time, I got dressed anyway and then informed the front desk staff. The staff was apologetic and the massage therapist apologized after it was brought to her attention, and I appreciated the apology. I honestly didn’t bring it to her attention because I was not crazy about the Millstone massage. I would’ve been happier with a regular massage that had more hands-on time. Locals get a 10% discount (Duchess, ulster, and orange counties), and I was given an additional 5% as an apology for the shortage on the massage. So I would probably return but I would get a different massage. I left feeling relaxed but not necessarily like I had a full body massage. No one area of my body really got treatment for an extended...

I really didn’t want to leave a review because I believed that management would have attempted to remedy the issues I encountered on my stay at Buttermilk.

The good parts… the grounds were beautiful, the room was cozy and warm and quiet. The front desk upon arrival was welcoming and made me feel extremely comfortable. Staff overall were very kind and I did my best to be as gratuitous as possible towards them. Overall, 2 nights with room, spa treatments, restaurant accommodations, and gratuity, the trip wound up costing me close to 1400. Which is fine. I knew I’d be spending money and that was something I was prepared to do to treat myself. Something I do not do on a regular basis. Buttermilk is beautiful but not something that a normal salary or income can allow regularly. But I chose this place for a few reasons.

The bad parts… I’d chosen this particular inn and suite mainly for the beautiful sunlit walk in shower and soaking tub. My first night in the suite I was happy to spend a good amount of time in the tub… the following morning I had my spa treatments. The spa was great, and again… I tipped graciously (as I, myself, also work on tips). Upon leaving my treatments, I strolled the grounds. It was nice, but the animals weren’t really out. I’m assuming bc of the weather being kinda grim. Not the inns fault of course. So I went back to my room. I had dinner reservations at 7 and knew that I’d have a couple hours to get some in town shopping done. When I got back through traffic, I really hadn’t had time to get a shower in before dinner. I went to Henry’s and the food / service was wonderful as it was the night before.

HERES THE ISSUE… I returned to my room around 8pm to find NEITHER the shower NOR the bath working. No water pressure whatsoever. The front desk was not answering so I called Henry’s to see if they’d be able to steer me in the direction of maintenance. I finally was able to speak to someone at 8:30 only to resolve that there was NO maintenance and NO security on the grounds!!! So not only was I still unable to shower off the massage oils in my hair, I felt extremely uncomfortable knowing there was nobody patrolling the grounds ESPECIALLY since I’d been informed that I was the ONLY person staying at the Inn.

I was offered a 10% discount on my stay … a total that barely covered my tax. At over 400 a night, I’d expect there to be no room for falsely advertised amenities. The problem was NOT addressed until 9am the next day. I don’t typically spend this kind of money on myself (frankly I can’t afford it as most people in this economy would probably agree) and I chose to go to buttermilk for the same reasons I was left in utter disappointment. I have attempted several times to contact management and have had absolutely not a single response. Small claims is really not something I want to get into. I would appreciate a response at...