"Among the Catskills, a disjointed member of the Adirondacks, there lives a simple and good natured…read morefellow named Rip Van Winkle". - Washington Irving. And I can continue to quote much chapter and verse of this posthumous writing as the writing is near and dear to my heart - the gallantry shown at Fort Christina and more, the true founders of New York and I wish the good Peter Styversant were here today to drop a heap of learning about America on you who don't understand not just NY history, but America! Love it or be gone. Arriving at 5:45, I hadn't inquired as to what time the first tee ball hits the air, turns out it's about 8:00am. So I practiced my sneaky bump and runs, flips and flops and Texas toe downs. And player worth his salt has to know a multitude of great escape shots. So I lead the field being put out as a single with twins and fours amassing behind me and being 2 years removed from the short grass (due to injuries) I was a bit nervy on the 1st tee, nobody knew who I was, everyone else knew each other. Fortunately I ripped a low 3 iron cut stinger and I was off, still walking and carrying my bag, adding layers and subtracting layers as it was nippy in the mountains. I love the classic shallow and square bunkering design originally popular with architecture from the 20's and 30's. The greens rolled true but I couldn't buy a putt, not much break out there and putting off the second collar is doable. The fairways were in the shape to be expected for early season golf, what I should have done was pay closer attention to the unseen creeks that protected some greens and ran out along the sides. But I was the first player and I needed to set a good pace out there. Overall, the course played extremely fair, I can't give the staff enough credit for such fine service for me, attentiveness and extremely friendly.

Rip Van Winkle holds a special place in my heart…read more Not only is it the closest golf course to my parents' home and as such the place where I've golfed the most in the past decade (not saying much), but it's also the first place my brother, my father and I played after my father went through some very serious medical issues. We weren't entirely sure if he would ever be able to play golf again, so it was an amazing feeling to get out and hit a few balls with him last year. My father is doing much better now (physically at least, not that much better at golf), and so we try and get out whenever possible. This adds up to a couple times a year here when I'm in town, and accordingly, I am very, very bad at golf. Please believe that no one is mistaking Rip Van Winkle for something that belongs on the PGA Tour. When Greene County hasn't gotten enough rain, you may see a few brown spots out there. It's only nine holes, and generally pretty flat. However, it's an accessible, family-run place that I feel lucky to be able to play. It's affordable (kids play free too), and has my kind of casual vibe. I love that if I forgot to pack a collared shirt, they don't hassle me. My dad says the owner John is a great guy, and I like that his teenage son is often riding around tidying up the course. It's a true family biz. They do a good job too; the greens are well-maintained, the mountain backdrop is gorgeous, and you can't be sad about any day you spend trying to knock a little white ball around a beautiful grassy area. I suppose I can be sad about how poorly I do it, but I'm pretty happy here overall.

We had an outstanding dining experience from start to finish. Every course was beautifully…read morepresented and just as delicious as it looked. The bread and butter was simple but absolutely superb. The Caesar salad was fresh, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. The all entrées were equally impressive. The steak was incredibly tender, and paired perfectly with the roasted potatoes, caramelized onion, and rich jus. Even the deviled eggs were elevated with unique toppings that made them both beautiful and delicious. The service was attentive without being overbearing, and the overall atmosphere made for a wonderful evening. The price included the tip, which made the experience feel even more seamless and well worth the cost. If you're looking for a restaurant that delivers exceptional food, thoughtful presentation, and excellent value, I highly recommend it. I'll definitely be back!

Without a question, this is one of the most memorable locations my spouse and I have ever visited…read more The cuisine is delicious, the service is flawless, and Julia is a fantastic bartender and host! Julia's Local is a diamond, not just a gem! And in the magnificent Catskills, what better location!

You have to book a room with the view or else what's the point?! Rooms are very nice, 2 sinks which…read moremade getting ready super easy, and plenty of libations if you don't want to leave the room. If you stay here you get to use the amenities at the Waterside Spa for free during your stay. It's a 14 minute walk or a 3 minute drive. You can order room service from the restaurant if you're into that but I recommend walking up Partition Street for food and shopping. I liked waking up early, getting a quick bite from their continental breakfast in the lobby, and then heading down to their wooden walkway to get closer to the waterfall under the bridge. The walls are kinda thin and the restaurant is very meh but overall a great relaxing experience. You can even leave your car in the parking lot after you checkout if you still want to do things locally.

Ok...Going to try and do three reviews in one; Hotel, Spa, Restaurant…read more -Diamond Mills Hotel- Never even thought there would be something like this in little ol' Saugerties. Actually, it's been there for 11 years. Perfect location. Just off the main area, but within walking distance to town. If you do stay here, try to get a room that faces the waterfall. Also, take the wooden walkway down to the base of the falls. We started out our morning doing so, and it was quite scenic. The rooms are big, but the walls are paper thin. Expect to hear chatter, like we experienced at 6am. Continental Breakfast was abundant with muffins, cereal, coffee and juice. -The Waterside Spa- My wife signed us up for a Couples Massage, in the middle of the afternoon. But we headed over early. Great place to lie out on the deck to catch some rays and relax. Take a soak in one of their small pools or try the sauna if you dare (at one point it was 190 degrees) The massages were nice, however the "Hot Stone" one was a little too gentle for me. You can actually spend all day here. They have a lot of places to nest, as well as a cafe. Just a 3 minute car ride. -Blackbarn Restaurant- Connected to the hotel, with the same stunning views and a great interior is "Blackbarn" After reading about the amazing and award winning chefs, I was excited to eat here. But disappointment quickly took over. My chicken tasted like it was marinated in vinegar, and the Vegetable Lasagna was made in a microwave. We ordered 2 desserts that we sent back. The pastry chef needs to be fired. This restaurant sucks.

Never been place like this. Never experienced a BAD customer service like here. 2* motel charging…read more$140/ night . Iam not against it if the room clean. During COVID 19 , we can expect the employees wear mask. They are not. Room was unbelievable dirty. Bed was made but not washed..As you see on pictures ,my points. NOT pet friendly place . I didnt even take my dog to the room. When I requested to get a refund ( on calm voice and attitude) and leave , owner was telling me: Go to the Hell! I hope you will enjoy that. Shove your card to your ass. Take your dog too , to hell. I just can't believe how unprofessional , nasty person can run this motel. I will report this place to be sure , people will be safe if they going there. Better not to.

This charming lodge has been serving families and travelers for decades. After some years of…read moredecline, new owners have been reinvigorating the site with a '70s retro-cool aesthetic. Clean rooms, fresh paint, and a friendly, attentive staff are making a big difference. Some of the furnishings could still use refurbishing or replacing. On our visit, we could see they were installing a vintage malm fireplace in the lobby. We also had the pleasure to meet fellow travelers around the fire pit, most of whom were returning guests. I also found out on our return, that we have friends who remember frequenting this place back in the day. If we find ourselves back this way again, we would love to make another visit. They seem to be in the process of redoing the bar/restaurant, so no review on that - but looks very cozy

What an terrible experience!!!…read more I emailed several times and then since I got no response called multiple times. I left messages both with answering machines and with live people. No responses until I finally called at the moment some woman named yaako or something like that answered. She was absolutely nasty AF and completely unhelpful. I was trying to plan an event for 30 to 60 people well over 3 months in advance for a Thursday evening. She made it very clear by her s***** customer service that they are not interested in your business. This is a real shame as the place looks really nice and seems to have a great setting, but if this is the customer service I'm going to get from some quote unquote manager- forget it. There are many far better places with far better customer service within 20 minutes of this place.. Oh, and I just checked my notes, her name was Masako (?sp)... And yes she was part of the problem, but no she was not the entire problem. The entire place seems to be a problem. The people who answer the phone at the front desk seeing friendly and nice, but aren't able to do anything and they insist you have to speak with management and tell you to speak with winners like her. SMH. AVOID!!!!!!!

I love farm to table restaurant. Simple salad here was so fresh and delicious. Pork chop was cooked…read moreperfectly and sides complimented just right amount of saltiness. We had healthy and very tasty dinner here. Service was awesome!!

If you're looking for a nice campground, this is the best kept secret in Greene County! A quiet and…read morerelaxing place to get away from it all and unwind. And if you don't feel like cooking the restaurant offers a menu with a variety of tasty dishes

Have to say it's a go to spot for me. The staff is great and the beers are cold…read more Food is good. The atmosphere is brilliant and the view while you eat is great. I recommend if your in the area head on up.

My husband and I were in the Catskills for a midweek getaway for his birthday and we decided to go…read moreplay a few rounds of golf the day of his birthday. I had researched a few golf resorts in the area beforehand and it was between Island Green and one other place. The deciding factor was price and the fact that Island Green had a tee time that better aligned with our schedule. To be honest, my husband and I are golf novices and everyone at the resort was so friendly and helpful, on and off the course! We didn't have time to finish all of the holes due to a dinner reservation but we had such a great time. The condition of the curse was very well maintained and it wasn't too crowded for a Tuesday afternoon!

1/5 7 minutes ago on Google…read moreSo for those of you planning a wedding nearby... we had the most horrific experience here. Wedding across the street and with few places to stay in the area we rented out the Island Green for family guests. I had visited the place prior to the wedding to meet with the owner and check things out. He showed me a couple of rooms. I did not go deep into the rooms but peeked in ( except for the clubhouse "suites" which only had an outdoor entrance and it was necessary to walk through one bedroom to get to the next. There were 4 double beds in each rooms and each had one bath.) Clear this establishment is not meant for any but male golfers. The owner made a big deal about their restaurant chef and I was introduced to him during my visit. They both talked about how talented the chef was and how delicious the food was. I asked about their hours and was told they would extend their dining hours for our guests if we brought in enough people. The wedding was held in the fall. The guests staying there stayed in rooms that had scraps lumber in the closets, some closets unfinished, no hangers, one guests sink faucet was hanging loose. One guest said the cabinets were dirty as well as the refrigerator. One guest room had no heat. One room's only tv was in a hallway with no room to sit and required you stand in the hallway to view the screen. I am sure there were more issues but we were spared so we could enjoy the reason we were all there. The wonderful food they advertised was nonexistent. They were getting ready to close for the season so the food supply was negligible. I believe they had told guests they were going to bring in some pork to make barbecue but they did not follow through with that promise. When the manager was approached he got very defensive and claimed I had approved every room during my visit which was untrue as I had viewed three total rooms and had only looked into the clubhouse suites because I was trying to figure out who would be comfortable staying there with their rooms wide open and the front bedroom used as an entrance to the second room. He was dismissive to the guests who approached him over the issues I was aware of. The guests staying there described it as similar to a motel featured in the tv show Schitt's Creek if you are familiar. I understand most people who stay there are men and play golf there in the warmer months. The rooms are laid out to accommodate many people in each room. They may not have the same expectations. This is not a RESORT!!!! A resort is a self-contained commercial establishment--such as a hotel, beach, or ski destination--that provides lodging, food, entertainment, and recreation for vacationers It was definitely a rip off for the guests and humiliating for us to have promoted their accommodations. If you are planning a wedding nearby just food for thought. Maybe they'll clean things up but this was a nightmare for us.

**This is a review for Char's at the Bavarian Manor, not for the inn itself**…read more We came here for dinner this evening and it was a total disaster. We are visiting with family in town and were told about the new launch of this restaurant and we're excited to check it out. We had a 5:30 reservation and were seated right away. We were a party of 6 adults and a toddler. Our party ordered apps, we got the deviled eggs and the fried calamari. These things took 45 minutes to get to the table. Serving someone deviled eggs shouldn't take 45 minutes, and the calamari was frozen, so we are unsure why the opening of the service was so slow. It was almost as if the chef was deviling the eggs right at that time and for the amount of time we waited she would've have to have been cutting and battering a squid in the flesh which I know was not happening in there. Also, just to note the restaurant wasn't full. There were probably four other tables with diners. At this point, our toddler is starting to get increasingly restless, as it has been an hour and change, and the entrées have not been delivered yet at this time. My husband and I are taking turns to go into the lobby to distract her and get her moving so she wouldn't have a meltdown in the restaurant. We keep inquiring about where the dinner was and we're told several times "it's on its way" or "it's coming soon". Flash forward to 7:30pm. Our entrées were scattered arriving to the table, I asked the waitress where are my child's grilled cheese was and she said that she had forgot to put it in. (She did say she was sorry but when you have a hangry child sorry doesn't cut it) We waited all this time and the food for our baby's meal didn't exist. At this point, she was having a full fledged meltdown in the lobby, and so did I. I expressed great displeasure to the server and told her I needed her to box up mine and my husband's meals as soon as they arrived to the table, so we could leave to go deal with our toddler at home because she had reached her breaking point due to the long wait and lack of FOOD IN A RESTAURANT. We waited for our dinner service for two hours and the quality did not justify the long wait. Water logged canned green beans (the kind you get in a school or prison cafeteria),flavorless mashed potatoes, what looks and tastes like stove top stuffing... and the worst part about the whole experience, was not receiving proper customer service for this terrible experience. Me and my husband didn't even get to eat our meals at the table in the actual restaurant, which we were still charged for fully. My mother-in-law told me they comped the grilled cheese from the check (and again, I wouldn't know because I had to leave) but comping a $10 item that you forgot to put in, in the first place is not enough for the bad experience overall. We will never come back here. The kitchen brigade seems nonexistent or very inexperienced. Piss poor dinner service with even worse customer service.

Authentic German food at its best. Visited during COVID restrictions so probably didn't get the…read morefull feel for the place but quaint setting and atmosphere. I ordered Sauerbraten that was served with red cabbage and a potato dumpling. All delicious and tons of meat. Ordered a few apps for sharing including their 5 star potato pancakes. I also ordered the crab cakes based on other Yelp reviews. While they were delicious, they didn't live up to the hype, maybe because I had Authentic German cuisine on my mind. I also sampled some spaetzel off my wife's plate and it was amazing. My wife had the Wiener schnitzel which she would highly recommend and another in our party had the Jager schnitzel, also great. Their German beer selection was great with about 4 or 5 euro pours on tap. So why not a perfect 5 based on my comments. I will say it is a 4 star with an asterisk due to Covid. We were only able to get a 7:30 reservation as that was the earliest available which was fine. Service started good and in the middle of our order, waitress got pulled away to served food to another table stating she would be right back. She didn't return for over 20 minutes to ask the other two at our table for their order. Not a big deal because we were not in any rush. Food was a bit slow but not unbearable, especially with Covid restrictions etc. one person in our party got dessert and a minute after we paid the bill, still with drinks half full, we were told dining room was closing. I get that they wanted to go home but the 20-30 minute delay taking our order is the only reason we were still there. (Side note, the server was very good but something sidetracked her) We will definitely return to the Bavarian Manor and I highly suggest it for a nice meal in a cool area of New York.