I grew up in Chautauqua County and return occasionally to visit here. I had always wanted to stay at Hotel Lenhart because I love Bemus Pt, I liked the quaintness and the simplicity of the place. The lake, the porch, the bar on site, the nearby playground and the included breakfast were also a draw, so when my 9-year old and I had the opportunity to spend a weekend there, we jumped on it. We got a room with a double bed and in-room sink and shared toilet and tub/shower down the hall. I realize that for most Americans this is a stretch but I'm on a budget and I told Kid that sharing a bathroom is common in Europe. There is a nearby parking lot, which is quite necessary during the summer season.
If you have kids: Yes, the period-costumed mannequins with wigs askance across from the front desk freaked her out but we tried to laugh about them. She was also nervous about relative darkness of the hallways and the old photos on the walls.
But the room was airy and bright and had just the right period furniture, including a comfy bed, and we almost always found the shared bathroom down the hall looked as though it had just been cleaned. We figured out without too much difficulty when it was not being used and planned our showers accordingly. We loved the Victorian-eque breakfast menu and the local college student who "took care of us" both mornings of our stay. We enjoyed sitting on the porch in the evenings, myself with a cocktail and she with some ginger ale. The "no smoking" signs on the front porch were largely ignored and not enforced, disappointingly. It became an extension of the bar after dark.
On the second night (Saturday) there was echoing live music across the street on the lake, so that it was loud (until 9pm) and there was little on-street parking and there were indeed the expected drunk people wandering about. (Tip: Watch your speed coming into town as there are plenty of police trolling Bemus, looking for drunk drivers and speeders. )
There was a concert at Chautauqua Institution as well that night and with it came the second wave of noise, this time from returning guests in the hallway. The hallway noise comes from the over-door transepts that need to be kept open for ventilation.
Several months after our visit in August, my daughter casually told me that SHE had seen a GHOST. Oh? Where? "Hotel Lenhart. It was peeking in at me through the top of the door." Huh. Was that the ghost I heard singing a k.d. lang song in the hallway? read more