~Where to begin? When we reached out to Adena Orchard & Vine, Alana told us that all we'd have to…read moredo to fall in love with it is to just take a trip and see it in person. Boy, was she right. Adena was the first venue we looked at, and we knew right away that it was everything we were looking for! ~Alana & Kevin feel like family, no joke. From the beginning, Alana was extremely communicative and transparent about costs, vendors, and even time. We have had such an amazing time communicating with her, that it's so hard to think that it's finally over. Jackiie and I knew from the get-go that we would be having a large, bohemian, non-traditional, DIY wedding, and Adena fully truly wholly delivered. From the GORGEOUS setting deep in the Catskills, to the STUNNING authentic barn that Kevin has put so much work into restoring, our wedding would not have been anywhere near as magical or perfect had Adena not hosted it. ~Alana's thoughtful and thorough list of vendors in the area was integral to us finding the perfect collaborators for our big day. The whole family was incredibly helpful and excited to get to help us iron out details and move tables around the day before (and of). Kevin had the best technical considerations and advice throughout the whole process. If you are looking for a transactional, cookie-cutter, wedding factory, hands-off venue, find it elsewhere. If you are looking for a human touch, endless enthusiasm, plentiful creativity, to feel cared for, look no further. This family feels like our family. ~Things we love in no particular order: stunning and thoughtful get ready rooms (for both me and Jackiie, it was so important that we both felt special as it was OUR day!); lovely vintage furniture in the barn and main house; idyllic views of the Catskills; how Alana just hopped in as our wedding fairy godmother (no joke, this is her name in my phone) when we didn't have a wedding planner; everyone's willingness to creative problem-solve and roll with the punches when our day-of timeline flew out the window; the bonfire at the end of the night (our guests have not stopped raving); all the little nooks and areas for folks to explore and disappear and contemplate (the willow bridge & the tree tunnel, to name a couple); ok I could keep going on and on and on, but there is nothing not to love. ~We cannot wait to get our photos back so that we can share more, but please enjoy these two magical images (courtesy of Rosey Red Photography, you HAVE to book them). ~Adena fam; there are no words to describe how important you are to us, and how wonderful it has been to work with you. A thousand thanks, and a thousand again!

If you are looking to do a barn wedding, or a wedding outside on some GORGEOUS grounds, this is the…read moreplace. I just had the wedding of my dreams here last weekend. The barn itself is beyond perfect, and we were able to set up the space exactly how we wanted to. All of my guests can't stop talking about it, and I keep hearing "this is the best wedding I've ever been to." The usable space near the barn is huge, and we even played with the idea of doing a large wedding tent as well as the barn. They have multiple options for areas to do the ceremony- all set with the mountains in the backdrop. The bridal suite area is seriously something out of a bridal magazine. The best part of the whole experience, however, are the two fantastic people who own this space. They were always available for my new husband and I to ask any questions, or for any of our vendors to reach out to. They checked in often with logistical, and checking in to see if we needed anything leading up to the day of. They were truly beyond helpful when it came to day-of setup and could not have been sweeter the entire process! By the end, I felt like they were family! I could not be more sincere, the first time I saw Adena Orchard & Vine, I was in LOVE. I knew it was the one, and that was in February, when everything blooms or the leaves start changing it is just perfection.

Mom's 90th Birthday Celebration at The Lodge - Stablegate Winery…read moreNo stress at all--trust me, I'm obsessed with details! From the planning stages through the execution of the event, the entire experience was enjoyable and seamless. JoAnn and Molly in the office patiently answered all of my calls and provided reassurance with even the smallest details. You can tell that a great deal of care goes into both the venue and the service. From the beautiful atmosphere to the exceptional catering, everything came together perfectly to create a memorable celebration for our family and friends. The team at Birch Hill is truly top-notch. The staff was friendly, attentive, and made every guest feel welcome. Josh, our primary server, was outstanding--professional, personable, and excellent at what he does. The food was delicious, beautifully presented, and received rave reviews from our guests. Everyone commented on how exceptional the meal was, and the event flowed effortlessly from start to finish. On the day of the celebration, Catherine was an amazing host. She went above and beyond to coordinate every aspect of the event with me and was incredibly attentive to both our family and our guests throughout the day. I would wholeheartedly recommend Birch Hill to anyone planning a special event. The Lodge at Stablegate Winery was the perfect venue for celebrating such a meaningful milestone, and they helped make my mom's 90th birthday truly unforgettable. TrishB

My daughter's wedding was a Birch Hill Catering. I cannot recommend this venue enough. The outdoor…read moreceremony was lovely and required only the most basic of flowers and décor due to the natural beauty of the surroundings. The ballrooms are gorgeous and she chose the one with the stunning atrium glass. It seated 165 people while still leaving plenty of dancing room, DJ booth, and food stations. The cocktail hour was indoor/outdoor on the patio and it was perfect. Now let me talk about our most favorite things. First off, the staff, namely Serena. She is fantastic! She was extremely helpful in working out the details for the event and her communication was top notch through the whole year of planning. On the day of the event, Serena seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere noticing any little detail that needed addressing, taking care of it herself calmly and confidently, and when needed, discreetly asking about a little decision or two for which she needed my input. She also took video and photos during the event. While waiting for the professional photographs for weeks, this was such a nice surprise to receive! Emily was her assistant and very willing and helpful as well. Second, the food. Wow, the food here is just delicious! The choices are abundant and everything was just mouthwatering. It is one of the big reasons we chose this venue and it didn't disappoint. The carving station and mac n cheese were highlights. They offer so many fun add on's like late night snack and ice cream stations which since there is not a noise ordinance to worry about, are nice additions to a reception that can go later into the night. Lastly, the fireworks. So, my daughter had her heart set on these and to be honest, my husband and I questioned whether it would be worth it or not. Let me tell you it was worth it, SO worth it. It was a professional show that rivaled that of a lot of professional 4th of July shows! It was spectacular and the photos taken of the bride and groom with huge fireworks going off right above them are awesome! We don't have the pro ones yet but even the cell phone ones are great so we can only imagine. It was an add on we did not regret as our guests were truly in awe. We had many come up to us to share it was a top wedding they had ever attended. Our daughter hugged us at the end of the night thanking us for her fantasy wedding. Thank you to Serena and Birch Hill for making that happen! We will never forget the night.

Wonderful venue for wedding. The view is great and the venue is spacious to host both outdoor and…read moreindoor ceremony. The indoor space has a bar, a dance section, a billiard table (tho not official and a bit lower in height), room that you can serve food to guests, and hang out with friends. The outdoor space is large enough for host a ceremony, it has some tables and seats and tree with a swing. I'd say the view outdoors is pretty beautiful, specially at night. I think this can be a good venue to have celebs in. Definitely recommend it : )

We can't say enough about how wonderful our experience was at Vanderbilt Lakeside. Henrietta and…read moreMatt spared no effort to make us feel comfortable, relaxed and at home in their beautiful space. And yes, it is truly beautiful! It retains the charm of an older estate but with modern amenities. For example, during our wedding weekend, it was extremely hot outside, so we were somewhat limited in doing outdoor activities during the day. Regardless, we were able to enjoy ourselves inside, with the spacious rooms, ample seating and indoor activities, and music throughout the space. We also had a great time doing karaoke! We loved that guests who wanted to go to sleep early could. The upstairs rooms are private, quiet and well-air-conditioned. And we loved that they each had their own bathroom! We also appreciated Henrietta, Matt and their team's efforts to make sure the catered dinner was a success. The food was incredible. We loved having the option to pick from so many dishes, and all of them were fantastic. Having them handle everything allowed us to just focus on the wedding and enjoy spending time together. Maybe the thing we appreciated most of all was how quickly they dealt with any requests or (minor) issues that came up. They felt like our partners throughout the weekend, responding quickly to questions and never making us feel like we were burdening them. At the end of the weekend, a few attendees remarked that they were thinking about doing a future event at Vanderbilt, because they loved it so much. We recommend Vanderbilt Lakeside without reservation!

UPDATE: AvantStay staff have worked with us in making up for the negative details shared in my…read moreoriginal review (below). They have treated me with kindness, respect, sympathy, and professionalism -- all things we expected when first booking. I CAN CONFIDENTLY SAY THAT AVANTSTAY WANTS TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THE LUXURY EXPERIENCE THAT YOU PAY FOR. I'm glad that my original review helped the hosts in resolving things because that stay clearly didn't represent the company's values. Will definitely be working with their amazing customer service team the next time we take a group trip. The River House in Catskill, NY is a beautiful property with unique charm and character. The setting is peaceful and scenic, and we really enjoyed spotting deer, bald eagles, groundhogs, and other wildlife during our stay (lots of ticks). - We chose this property for a combined bachelor/bachelorette trip with a large group of ~30 people, so our expectations were understandably high. For an occasion this special, we hoped for a comfortable, clean, and well-equipped home that could easily accommodate everyone. While the location and layout had great potential, issues with maintenance, cleanliness, and limited kitchen facilities made the stay more challenging than expected. - The house had 2 spacious living areas that were great for indoor games and hanging out, especially on rainy days. It was one of the highlights that made the space enjoyable for a large group. However, there was a strange, unkempt stage-like structure on the property that felt out of place and made a few people uncomfortable -- it added to the sense that parts of the property weren't well maintained. - We chose AvantStay after months of research because they specialize in large group rentals, and while the booking process was smooth, the experience lacked the warmth & attention to detail a local host might provide. - For the $13,000 price, there were quite a few disappointing issues. We found wrappers and earplugs under the bed in the master suite, dead bugs in the basement rooms, worn-out couch cushions, and a dirty sponge in the sink. The shower curtains were cheap, the kitchen pantry and cabinets were disorganized, and the dishwasher shelves were broken. The indoor plants were dead, the flower beds overgrown, and there was only one small stove/oven -- not enough to cook for 28 people. - That said, the local concierge was responsive. He brought us extra tables and chairs when requested and quickly replied when we flagged the house being too hot and the lack of extra linens.

My friends got married on this beautiful property this month. It was a gorgeous winter wedding,…read morewith snow capped hills and a gorgeous frozen river in the backdrop. The house is fully stocked and all 24 of us in the party had a stupendous time the two nights that we were there! Perfect for a weekend getaway from NYC.

I've stayed at the hotel as well as enjoyed the restaurant. I highly recommend the sampling of…read moretheir desserts. So yummy. The view outside is also incredible.

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.

Not worth trying. Was excited to try them out for the first time after their hiatus with court…read moreissues and their name. Ordered my food and my friend ordered right after. After 15 minutes he finally got his food. I waited another 5 minutes before checkout my on my order. They said they were running behind on the grill. I waited another 5 minutes and they said it would be ready soon. Finally after 30 minutes of waiting I just asked for my money back. During the wait, I saw multiple other people check on their orders and that's when the staff realized they lost order tickets. My friend had ordered the rogue (braised short rib sandwich) and did not enjoy it at all, stating there was no flavor to the meat. Do not bother trying Wandering Dago. They are unorganized and even though they make it seem like a gourmet menu, the food is not good. Stay away and try any of the other good options around

Steak sandwich was great! (I had it at RPI career fair)read more

This is what we wrote the chef the next day ,…read more..... We three cannot stop raving about what you accomplished for us last night. You are truly a master of your craft. Thank you so much for providing an evening we will always remember. Best wishes. Steven, Judy, Daniel ,......... Let me add: Chef Danyell is a magician with great charm who swept into our kitchen and 2 hours later created one of the great meals I've ever eaten in my 84 years, including repasts in NYC and Paris etc. He and I collaborated on the menu; he then added some wizardry to plus the entire experience. I will remember his contribution to my birthday forever.

Chef Danyell is a talented chef and his team was unbelievably professional at our event! Georgia…read moreRay's catered our wedding and received rave reviews from our guests. The food was delicious and people were going up for seconds. Chef Danyell worked with us at our price point and helped us come up with a menu that we were very excited about. He is eccentric for sure and loves to talk but he is extremely passionate about his work and so good at it, too. His team was incredibly friendly and helpful, and Susan personally made sure that everything ran smoothly (and that I ate!) all night- she was an incredible master of ceremonies. I absolutely recommend Georgia Ray's !

Went to Chatham-Hudson winery for a tasting of their wonderful Chelois and overnighted at Tumblin…read moreFalls. Part of the falls are ice and snow covered and it looks spectacular. I spent an hour on the porch just, well, sitting . Spent the night cozy by the fireplace in the living room before retiring to the bedroom. The warmth of the fire is exceeded only by the warmth of your hosts, Linda and Hugh. This is my country home and I don't have to worry about maintenance. Just splendid!

One of my favorite places to visit! Lovely, Victorian house, spectacular waterfall...and the nicest…read moreowners!