Buttermilk Falls Inn & Spa

Disappointed and a frustrating experience. Note: I RARELY write critical reviews.

Brought my wife for our 10-year anniversary as a nice overnight getaway. For this price point, I expected us to be well taken care of.

First, the front desk service was terrible. Nobody answers the phones. Ever! They don't return voice or digital messages either. I called numerous times, left multiple messages... crickets. In fact, they don't even answer the phone when calling from the rooms (when the girl was sitting right there). I specifically requested them to do something nice for our anniversary to surprise my wife. Nothing. Zero. Not even a "happy anniversary".

Second, the pool and sauna were closed for renovations. This was not advertised when I booked the night and definitely not reflected in the steep price. I was very frustrated to find this out when booking the spa appointment. Yes, the spa does actually answer phones and return messages, but note that they close very early in the day (about 1 hour after check-in). Book ahead of time cause the good slots fill fast!

The room was cute. The bed wasn't the greatest, as we could feel every movement of the other person, but the room had nice charm and a gorgeous view. Do bring an eye mask cause with our room the light from the hallway came in above the door. The TV was tiny, but we made the most of it with the fireplace going and the view of the Hudson.

The restaurant had good food and the server was very sweet, but again, they did nothing special for our anniversary, despite me putting a note in the reservation AND mentioning it to the woman ahead of time. Bare minimum, I would have expected a couple glasses of bubbly or something. There was just no real sense of customer service, but it could also be because it's winter and not peak season. Also be warned, the corkage fee was an absurdly high $45! So don't bother bringing your own bottle.

On the plus side, the entire property is beautiful. We took a nice walk, crossed the bridge over the frozen water, and saw the animals. This seems to be the entire draw of the place. We were blessed with a snowy winter wonderland, which very much redeemed the weekend for us.

The room also had a fireplace and a deep jacuzzi bathtub that snugly fit 2 small adults. Those were nice extras that helped make the stay worth it. And the whole property was very quiet, a nice reprieve from the kids at home.

We had a nice time because we chose to not let these things bother us, but I went into this expecting FAR better service for this price point. There were so many opportunities for them to "wow" us, but there was simply little to no effort. Maybe during peak summer season the experience is different.

Update: I spoke with the manager, who apologized and said she'd figure out what was going on and rectify the situation. Apparently there were indeed celebration options (rose petals, chocolates) that the front desk failed to mention.

The positive, the property is walkable with beautiful, expansive views of the water everywhere. Leon in the Henry restaurant is wonderful, friendly and punctual in his timing. Plus the dinner we had was fairly priced and tasty. The fireplace in the Pony Pad cottage was very comfortable and wood fully stocked. The bed was comfortable and kitchen well stocked with necessities for a long weekend. The spa massage was nice and the looks of the new spa being built reflects a better future for this property, although no date was given as to its completion.
The not so positive, the check in process was cold and not so welcoming with the exception of the cleaning woman Kayla who was doing her best to help. No introduction to the property, the area or any printed material to bring back and read for yourself as you’d typically find at an inn and spa resort. Although it magically appeared at check out. It snowed several inches while we were there and while someone (property owner?) kept offering his help, there was no proactive measures taken to shovel the walkways, driveway, clear off the guests cars who were parked outside, warm smell of hot chocolate, clean steps up to the restaurant, or even a clean bathroom in the restaurant!
Lastly, the Pony Pad cottage was not worth the $850/night rate in January. Old uncomfortable furniture, no cozy furnishings or touches, basic toiletries, minimal towels, paper supplies and a weird shower/bath combination that I would not recommend to anyone with physical limitations.
I would even consider returning in the spring/summer months to see the property in full bloom, their spa improvements or try another cottage to stay but our departure was equally cold and unpleasant which is not what one would expect from a country inn.

10/14/25

I had a gift certificate from my husband that I was worried might have expired. Small children at home made it hard to get out alone and book a massage or facial.

I called two times recently. The first was just to ask if the gift certificate was still good, and I was told it was, there was $100 left on it. The second time was to book my appointment. When I called, I said I believe I was told to call to book, I'm not sure why. The person on the phone said that if you are paying with a gift certificate, it was recommended you should call because otherwise, booking online will charge your credit card a deposit. I confirmed that there was still $100 left on the gift certificate, and booked my appointment.

Today when I went for my massage, I finished and was told at check out that the gift certificate was purchased in May 2021 and was expired. Their policy online states give certificates purchased in 2021 won't expire until 2026.

I can assure you that I wouldn't have even booked my appointment if it was not for having money left on a gift certificate. My sister experienced something similar with this Spa recently. It's enough that neither of us will be going back.

Update 10/22/25: I received a phone call from Buttermilk in response to this review, apologizing and asking to make it right. They have refunded my credit card the amount of the gift certificate. It does make me feel better about the gift certificate, but did leave me with a poor experience after my massage. This is in no way a reflection on the massage I received, which was wonderful.

I thought this was going to be a completely different, far more negative, review. I'm a family member of a recent wedding couple, and after Buttermilk's previous coordinator left, it was a rocky transition, particularly as regards communication.

And I'm happy to report that my concerns were unfounded. Literally every aspect of the weekend was fantastic-- obviously the rooms and the grounds were beautiful, but three things were standouts: first, the staff were incredible. Despite the fact that they do weddings frequently, they showed such care, attentiveness, and kindness throughout. Exactly the level of service everyone hopes for when planning a wedding. Second, the food was amazing-- super fresh and well executed. And finally, the venue was so easy going-- you really got the sense that they wanted this to be the best day of people's lives, and were committed to making it great (rather than, like, enforcing rules or contracts).

I rarely do a complete 180 on a place, but am so happy that I was wrong with this one. I'm excited to come back for a visit to try out the spa when it's all finished.