케이브 마운틴 모텔

In my 45 years of int’l travel, I have never walked into a hotel reception area that literally choked me with smoke - until lastnight. The owner is a heavy smoker and my teen and I just couldn’t breathe at all while checking in. When I asked the owner if the breakfast room in the main house was non-smoking, he said yes, but that’s not true. I came in to have my small continental breakfast that was cereal and juice and some prepackaged coffee cakes, and the place was reeking of smoke. It’s not only illegal in New York State to have that cigarette smoke in public spaces, it’s just SO WRONG to guests that are paying $150 a night for that. Thank God, the rooms are not filled with smoke, but there are ashtrays in front of every room outside and when people smoke it’s on their clothes and then they come in the room. Clearly, smoking is encouraged on the property. The carpets had mold but rooms otherwise very comfortable. My child and I needed Benadryl to stop coughing and sneezing. Don’t call yourself a non-smoking hotel when you’re not.

The Cave Mountain motel was a unique experience for us. It is literally right out of the 1950s. It only has 8 rooms and a small detached public area, so it never felt crowded. The room we had was basic, with two twin beds, a dresser, nightstand and a TV in the corner. There was a good sized refrigerator but no microwave, coffeemaker or things like that. The AC unit was fully controllable and worked well. WiFi was free and definitely appreciated as the area is a Verizon dead zone. The room may be small but it was all very clean. The owner obviously takes great pride in his property and it shows. Some reviewers commented that the traffic was noisy but, once the door was closed, we could not hear a thing. Getting a good nights sleep was easy. Breakfast was included and the coffee was good. There were no ham and eggs but there were plenty of average things like oatmeal, cereal, yogurt etc. Even when we were the only couple on the property, the food was provided. This review would not be complete without mentioning the cordial owner. He alone made our stay worthwhile. He was kind and personable. He told jokes, stories and gave area advice. Obviously he cared about his guests. It honestly felt like we were staying at a friends house and we were both sorry to have to leave. So if you are tired of the large impersonal hotels with their high prices, noisy neighbors and slamming doors, give the Cave a try for a couple of nights. We are glad we did and you will be too.