Stoneflower Farm B&B

Reviewer: Not provided on Fri 09 Oct 2009 rated 2 out of 10.

No breakfast at the Stoneflower Farm & Bed & Breakfast
I had the displeasure of staying at the Stoneflower Bed and Breakfast in Bovina, NY. I picked the Stoneflower due to the pics on its website and I wanted quiet when I was there. They also offer a law enforcement/military discount which I took. When I arrived, it was a bad sign to see a bed sheet drying outside in the cold and wet day while a washer and dryer can clearly be seen in the walkout basement. My room was called The Cottage. The Cottage smelled of mildew, as did the sheets and the blanket in the closet. The room is clearly an addition to the main house with the doors not fitting or closing completely and the sliding door not having any locking or latch mechanism. You don’t need to lock up but it’s the general unfinished feeling of the place. The curtains didn’t quite close and the outlets along the wall facing out towards the valley were inoperable. The Cottage has its own circuit panel which was functioning just fine. I knew I was in a pickle because they have a 14 day cancellation policy. I was banking on a great breakfast to overlook the whole bad atmosphere of the place. I asked the keeper/owner Leam Cika if we could have breakfast earlier (8:15 am) since we need to be at our conference at 9:00 am. He half-heartedly agreed, he had said that breakfast was between 9 and 9:30 am. The next morning, Saturday, he and his wife Patty made a great breakfast. No kidding…it was great. Eggs, an abundance of bacon, French toast and maple syrup made up for the place. It really did. I gave him my credit card number which he then asked if it was ok to make the charge for his private business called American Equipage. He gave my friend staying in the Tavern room the same discount if he paid cash. Fine, I get the tax issue, I just needed a receipt for the stay.
That same day I arrived late in the night back to “The Cottage”. I came in thru the sliding door because you drive right up to the sliding door, it doesn’t lock or latch anyway. I went to bed. The next morning I knock on their door and their son answers, he goes up to see his dad (Leam) and then returns telling me that there was a note on the door for me. I go back to “The Cottage”, to the door that faces away from the driveway. There is a note with a coffee can of Folgers, bagels, and muffins. The note says breakfast on Sunday and Monday is at 9:30 am. The note continues that to let them know if I want anything earlier and they could bring us coffee, muffins, etc. and to let my friend staying in the “Tavern” room know also. Signed Leam & Patty.
Most of the reason for staying at a bed and breakfast is the breakfast isn’t it? They didn’t want to at least do that. It was only my friend and I who were there as guests, it wasn’t like they had to tend to 10 guests and the breakfast time needed to stay fixed. I left and went to the conference. The next morning, as I was getting ready to leave, there was no receipt to be found. I had to go knock on their door. Patty provided a receipt and offered that if we waited, she would make breakfast. It was 9:00 am. The look of guilt on her face told me that this is clearly Leam’s way of treating guests. I declined and left to pick up others for the drive back to DC.
The good: Photos of the interior of “The Cottage” and “Tavern” are accurate. The view of the valley from “The Stoneflower” is great.
The bad: Shifting breakfast time in order not to serve you. Smelly and mildewed room, as were the sheets, and non working electrical outlets. Deceiving photos on their web page. The photos of the exterior are their own home. The photo of the “The Suite” is the kid’s bedroom. Naturally it was not available when I called to reserve it. When I came to get the receipt the kids came out of the “The Suite” and you could clearly see it’s just another room in their home. They won’t answer their emails. (I emailed them prior to arrival.)
The Stoneflower Farm Bed & Breakfast in Bovina, New York was a bad experience overall.
I have photos of The Stoneflower and its views, including the note left at my door. Friends of mine who stayed during the same time stayed at the Mountain Brook Inn which accommodated their breakfast times and provided a great experience to those staying there.