MOHONK MOUNTAIN HOUSE

My niece and I came for the day pass and had a wonderful hiking experience. The trees were magical and the trails were fantastic. We also went ice skating and had a fabulous experience. The skate shop workers were super kind and helpful.

We then went to dinner at the main dining room and we were extremely disappointed by the preparation, presentation and the temperature of the foods. The majority of the food we received was either room temperature or cold. The French onion soup, although hot, looked like a blob of cheese in brown water. The bread was warm for a second and became a concrete ball with a soft center. Then came the entrees. The steak was very fatty and it was cold. The pasta dish was cold too. The one good experience was the halibut, it was warm and delicious.
I am telling you all of this because I believe the cost of this day was exorbitant for this type of dinner experience. I was extremely embarrassed to have my niece, who was visiting from North Carolina, experience this after I had raved about your restaurant. I hope for future guests you can take more care and interest in your food service.

Let me start by saying I love Mohonk Mountain House and have been familiar with it since the early 1980's. While over the years we have often visited for lunch, hiking, had family gatherings there and even had my sister's wedding there, this past week is the first time my husband and I stayed there since the 1980's. (I found photos from 100+ years ago when my grandmother's family visited.) I have watched it get even better over the years but our autistic daughter caused us to not be able to stay overnight since the 1980's. She went into a group home so we were finally able to stay once again.
My husband has food allergies which act like a contact allergy (similar to poison ivy). Bell pepper is extremely irritating to his digestive system even in a minute quantity. Something he ate set this off despite warning staff and trying to be very careful. This caused him to be out of commission so I did things by myself.
I know I am not a foodie. I enjoyed the offerings for breakfast and lunch, but dinner was a problem for me. I found it hard to find something I really liked on the menu. I particularly had a problem with the Gemelli Bolognese. I very much like a bolognese so happily ordered it. I felt like I was eating a very spicy, mouth burning Mexican dish. I couldn't eat much of it and was VERY disappointed. It never listed any addition of heat and was NOT a nice surprise.
The beds were wonderful. I enjoyed the antiques sprinkled through out the place. Staff was very friendly and helpful. It was so nice to see the care taken and familiarity with the place. I just wish if heat/red pepper were added to a dish or offering it was noted. (There was possible also a problem with bacon at breakfast since cut pieces could be bacon and some seemed to have a heat to it. This might have been what caused the problem for my husband.)

Hiking is spectacular

we had the most incredible time visiting in March before all the crowds and flowers but just after the snow.

the hiking is incredible
The vistas are peaceful and amazing

there's so much to do and so much to learn

and so much to eat!! the food is fabulous

so much so that if we had known how good the food is, we most likely would have chosen not to book the chef's table. The chef's table menu was lacking. it just wasn't the usual higher end food. for example, the amuse-bouche was basically a potato croquette. the sommelier seemed very nervous because she was shaking so badly and then she kind of made fun of me when I asked her to clean up the drops of wine she spilled; I found that a bit off putting. the dinner began at 6:00 but we were not served any food or wine until about 6:35.... and it went on so long that we missed events we wanted to attend. anticipate that you will be at the chef's table till at least 10:00.

a special call out to a few really great servers.... Mordecai, Dominic and Annie.

I don't think there's a more peaceful place to be!!!!

the lecture about Broadway and Broadway photography was amazing!! thank you, Michael!

The rooms are a little bit small but you know what they say. you don't spend a lot of time in your room.... the balconies can't be beat. we were in the back and the view of the lake was so relaxing.

we can't wait to return!!!
oh and the hiking trail with the guided meditation is a brilliant idea and brings a true zen into your world.

Mohonk is my happy place. We went in the winter when the main activities were hiking and ice skating and it was enough. The place was not busy at that time, we felt that we had the woods to ourselves. I would go back there in a heartbeat for more hiking. The sunrise hike to the Sky Top tower was the highlight of my trip. My daughter appreciated the plethora of most beautiful running trails. We felt very well taken care of, the place was calm and quietly luxurious. We also loved the spa after a day of hiking and running. After just three days I felt recharged and ready to face the world.