Glen Cove Mansion

For more than $300 a night, I’d choose a chain hotel outside Glen Cove. I was there for one night for a funeral, and the building felt pretty run down. The wallpaper was coming off, the paint job was poor, and the carpets were torn and stained. The continental breakfast was about what I’d expect at a Best Western. Most rooms felt like a parents’ basement dressed up as a guest room circa 2008. It might work for a business event.

The quiet, scenic setting made for a peaceful getaway, and it was still convenient to get to. We had a spacious, comfortable room that was thoughtfully maintained, with classic charm and modern comforts. The grounds were immaculate, the property was beautiful, and the atmosphere felt like a private estate. Staff were attentive, professional, and genuinely welcoming throughout our stay. From start to finish, it was a stunning experience. I’d absolutely come back, whether for a weekend away, an event, or a special occasion.

The mansion itself was beautiful, but we weren’t housed there. Our room and the separate building it was in were in terrible shape, nothing like the website photos. The rugs were buckled, humidifiers were in the hallways, and a strong musty, moldy smell reached our room. It looked like the 1980s or 1990s, and I killed four spiders and one small bug in the bed on the first day. The AC was awful, the TV remote didn’t work, and I had to be shown how to operate the old tub controls to get the water running. Even Comfort Inn would have been better. We were looking forward to staying here for a nearby family wedding, but the venue seemed focused on the weddings and did little for other guests. At check-in, a wedding was starting, so we couldn’t drop our luggage at the front and had to haul it from the distant, hilly parking lot. A bellhop helped with a cart once we got to the lobby. The next day, a bride was expected to come through, so we were told to walk around the whole property instead of going straight through the building to catch our wedding shuttle. It was over 80 degrees, and we made it with minutes to spare, sweating in our gowns and heels. The front desk staff weren’t helpful and seemed clueless. They couldn’t tell us when the shuttle was coming or which wedding the gift bags belonged to. Two nights in this dump weren’t worth the money. Don’t waste yours.

The wedding itself was fantastic, but the place we stayed was awful. Our room clearly hadn’t been renovated and was disgustingly dirty, with two spiders crawling on the walls. The shower door wouldn’t close, so water sprayed everywhere, and there were paint chips and unpatched holes on the walls. It smelled musty, like black mold. The carelessness made it feel somewhere between a slumlord’s property and a badly managed hotel. I’d avoid staying here until management figures out how to run the hotel.