Eastover Estate & Eco-Village

My wife brought me here in June for my birthday, and it was the best present. The food was great, and the staff worked with me on my various food issues. We also attended a Daoist/Taoist conference, and morning qigong (chi kung) in that setting, with those people, couldn’t have been better. The workshop was in a huge, spotless, charmingly rustic barn, with horse-drawn carriages hanging securely on the walls. The place is beautiful and clean, and the 600 acres make for a lovely walk. Western Massachusetts is one of the most beautiful parts of the world, with major music and dance festivals close by. It’s a quiet, peaceful, beautiful place with great rooms and staff. I’d recommend it year-round for a getaway with loved ones or a holistic rejuvenating retreat in a historically charming setting.

We stayed in the “ranch” for $175/night. Our room had two full beds and one twin. The mattresses felt very different from one another, though fortunately one was somewhat comfortable. The room was clean and basic, and the AC cooled it quickly. The mansion itself is beautiful, historic, and has fantastic views, ornate fireplaces, and wood trim. The small decorative pool was empty and dirty, though, and the patio was weedy, with several torn, mildewed furniture pads. The indoor pool smelled mildewy, seemingly from stagnant water in the storage area, and could use cleaning and repainting. We still took a quick dip. The outdoor jacuzzi was empty, and its cover had mildew. The hotel was mostly empty while we were there, with nobody in the mansion and just one staff member, who left at 9pm. It feels like the retreat-focused business model isn’t working. I can’t imagine paying $400/night for the mansion rooms when there are no amenities. Given how the grounds looked, we didn’t trust the breakfast, which was only available for an hour. We found a fantastic place in downtown Lenox instead.

It’s sad to see such a beautiful estate deteriorate without proper care. The main house is impressive, but it’s kept very minimally. We would have paid double to stay there if we’d known in advance where we’d be placed. The website said the main house rooms were sold out, yet nobody seemed to be staying there while we visited. The grounds and shared sitting areas were badly overgrown with weeds and generally neglected. Outside, the only place to sit was behind the house, where the furniture was falling apart and cushions were missing or torn. Lovely parts of the house are effectively unusable because there are no furnishings and weeds have taken over. The “cabins” we stayed in were barely a step above camping: dark rooms with a strong smell, several dead electrical outlets, no phone, and limited hot water. One of our two keys didn’t work. When we asked about the TV, the receptionist said, “the owner cut the cable.” There wasn’t even an iron, which made getting ready for a wedding as out-of-towners interesting. The breakfast didn’t match the healthy claims, so we went to cafes both mornings. The pool was in terrible shape and needed repainting, with barely any seating in the facility. For the price, I expected much better accommodations. I hope the current owners learn what condition the property is in, because it’s clearly not being managed to its potential.

Eastover is one of the most relaxing, interesting, and wonderful places to stay, even though it isn’t a hotel. It seems to be in a period of transition, and I hope they find their way. Whenever I’m in the Berkshires, I’ll want to stay there.