We stayed at the Sutherland House B&B in Canandaigua, NY on Wednesday evening, June 17, 2009. We had decided to take an impromptu trip to the Finger Lakes area and called the day before our arrival to make a reservation. Gary, the owner, informed me he would have to check with his staff to see if they were available. He was very accommodating (especially given our last minute request) when he called back shortly to let me know that they could oblige us, and advised me that Kathy, his assistant, would be there to check us in. Upon our arrival, we were greeted warmly by Kathy and assigned our room. She inquired as to our dietary needs and confirmed the time we wanted breakfast. We were the only guests that evening and were given a complimentary room upgrade. The room was clean, neat, and comfortable and had a TV, A/C, Ceiling Fan, VCR & CD player. A huge bookcase in the hallway was stacked with games and movies, which came in handy since it was raining. Fresh fruit and muffins were provided upon our arrival, along with complimentary beverages that were located in 2 separate guest refrigerators at each end of the hallway. Hot beverages were available at all times in the front parlor and the upstairs hallway. The common areas were decorated beautifully in Victorian décor to match the architecture of the home. There were plenty of items of interest in the parlor (a scrap book of the house before and during renovation, a Victorian etiquette book, a replica of a Sears 1902 catalog to name a few). Breakfast was served in the lovely formal dining room (a wonderful touch of the era were the antique style knife rests on the table), and started out with broiled grapefruit, followed by a hearty breakfast thanks to Kathy’s culinary skills (Kathy happens to be the owner of the café at Sonnenberg Gardens where she serves delicious crepes and soups). There was also a guest book in the room which provided an interesting background on the previous owners and their commitment to create this spectacular B&B. My only regret is that we did not have the opportunity to meet Gary himself, but I suspect that he must have had previous plans to be away prior to our last minute decision to make a reservation. I would definitely stay at this B&B again when I am in the Canandaigua area.
