I took my wife here for a romantic weekend away just after US Thanksgiving. Belhurst/Vinifera came very highly recommended by a friend from work. We stayed two nights and were really disappointed, especially considering the room rate. Most disappointing though is that no one seemed to care about the quality of our stay.

Here's the breakdown:

The Good:
The castle is beautiful and so are the grounds. We had a really nice room overlooking the lake and being early risers we got to watch two beautiful sun rises.
The staff, for the most part, are very friendly.
The room was really big, could use some updating (more on that later) but the fireplace and jacuzzi were really nice to have.

The Bad
The phones didn't work, I mentioned this to staff and the response I got was that the phones haven't worked in a long time (I got the impression that there's no plan to fix them)
Some small things like marks on the wall, the mirror falling out of the wall - they need to spend very little money to just polish it up a bit, especially for over $200 a night

The Terrible
The night we arrived there was a function going on and the speakers were so loud I can tell you in detail the prizes they were auctioning off and who won them. Not really the romantic atmosphere we were promised. I had to go down to the front desk (because the phone was broken) and ask them to lower the volume, which they eventually did, but still, I could here everything that was going on. I spoke to the front desk the next morning and we got a small credit, I'm not sure if it was enough, but I accepted it because I was too tired to argue. The hotel has a central heating system that is cranked up so high, it was hard to sleep. It's really nice having that romantic fireplace in the room but don't turn it on unless you have the windows open when it's below freezing outside. So your choice is no fireplace or fireplace on with windows wide open and curtains open to let the cool breeze in - sounds romantic eh?When I left I mentioned my disappointment and the woman at the desk really didn't care. She gave me a card to fill out, I left my name and room number (they have my contact info) and it's been a week and no one from management has called or emailed. This to me is unacceptable - no follow-up, no apology, no respect for guests, no pride in their establishment.

So would I go back? No. Customer service is usually so good in the US, but not here. If you decide to go, check first to see if there's a function that night or just demand a room on the third floor to be safe.

My daughters wedding was at the Belhurst and some guests stayed in the Vinifera Inn. Guests were Very pleased with the accommodations. The rooms were large, had a fireplace, and what a great view of the lake. Guests commented on the free wine tasting and the great breakfast buffet. Glad our guests enjoyed their stay. Thank you Vinifera Inn!

Absolutely loved our one night stay! We can't wait to return--we will definitely stay longer next time. Just happened upon the Inn by accident. We had reservations to stay at the Hampton Inn in Geneva so we could visit some wineries in the Finger Lakes area, but when we arrived at the Hampton, it did not look like a very nice part of town. We decided to just go to the first winery we saw, then drive on a little bit farther and find something along the highway. We were so lucky that Belhurst Winery--Vinifera Inn--was the first one we came to. Just on a fluke, my husband asked if any rooms were available, and they were. We had an absolutely beautiful room, with a gorgeous view of the lake. The room was huge, with a fireplace and a seating area. Had a free wine tasting, included in the price of the room (which, by the way, was VERY reasonable), then had dinner at Stonecutters. Good wine, good food! The next morning we had the breakfast buffet (again VERY reasonably priced at $10 per person!). It was delicious. I really cannot understand some of the bad reviews this Inn has gotten on tripadvisor. I am so glad that we decided to drive on from the Hampton and that we found Belhurst. We will definitely be back and bring friends with us next time. We live outside of Chicago, but would make it a 4-5 day trip. It was wonderful!!

We spent one night at the Belhurst on our 1st anniversary. If the Belhurst made a couple of simple changes/upgrades everything would be fantastic about this hotel.

We had the lower room in the Turret of the winery; Upon entering the room appears to be acceptable, however the window air-conditioner and the bubble tv's definitely make the room seem dated / low-class. Those could be easilly fixed since there is a built-in air-conditioning unit that simply needs to be repaired/replaced, and for a few hundred dollars an upgrade to flat screen tv's would make a world of difference. What is most disappointing is the bedding and shower. The bedding is old; really old. The sheets are worn, with holes and are very pilled. I don't understand how you charge near $200 and use old sheets. I would have gladly paid $30 extra so they could replace the sheets. The final issue is the shower; There is no water pressure. Allow yourself extra time to get ready.

Bottom line; The hotel is disappointing. It's a beautiful location and there is a lot of potential, but clearly there is poor management that would allow this property to miss the mark in so many simple-to-fix ways. I really hope that the Belhurst will take these comments into consideration and make the necessary upgrades to justify the price of this hotel.