We stayed with Nancy and Buzz in the apartment at the Stone Quarry House for a 3-night fall weekend from 9/29/11 through 10/2/11. I am a hotel school alum and consider myself a tough critic. We had four people (wife, three-year old, and best friend from college), and we were pushing the limits of this one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment. Nonetheless, we had an excellent experience. This is a beautiful residential neighborhood and property, the apartment was clean, cozy and well appointed. Nancy and Buzz were warm and gracious hosts.

The Stone Quarry House is a grouping of three buildings on a large residential property - the main house, the apartment (which is on top of a non-used three-car garage close to the main house), and the cottage (a large one-room cottage). Some reviews mention that this was a B&B, but it is not now, though I would be interested in Nancy and Buzz's cooking if they took that up again. On the property are: a small pond with a handful of ducks; a dozen or so chickens either roaming or in a tidy coop; a beautiful vegetable garden, an outdoor seating area (didn't get to use - cold, wet Ithaca weekend!), large solar panels, and an expansive spread of land on all sides. There are three dogs kept in the house that were very friendly when out (rarely) and the property is dog-friendly, as the guests in the cottage had two dogs with them. The property was extremely quiet and peaceful at all times, especially at night.

When we arrived (BTW - be careful if you are using GPS - there is also a "Stone Quarry Road" in Ithaca a few miles away - but the Stone Quarry House is located on Quarry Road!!), we were greeted by the ducks and then by Buzz and Nancy. We found out that not only was Nancy accommodating to our needs, but also that she was well in tune with our three-year-old. We did not bring much in the way of toys, and Nancy let us use a crate full of wooden railroad tracks and trains, a perfect toy that we could never have brought with us, and which our boy played at for hours. We were also lucky enough to have Nancy babysit for us when we went out to dinner, though she does not advertise this service!

The apartment was cozy and clean. It has a beautiful brand new kitchen which easily fits two people and the counter has two stools underneath it on the living room side. There is also a full-sized dining room table that could fit six easily if you wanted to entertain. The sofa bed in the living room was very comfortable according to my buddy from college, who is six feet tall and finicky. It is made comfortable mainly by the use of a visco-elastic pad add-on and good bedding. The bedroom contains a wonderful king bed, beautiful dresser, matching night tables, and a full closet. A twin-sized aero bed was added for our kid, which definitely made it tight in there. The bathroom, with tub/shower and large sink/vanity/cabinets (and a nice window) was perfect, and included soft, absorbent towels and a built-in dispenser in the shower with basic products. There are two doors to the bathroom - to the bedroom and the living room. The only minor drawback was a difficult placement of the toilet paper dispenser (and I am told that Nancy is strategizing how to fix this - how about under the window Nancy!?).

Overall - this was a great, relaxing, clean and comfortable experience. Nancy obviously strives to please her guests, and my sense that she would do whatever was requested within reason to accommodate her guests. We highly recommend this property.

My husband and I drove from Ontario Canada and spent 6 days in the apartment to explore the Finger Lake area. We truly enjoyed our stay. Nancy and Buzz were very accommodating and even let us keep our motorbike in their garage as it appeared that there could be rain during our stay. The grounds are beautiful and accommodated a flock of ducks, hens and a rooster. As a result we enjoyed fresh eggs for our breakfast. The apartment was spacious and very clean. The king size bed was so comfortable we could not believe how well we slept at night. The accomodations are in the country side of Ithaca yet very close to a supermarket and just a short drive to the Ithaca Falls, Cornell University and downtown which was a nice surprise as we could drive into town for dinner at night after a full day of sightseeing in the area. We would definitely stay there again if we ever visited the area again.

Stone Quarry House offers luxurious solar-powered eco-friendly lodging. We are traveling through the world a lot, but this cottage is our favorite so far.
We loved the kindness of Nancy, who made us unforgettable waffles.
Fresh air, very nice neighbourhood. I hope we will come back someday.

The Stone Quarry House is wonderful. Just got back from a week in the stone cottage, and I can't wait to go back. It is beautiful, quiet and elegant. The care and craft in the cottage-- and across the entire eco-friendly property-- is inspiring. Guests with refined sensibilities will appreciate the luxe touches (Tempurpedic mattress, super soft towels and sheets, Stickley furniture, etc.). It's a true respite from the everyday, and a great place to experience the best of Ithaca's natural beauty.