In the middle of the road

Read the previous reviews before we stayed here and I must say I now know why 2 others thought that this property was below par. It all centers around the waitstaff at the restaurant obviously.

The rooms are nice and clean with small balconies and great views of the lake. The other staff is nice and very cordial. We were seated for dinner and half way through the meal I think they forgot about us. We had to ask again for the wine we ordered at dinner only to get the wrong kind. Red merlot is not white. While this is somewhat understandable in other parts of the US, this is WINE country.

That is what people come there for. There was a coffee pot in the room with no coffee cups.

Probably would stay there again, but take some coffee cups and eat somewhere else.

Unacceptably BAD

Well-travelled, reasonably savvy diner here. What we experienced this past weekend (Sept. 11 '04) was, quite possibly, the worst waitstaff-related experience ever. Our waitress ("Kim") did not know what a lager (versus porter, stout et al.) beer was, could not tell me anything about the Seneca (?) bottled beer that I chose. It arrived at my table, and on this warm night was.... a black and tan. I had asked her which beers were on tap and she named two beers, but when I passed the lounge, I saw a third (desirable to me; Red Hook) tap fully functional...argh. Okay, will forgive her for that. However, our dining companion received a hearty Cabernet instead of a blush wine ordered; Kim ARGUED with us (i.e. whether it was blush or not...). This hopelessly incompetent waitress refused to respond to any questions, repeatedly mixed up our orders/plates, brought me ANOTHER bottle of black and tan when I asked for a Red Hook ESB from the tap. She disappeared for over 20 minutes at a time, (---). Hmmm, what may have contribued to this? Yes, the built-in 19% gratuity no doubt inspired her to be particularly incompetent that evening. Okay, enough about her. The food was underwhelming, clearly mass-produced and a huge disappointment. This place absolutely sucks; not even worth the terrific view and excellent architectural positives.

"Hidden Gem"

Wow! I must tell you we are in love with the Esperanza. It's like stepping back in time! Given my career, I suppose I can't help but to critique everywhere we dine, even though it drives my wife crazy. I am a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and have been in the service business for 26 years. I am currently managing the Glen View Club, a country club in the Chicago suburbs that is amoung the top 25 clubs in America. This was our second time dining at the Esperanza and things just keep getting better! I was unaware that a restaurant of this caliber even existed in this part of New York. The ambiance, the view, and, of course, the wonderful food and attentive service makes it a hidden gem! I was very impressed with how the staff is clearly being trained in all aspects of fine service, including proper wine service etiquette. All of our meals were absolutely delicious and presented with the culinary flare that you would only expect in the best of restaurants. The evening was flawless from beginning to end, and we have already declared the Esperanza as our favorite spot to wine and dine. You must give it a try; I guarantee you will be impressed!

Douglas Stewart, CCM

Great View of Keuka Lake

Originally built in 1883 the Esperanza Mansion was restored approximately 1 year ago. Your choice is to stay in the main building suites or in the new shabby chic decorated Inn. ask for an upstairs room. The Inn is a wooden structure and an upstairs guest I am sure would be annoying. A full service hotel with a first class restaurant and tavern. Dining in the nice weather is best outside on the awning covered patio overlooking the Lake.

Situated at the north end of Keuka Lake on the eastern fork - Rt 54 passes by the door.

Fire sprinklers are installed in the main building - a point an experienced traveller should always look for.

Amazing number of friendly staff for such a small cozy hotel.

I cant wait to return when my next business appointment brings me back to this area of the Finger Lakes.

Ive seen the Best and it is found not in France but Keuka Lake

There are few places anywhere in the world quite like the Esperanza Mansion. I had the pleasure of visiting the Mansion during a business trip to Rochester NY. Let me tell you the food is on par with the best Ive ever had. My business affords me the oppertunity to eat in the worlds best establishments and I have never before been so inclined to write a review on-line. Please take my word that you will not be dissapointed. I have since returned twice on seperate occasions and recieved excellent service and the friendly atmosphere is one of sophistication and class. Anyone who feels that they have had a bad expirence there would be well advised to return so that the staff can wow them as they did me...

Beautiful Views

5 star food

Great staff

Cant beat it

Aweful Aweful Aweful

I read with great delight the reviews others had given the newly restored Esperanza so my partner and I decided to take a trip. I am glad that others had a great time because myself and the others in the restaurant at the time had what I have to say was beyond a bad time. I had called to make a lunch reservation ahead of time. When we arrived our reservation had disapeared from the books. When we asked to be seated outside they told us that they had just finished sitting on the patio, when I asked to be seated near a window so we could enjoy the view the hostess sighed and disapeared for ten minutes. She finally returned sat three of the people behind us all near windows overlooking the view of the lake, then when she finally came back to seat us she said she had mistakenly sat all the other guests at the only remaining window seats! After we settled into our booth in the back of the restaurant with amazing views of a retaining wall, we ordered our food. All I can say is far FAR BELOW expectation. Service, food quality and training of staff all neads to be looked at. I sadly cannot reccomend the Esparanza to anyone, I have written a note and even called to speak to the GM about the problem and it has fallen upon deaf ears.

Fly-in to Esperanza Mansion

The Finger Lakes area is a beautiful place to visit and the Esperanza Mansion is the place to stay. My wife and I spent a weekend at Esperanza Mansion shortly after they opened this summer and loved the place. I flew my Piper Arrow into nearby Penn Yan Airport (PEO) where Esperanza provided a free and courteous shuttle service to their Inn.

The view of Keuka Lake from the mansion is tremendous and the restoration and decoration work is exceptional. The rooms, while decorated in beautiful 19th century style to fit in with the surroundings, are comfortable and contain all the modern conveniences.

The food was delicious - especially the beef filets for dinner and the brie/turkey melt for lunch. The atmosphere was like stepping back in time to a more relaxed and elegant era. We have driven back down there for lunch and enjoyed ourselves each time. We highly recommend Esperanza for dining and lodging.

Loved the view At Esperanza Mansion

My wife and I stayed at this remodeled mansion in June and everything about this place was special. The gardens and panoramic views were spectacular. The rooms were bright, airy, beautifully furnished and immaculate. The dining room and bar area very comfortable and elegant.

the food and service was impeccable, friendliness abounded everywhere.

The banquet room was magnificent, what a very special place for a wedding. I would not hestate to stay at Esperanza again for any occasion. Gary Romig Hamlin, NY

Exceptional setting and food

My wife and I celebrated our anniversary at the Esperanza on Friday, September 5th and really enjoyed it. We live on Long Island and have the opportunity to go to many quality resturants in the down state area. We think that Esperanza has the potential to be one of the best restaurants and/or destinations in the State and that is why we are taking the time to write a review. We have family that live in the area and visit often. The mansion is beautiful and we would venture to say that the atmosphere created is second to none. The service, however, did not match the beauty of the restaurant and the view. While we understand that "casual elegance" is Esperanza's goal, the wait staff may need some training. Our waitress was sweet and pleasent, however she did not know the specials. When my wife asked what shrimp Alexander was, the response was "I don't know but it is good". People who are spending subtantial money for dinner do not only want good food but they want quality service also-even in a casually elegant setting. My espresso was served in a large coffee cup with the disclaimer " I never had this and it looks a little strong. Is it supposed to be this way?".

The appetizers and entrees were just delicious and presented beautifully- I had the best filet mignon ever at the Esperanza. We plan to make the restaurant a regular part of our visits.

Esperanza Mansion

I just wanted to warn people of this horrible hotel with a beautiful facade. The rooms were sub standard at best. We paid $275/night for a room that had no bath tub and a shower that didn't work. To top it all off the hotel was kind enough to provide us with plastic drinking cups in the bathroom. The service at the restaurant was even worse than the room! We sat down for lunch after a long drive and it took 30 minutes for someone to take our order even though I had stopped two "waiters" and asked for help. It took another hour for them to bring us cold sandwiches and yet another hour for them to finally bring us our tab.

We were sumarily ignored by the incompetant wait staff and the food average at best. The second day we were there I ordered a hamburger through room service and I should have known this was going to be a mistake. It took an hour and a half to get an overdone burger which I had cancelled twice already because it had taken so long. Instead of apoligizing the waiter demanded a tip saying that I shouldn't order room service when they are preparing for a banquet. If you like nice room, corteous staff, and fine (or even hot) food stay away from this hotel. Sarah, Virginia