Bear Cottage Is Close To Everything You Want In The Catskills.

Justin was a great guest and I would love to host him again.

Thank you for your nice review.

Carol is a great guest. Would love to host her again.

Many of the issues the guest mentioned in her review have to do with the fact that the property is in the country with three creeks nearby, we receive a lot of rain, and we are surrounded by mountains. Phoenicia, like much of the Catskills has poor to no cell service. However, you can still make and receive calls using FT audio or what’s up. The musty smell comes from close proximity to the three creeks and frequent rains. This is addressed by dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and cleaning using people and pet friendly products. The smell resolves quickly once the house is occupied. The fire and rescue departments in the Catskills are volunteers. The sirens go off as necessary in times of emergency. Being in the countryside means wildlife and insects. We use natural products indoors and have monthly pest service. Spiders while frightening to some, are beneficial in that they trap flys and other annoying insects. We remove webs with every cleaning, but spiders are industrious and generally not harmful. We treat them with peppermint spray. Previous guests broke our much beloved large antique sofa. I have looked for an antique furniture restorer in the area, but haven’t been able to find one yet. The back legs of the sofa are currently supported by books and the sofa is functional. (I love to nap and read on it.) Additionally, we have a large pottery barn sofa and two pottery barn club chairs in the living room. The guest wrote me a testy note complaining about the loudness and timing of the emergency siren and poor cell service, both of which I have zero control over. I explained what the siren was about and she became argumentative. I mistakenly send her a message I intended for the concierge about her complaints and I was terribly embarrassed about doing so. I gave her $50 for lunch on me and a honest and very sincere apology.

Please come visit again!