I selected this property after reading reviews on this website. I don't know how it is rated the 7th favorite! Perhaps it was based on older reviews. It was a musty dilapidated room, requiring a lot of updating. There were cobwebs in some places of the room which was disconcerting, especially those in the overhead lighting directly over the bed meant for inbed reading! The towels were tiny and cheap. The toiletries were packets of things! On the positive side, the bed was very comfortable, great pillows (albeit small), and the room was very spacious. It also seemed to be a comfortable temperature. We initially were also putoff by the sound of the passing traffic, however, after returning to the room for the evening after a great dinner at Just A Taste, it wasn't as intrusive. The next morning, however, we did hear others showering, closing doors, and barking of the in-room dogs of neighboring rooms. Glad it was only a one night stay!

My wife and I stayed at Grayhaven over Labor Day Weekend, 2007.
Since we had a dog with us, I think we got one of the older motel units, but it was fine; large enough, clean, with a nice view (the birdfeeder outside our window always had birds feeding, which was nice.) It's about two miles south of Ithaca, in a pleasant wooded area. The entrance to Buttermilk Falls State Park (which is very nice) is only about a mile down the road.

Our dog loved the fairly large "dog park" , an amenity we've never seen at any other inn. There were others with friendly pets that he got to play with. While there were a lot of dogs at the motel, I rarely heard them, so non-dog lovers shouldn't have any problems. There was a continental breakfast with muffins, fruit, etc. The owners are friendly and offer directions and advice on attractions.

I hate to rain on the parade, but our stay of two nights in a "Carriage House Suite" left us far less enthusiastic than some earlier reviewers. While this housekeeping unit was clean, it was well past its prime (window-winders that didn't always work, saggy furnishings, an overall mustiness) and thus overpriced.

When we arrived, the unit was freezing cold. There was no way to adjust the temperature ourselves and I asked the co-owner about this. She was rather grumpy about it and explained that the control in our suite was also the control for two other units and that there had been a heatwave and that if she changed it for us, what about the other units?...well, she DID adjust it in the end but this was just the first of several little nagging unpleasantnesses that we experienced.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the owners are very involved in the training of dogs. This may account for the lists of rules and regulations--some with attached "fines"--that we found posted about the suite! Again, unpleasant.

The "expanded continental breakfast" featured only on the weekend added $20 to our rate--there appeared to be no option about this--and was no better than that served daily and free at many Microtels. The breakfast room was cramped and unpleasant, with the resident dogs kept just barely at bay.

That's about it. I don't know anything about the motel units, they looked pretty standard, but I would definitely not recommend staying in the Coach House units unless you could negotiate an appropriately knockdown rate.

The Grayhaven is a friendly, clean, family-owned motel offering a good location, super value, and the personal touches you won't get in a chain. It manages to be dog-friendly without imposing on non-dog lovers.

We stayed there as part of a group during a Cornell reunion weekend, and really enjoyed socializing in the two large, traditionally decorated public rooms during the "Expanded Continental Breakfast" (weekends only). Even being a hot breakfast person, I was well satisfied with the variety of breads, pastries and fruit.

One member of our reunion group was the brother of the current owner, and recalled growing up there in the 50's when their parents ran the place. So you get to enjoy the personalized hospitality of a multi-generation family owned business. The flip side is that it's an older motel, so don't expect central air and flat screen TVs. But you're not paying for them either. It's clean and well-maintained, and there are nice touches like the bird feeders outside the rooms in the Treman Lodge building, and the new free Internet computer in the office (WiFi also provided).

I was put off a bit by the "dog friendly" label - I'm dog-intolerant. And in fact there is a huge play area with eight or so pieces of apparatus that looks like a kiddie playground, but is reserved for dogs. But the family dogs were well-behaved, and did not impose. Once I'd gotten used to hearing a short bark instead of a chime when opening the office door, I was quite comfortable.

The location is convenient, between two lovely state parks, and just a bit past the "strip" area of Route 13 south, with plenty of shopping, an eclectic mix of restaurants, and Wegman's mega-supermarket, a don't-miss tourist attraction in itself. If you're heading into or past downtown, all this can be avoided, along with traffic lights and some construction, by just turning left at the first light and taking the 13A shortcut. (Local advice: respect posted speed limits there.)

Having read some of the web site descriptions, with our room reserved in the "Treman Lodge" building, I was a bit put off on arrival to find that Grayhaven Motel does look like - well - a motel. And, being a very light sleeper, I noticed some traffic noise - but it wasn't loud, and after the first night I stopped hearing it altogether.

What I did notice during the rest of our stay was the feeling of spaciousness both inside and outside, the congeniality and support of the owners and staff, and the convenience of the adjacent parks, supermarket, and other facilities. By the time we left, I felt we had really settled in and found, not just a bed and shower, but a temporary home.