Brambles Inn & Gardens

What People are saying

Wonderful bed and breakfast

krs427on 08/06/2016 13:33

Super clean and quiet with kind owner. Breakfast was OK. The rooms and bathrooms were wonderful. I stayed over one night and it was perfect. Close to everything in Potsdam. I had an interview at Clarkson and it was right around the corner.

Great Experience!

Kimberly Bon 27/04/2016 10:42

We stayed at the the Brambles Inn and Garden twice. Both times were excellent! Our daughter was competing in a collegiate horse show in Canton, NY and all the closer motels were full by the time we made our reservations. It is funny how things work out. My husband booked the two consecutive weekends in April, not knowing if our daughter would qualify and move on to the 2nd show or not. She did qualify and we were back for the 2nd weekend.
The beds were very comfortable! Each room has its own bathroom, tv, and there is free wi-fi. The breakfasts were amazing! The meal was served on fine china and over several courses.The inn is a large Victorian home with a bird theme throughout. There is some taxidermy on the walls and around the home.
The location is perfect! It is just off the downtown area on a relatively quiet residential street. And it was only 15 minutes from the horse shows at St.Lawrence University. There are plenty of places to eat in Potsdam for lunch/dinner.
One of the things I really liked is that because it is an older home, the walls are very thick and you don't hear the folks in the other rooms.
I would most certainly stay there again if I were in the Potsdam area!

Greattttttttt place to stay.

Dennis Mon 01/09/2015 00:10

i stayed while dropping my daughter off and i was so happy i chose there. Very friendly host, excellent breakfast, extremely cleran room!! It was my first experience at a B&B, and it made a great impression.

Many great features; needs a few small tweaks.

Janice Hon 25/08/2015 02:07

Pluses: Very clean, very comfortable beds, excellent food, lovely home, friendly hostess.
As another traveler mentioned, the windows don't open, which I understand given the age of the home. This is a big negative for my family, as we like fresh air and need quiet for sleep. Thus the air conditioner running all night out of necessity is a detraction.
Also, there is not enough light in the room (Thomas Clark room). There's a comfy chair and ottoman but no light nearby with which to enjoy a book in what is otherwise a perfect reading arrangement. Another light is needed in the closet area as well- that entire corner is very dark. Also, I suggest a small bench in the bathroom to lay toiletries and clothes on when showering. The hook on the door and the tiny shelf over the sink are inadequate. There were 3 spots in the bathroom that could handle a small bench or another shelf with hooks.
The beds were excellent- firm, with good cotton linens and good pillows.
Overall this is a very good and lovely B and B but needs a few small tweaks to make it really perfect. It might be time to slowly start replacing the windows.
The breakfast was excellent, as was the coffee. The house is very beautiful with period antiques and decor. VERY clean.
Recommended with the caveats mentioned above.

Great place for an extended business stay in Potsdam, NY

ButterflyGinon 24/08/2015 22:16

Potsdam NY is a college town, with SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University.

I am a business traveler who works in a given area for 4-6 weeks at a time. Usually, the company books me at a Best Western. For June-August of 2015, I requested to stay in a B&B in Potsdam NY and Brambles Inn and Gardens was my first B&B business experience and a very marvelous one at that. I arrived late evening and Innkeeper Eleanor Brotherton opened the door and greeted me by name. Next, we had about a 1/2 hour conversation about the place and things to do in Potsdam. She then asked what was going to be important to me, providing me the opportunity to let her know I expected a full breakfast but don't eat eggs.

The next morning, I came downstairs and was greeted by a classic English country breakfast served on English china in two courses. The first course was fruit (always fresh) & Danish and/or some type of coffee cake (many times home-made) or yogurt. Many B&Bs call this "breakfast." Eleanor was just getting started.

The second course was a hearty breakfast. Eggs, pancakes, meat, quiches, French toast, etc. It was amazing. One of the patrons saw the setup and immediately catered a breakfast for his friends (who were not staying at the Brambles) for the next day before they set off for a day trip to Lake Placid.

Eleanor went out of her way to accommodate my dietary preference, even cooking me grits! My mother wondered if she would have served sweet corn if we had asked since it was in season during our stay in July. We didn't ask but I'm sure she would have done it exceedingly well.

During the main course she would stop by and answer questions about the town and area and its history. If we were already fully engaged in conversation, she wouldn't disturb us. A guest salesman made an extra stop based on her information.

The place is beautifully decorated. On weekends I would wander through the house just "looking" at the place; it was so beautiful. There is a back terrace with a grill and a frig for guest use. If you are a cook (and even if you're not), sneak a peak at her modern, state of the art kitchen which is not normally open to guests.

There are 5-6 rooms, each with an full en-suite bath including shower. The "best" room is on the first floor called the Knowles room. The rest of the rooms are on the 2nd floor. I stayed in the Thomas Clark room which was a large room w/ shower. The room doesn't have much light. This didn't bother me because I'm a night owl who worked in the field by day and did paperwork at night. As a business traveler it became obvious very quickly that I needed a desk in the room and that was provided immediately. The only thing it lacked was a full-length mirror.

Given a choice of rooms for an extended business stay, I would have chosen the Garden Room. It was a large room on the corner of the house with lots of natural light.

My mother stayed in the Toile Room for a week. The room was a lovely, well-lighted room on the front of the house with a bay window. It was right across from the Thomas Clark room. Having two rooms worked better than I thought it would. It was well worth the $$ because it allowed me to focus on my paperwork at night without disturbing her. I would not have felt comfortable getting a separate room for my mother in a hotel.

Best thing about the place: the breakfasts, the room, the experience.
My least favorite: the animals. There were three dogs and at least two cats.
Room for improvement: an icemaker in the guest refrigerator.

Overall, this is a winner!!