| THE
WOODLANDS - Catskills Irish Arts Week (CIAW) 2008
|
JULY
13th - 20th
|
|
.FAQ
page |
| Everything
you ever wanted to know about The Woodlands but were afraid to ask |
| What is The Woodlands? A private guest house on 8+ acres of land with wooded hiking trail and stream. It is used only by the owners & their familiies and friends, and invited groups. Since 1996, it's been home to participants from Catskills Irish Arts Week. The Woodland is a great low-cost and friendly alternative to the hub-bub of East Durham. |
| Where is The Woodlands? In the Catskills in Roundtop, Green County, New York. It's a 15-20 minute drive to East Durham, and 25-30 minutes from the NY Thruway. Click on Directions for complete directions from all regions, and links to local maps. |
| When should we arrive? Our rooms will be ready by 4:00pm Sunday, July 13. If you arrive earlier, you can use the house, grounds and the pool, but won't have access to your room. |
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What are the rooms like? Bath rooms? There are 18 rooms available to us, and they're all different, with 1 to 3 beds, accommodating 1 to 5 people. All but two rooms are in the main house, accessible either through the main house or a separate back entrance. Rooms on the 3rd floor share bathrooms. All other rooms have private bath rooms. All have in-room sinks. |
| How will our rooms be assigned? Rooms are assigned after all guest reservations are in, to best accommodate everyone. Order of reservations is also taken into account. If you have a special need or preference, such as needing a private bath or difficulty walking up steps, please let me know. |
| Are bed linens and towels provided? Yes. Some people bring their own beach towel for the pool. (I don't bother - the provided bath towel is ok.) Bedding will not be changed during the week, nor will our rooms be "made up." But fresh towels are available as needed. |
| Will we have access to the kitchen? No. But there's a refrigerator and microwave in the dining room for our use, plus a BBQ grill. |
| What's the policy on playing music? We're all there for the music & dance. Practising in the house or on the grounds is fine as long as it's not too early or too late, which we can decide together the first day. |
| What if I get back to the house very late at night? No problem. The front door is left unlocked and the entrance lights left on all night. Which leads to... |
| What about security? The front door is left unlocked. Also, most rooms do not lock. The house and neighborhood are basically safe, but I suggest you don't leave your instument or valuables in your room when you go out. |
| Pets are no longer welcome, due to problems in the past. However, exceptions may be made. Contact Marilyn to discuss. |
| The pool? The Woodlands has a great pool beyond the houses, near the woods. We're welcome to use it anytime in daylight hours (no lights). But be advised that there is no lifeguard or attendee. Children should never be left at pool unattended, and all use the pool at their own risk. |
| Other amenitites? Piano: functioning but out of tune. TV: in one of the sitting rooms, not used much out of consideration for people playing music, but OK if no one minds. |
| Phone? Cell phone reception? The Woodland's phone # is 518-622-2630. OK to receive calls there, though there is not always someone around to take messages. OK to use phone for local calls, and long distance with a calling card. As for cell phones, some carriers work better than others. More details later. |
| Who to contact with questions? Please continue to contact me (Marilyn) with any questions: 212-475-8070 days/eves 9am-11pm. Or mstern@sternphoto.com up until Irish Arts Week. |
| Is the house air conditioned? Only the dining room (I think). But the house stays stays pretty cool. There are ceiling fans in most or all rooms, and lots of windows & trees. If it's hot, I suggest pulling your shades in the daytime. One small guest room has its own AC, reserved for special needs. |
| Smoking? Only outside in a designated area to be decided. |
| Drinking? Fine. BYOB, as none will be sold at The Woodlands or anywhere nearby. |
| Is there a staff at The Woodlands? Yes. Our host will be Lou Gilman, a Woodlands co-owner. He's very fond of our group; loves the music. Also, there is Gigi, the live-in caretaker. She works elsewhere too, so you'll see her in and out. She's responsible for cleaning and laundary etc. I'll introduce you, and you can ask her directly if you need something. There may also be 1-2 cooks. |
| Should we leave a gratuity? YES. At the end of the week. I suggest $10-15 per person for Gigi, either given to her directly, or left on the dresser in your room. |
| Cancellation policy? Payments are fully refundable only through April 15th. Then 50% refundable through May 15th, and non-refundable after May 15th. But, the Woodlands is very fair-minded: It will give a full refund if your room gets booked at the same price or more any time before Irish Arts Week. |
| Can I bring additional guests, such as friends I meet during the week? Guests are always welcome as long as there's room. If additional guests share your room, they must pay per the day rate. NO EXCEPTIONS. Prices at Woodlands are per person, not per room... At least one guest has asked about friends coming up for just Friday and Saturday nights. They can have their own room if one is available. Or they can share your room. We're not taking reservations right now for stays under 5 nights. |
| When must we check out? We have our rooms until noon on Sunday July 20th. We're welcome to stay later to use the grounds or pool, and can use the shared baths after noon. |
| Are there any restaurants, groceries or stores nearby? There's a fabulous German bakery just up the road -- a 5-minute walk. It's open for breakfast and lunch but not dinner, Wed-Sun only. Other than that, the nearest place is Cairo, a ca. 10-minute drive where there's a huge supermarket, a few restaurants, drug store, hardware store & laudromat. |
| Are there any music sessions or group dinners at The Woodlands? My experience is that these things happen spontaneously -- they're hard to plan. Because folks want to be in East Durham most of the time. So much happens every second there during Irish Week -- classes, lectures, sessions, concerts. People come back to the Woodlands generally just to rest, practise, or maybe swim or take a walk. However, sometimes people meet up to practise or have a session at The Woodlands. The front porch is great for that! Group dinners are difficult because of the time involved shopping & preparing, and lack of access to the kitchen. However, if someone wants to organize say a BBQ, I'm sure it would be appreciated! |
| Who's stays at The Woodlands? Only CIAW participants stay at the Woodlands during CIAW. We have several "regulars" who, in the past, have included whistle-maker John Sindt. I'll post guest names as registrations come in. |
| Woodlands photos | Directions to Woodlands | ||