Layla’s Riverside Lodge

A couple friends and I were traveling to Mount Snow for an event and found this place was 6 minutes away. Booking our reservation using their own website was painless, and I called to confirm after and was greeted by the Owner, Sandy. He confirmed our reservation and was pleasant to speak to on the phone and in person.
While Sandy made a point to say hello, Rebecca went above and beyond to take care of us, she was extremely sweet! The weather outside was comfortable and when we asked if there was an opportunity for us to spend some time outside Rebecca showed us to their beautiful scenic back deck and fire pit.
Affordable price for a great nights stay.
Can’t beat the location either. (This was post Gordon Ramsey’s visit and revamp).

Cannot wait to go back!!!
Often on «hotel hell» you see a bunch of people who are lazy, gave up, and should just not be in business. But that was just not the case for this inn. I think the owner’s heart has always been in the right place, but he was just in over his head and didn’t know how to turn it around.
But after Gordon Ramsey’s help /​guidance, this place is amazing! You could just tell the owner really cares about people & dogs and truly cares about his inn and making it a fabulous place that family (furry & non) want to keep coming back.
We most defiantly will be returning!

If you have a dog and need somewhere to rest your head then this place is it.
We decided to leave New York City on late notice and found a room at Layla’s. It was exactly what we needed laid back and relaxed. Our room was Suite 4 which was newly renovated and had a door to the outside which helps when you have a dog in tow. The breakfast was hearty with large portions. Our dog got to play with other dogs which made for a very friendly atmosphere for everyone there.
The location is easy to get to everything. You’re not far away from Mt. Snow or any of the other restaurants or shops.
If you are coming from NYC don’t expect a rush here this is casual and easy going.
The main dining room has a giant fire place which we bought a few bottles of wine and ordered our dinner by. Yes this is BYOB but honestly I prefer that you can bring your favorites with you and enjoy great food.

After a day at Mt. Snow we enjoyed the comfort of Laylas! Staff was very welcoming and it felt like spending the night at an old friend’s home.
Our room was very cozy, clean and comfortable!
The owner was friendly and we loved Layla running around and greeting us as we came and went.
Next trip to Mt. Snow we will be visiting Laylas!

Beautiful lodge, friendly and helpful staff, best food (by far) in the area, minutes from the slopes, Great breakfast, sweet dog, beyond flexible with meeting your needs, amazing room with jacuzzi tub and luxury linens! It’s like vacationing at the home you wish you had!!!

I ordered a groupon for a two night, three day stay at Layla’s Lodge. The photos of the groupon were unbelievable. So beautiful and looked like just our style. I checked the website and saw none of the same photos, instead old grandma looking spaces with dark cold guest rooms. I called before purchasing the groupon and asked why there was such a big difference. The owner said to me that he was afraid to go public with all of the renovated photos because he was unsure he wouldn’t be ready for the crazy amount of business it would bring him. (I have NO clue why I believed him at this point) I explained that my husband and I were very picky about where we stayed, we would be driving a long way to come and that the reason we liked what we saw so much is because everything looked clean, fresh and bright! I then asked him how much of the facility had been renovated because I needed to be 100% sure I was coming to the same place I saw on groupon. He said to me «oh everything is basically done. About 97.5% of the lodge is renovated. Sure you might find some wallpaper hanging from the hallway, but this place is just amazing. The ONLY rooms not finished yet are the bunk bed rooms and I’m sure you and your husband aren’t wanting to stay there, right?» Oh the owner was a charmer. He knew exactly what to say. He told us that Gordon Ramsey himself came and kicked his butt into gear and turned this lodge into an amazing place. So we ordered the King Suite and drove the 3 hours to the lodge. And here’s where it gets disturbing:
We walk in and see none of what we saw on groupon. Wallpaper everywhere, it smelled so weird even my dog was trying to run back to the car. We weren’t sure where reception was until we heard two guys calling out from this messy hole in the wall. The owner that I had talked to was there, standing barefoot in a tshirt to greet us. He showed us to our room and then left. I was in awe over what we found. Stains all over the carpet, furniture broken, missing blinds, and zero hint of renovation. The walls were so thin we could hear them down the hall. We were the only people there, too if that tells you anything. I immediately wanted to cry because this was supposed to be our anniversary getaway and we had been seriously lied to.
We packed everything up and asked where we could get our money back. The owner looked so shocked (I have no clue why, he obviously knew we would find out he lied) and told us we would have to contact groupon. So we left and drove the 3 hours to go home. A 6 hour trip for nothing. LUCKILY we got a full refund for the trip.
All the reviews I read were good and I have no clue why so I wanted to make a review myself. If you have the chance to visit Dover, Vermont, do NOT stay at this lodge. The owner is such a liar I can’t understand how he lives with himself. I’m also VERY confused about why Gordon Ramsey would put his name on this place because frankly that is a huge embarrassment to him. Will never have anything good to say about Layla’s Lodge and I hope everyone takes my advice to stay far far away.

Newly hired chef Steven Dickson has totally elevated this place in terms of the food. A simple yet remarkably complete menu highlighting local ingredients is the cornerstone of this place’s charm.
For the wife and I, along with our 2.5 year old son, we started with the caesar salad. And sure, everyone has a caesar, but this one is excellent with a real homemade dressing and damned near a full head of romaine. Nice presentation and a quality classic.
A fantastic Poutine to start the real food followed. Utilizing Vermont Family Farm hog for the braised pork shoulder and Maplebrook curd for the melted awesome, this was right on, well seasoned and good to the last bite.
Entrees for the evening were the Crispy Duck Confit, a killer plate with a nice crispy touch and well seasoned so as not to be too rich as some confits can be. The bean accompaniment was right on with well cooked and flavor beans in a ragout with kale and bacon. mmmm. bacon. I myself went with the rather pedestrian menu item of a 12oz Boyden Farm NY strip steak. It was cooked perfectly to my requested MR and the quality of the sides made the dish far from it’s pedestrian description. Sure, it’s beef, potatoes, green beans and mushrooms, but the thoughtful presentation and cooking of every side and the well marked/​cooked steak elevated it beyond the simplicity for sure. That and I just wanted a nice piece of beef. Large portions too, we packed up about half of it for tomorrow’s lunch.
In spite of the amount of food we’d already had, we went ahead and ordered a dessert, the Chocolate Molten Cake was spot in. An exercise in the salty/​sweet trend with salted caramel sauce over the molten chocolate cake and real bacon with the maple ice cream and candied walnuts. Really nice and a fine cap to an already fantastic meal.
Add on that it’s still BYOB (we brought a nice bottle with us) and you’re getting a fantastic dinner for a VERY reasonable price here. Solid portions and truly thoughtful food throughout the menu. If they keep this up, it’s definitely going to be the hidden gem of the valley until people figure it out. One of the best meals I’ve had in some time. No joke.
Even having our toddler with us was just fine, Sure we got up and strolled the grounds between courses or played around in the ‘library’ up front, but this is probably the first real four course meal we’ve attempted with the little guy and it went wonderfully.
Give it a shot, Gordon Ramsey and crew came by to tape ‘Hotel Hell’ here and put Sandy and his staff through the ringer. So far they’re clearly taking the criticisms to heart and doing a great job on the food side.