Experience the beauty of the Thousand Islands and the St. Lawrence River in a historic Victorian setting. Built in 1903, The Wellesley Hotel boasts beautiful views of the St. Lawrence River, quaint Victorian decor and comfortable, vintage style guest rooms. Maintained as they were originally built, the suite-style rooms feature two elegant but refreshingly simple rooms connected by a full bathroom. In addition to the suites, the Hotel now features two newly renovated rooms with private baths. Our hotel is located in the center of Thousand Island Park. Guest rooms, depending on location, offer the following views: open green spaces that lead to the River, beautifully landscaped gardens, and views of the iconic Guzzle building. Each guest room has a private bath and occupancy varies from 2 to 4 guests per room. Whether you’re traveling for business, pleasure or both, Wellesley Hotel and Restaurant is sure to make your visit to Thousand Island Park one worth remembering.
42809 St. Lawrence Avenue, Thousand Island Park, Wellesley Island, NY 13692
Wellesley Hotel and Restaurant
41 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
I am shocked to see even a handful of poor reviews. I had dinner here last week--the food, service, and setting were excellent. I had the Mayan Pork--very creative and delicious. A great break from camp food if you are staying at the nearby Wellesley Island State Park.
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Date of stay: July 2015
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My wife and I had dinner here on a warm afternoon. The scene from the verandah is picture perfect adjacent a nice park, surrounded nby beautiful 'fairy tale' cottages with views across the water. The wait staff were informative and attentive. The menu had a good selection of appetising dishes. My grilled salmon was cooked to perfection. All in all a very enjoyable meal.
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Date of stay: August 2014Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed at the Wellesley Hotel for one night. The room was super clean. The bathroom was small but also clean. I felt like I was in in the late eighteen hundreds, which was awesome. I believe that I couldn't have had a better experience in the other hotels of the region. The location was also fantastic, since you are far from the very touristic points. The area is secluded and very cute, with homes one hundred years old, from the same era as the hotel. It was like a time travel experience! Stephanie, the owner, or administrator (I am not sure) is very nice.
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Date of stay: July 2014
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
High drug activity in area, dirty hotel, poor service. Restaurant serves good food. Wifi is hopeless as is thr breakfast (cerial bars) served Monday to Friday but you have to be really early to get any
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Since this is the only place to stay in the area, they have a captured audience. Needs lots of improvement. There was a fire across the street and you could smell the smoke everywhere. The rooms are adequate for a motel 6. Not worth what they charge. The beds should of been change a couple of years ago. Service for breakfast was lacking. I almost felt I was in the Bahamas.
We ate dinner in the restaurant. Again service lacked, food was cold, preperation was not up to my standard. Will not go back a second time.
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Date of stay: August 2014
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from StephanieHugo, Manager at Wellesley Hotel and Restaurant
Responded Jan 11, 2015
Hello Greg, My name is Stephanie and my husband, Hugo and I are the manager and chef of the Wellesley Hotel. We were sad to see you did not enjoy your stay with us. The fire across the street was not something we were able to control as you might imagine. We know that because of the fire, which devastated our park on so many levels, our service and ambiance were affected. On a positive note, the rooms are being updated throughout this year and the next as part of a larger project to rebuild the area after the fire. If your service or food was lacking and cold it would be most helpful to let us know immediately so to rectify any issues right away. We would never want you to leave with such a bad impression. If you do give us a second chance, which I hope, I look forward to showing you our true abilities in both service, food and atmosphere. 2015 will be our second year managing the Wellesley Hotel and we look forward to always improving our standards and listening to our customers feedback to ensure a quality and pleasurable stay. With hope in seeing you again, Stephanie & Hugo
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cutting to the chase, the most unappealing aspect of this restaurant is, by far, the food. We hand selected this restaurant to honor and thank our long time river resident hosts. We were completely embarrassed. The food was horrendous. Two guests ordered the crab cakes and they were nothing but hush puppies. The salmon was completely unremarkable. The dinner salad consisted of whole romaine leaves slathered in dressing. One of our guests ended up having to serve the salad to us all. Upon presenting the wine, the waiter forgot to serve us, the dinner hosts, then did not return to check on the table for 20 minutes and was abhorrently absent the remainder of the evening. The venue is very nice, but all other aspects are not. Would not recommend this place to anyone.
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Date of stay: July 2014
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Even though the hotel hasn't opened for the summer and the owners have changed, I can already tell you it's going to be worth a trip! The new chef, Karin Lapusnak has been the executive chef at a few other northern NY favorites of mine and she is great!! The Brinkmans will be missed; there will never be a replacement for the favored Thai Fried Scallops, or Diane's ability to squeeze yet another reservation onto the books for you. I'm hopeful that the new owners will maintain the outstanding reputation of The Wellesley Hotel and I recommend a visit!
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Date of stay: March 2013Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A beautiful historic building in quaint TI Park and worth the trip. The menu was not large, but unique and varied. From the bread to the appetizer and entree to dessert, it was fantastic! I would definitely go back for more. Some of these older reviews are no longer accurate--they DO have a liquor license and the menu has changed a great deal. The new chefs are very talented.
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Date of stay: June 2017
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â I believe the hotel has five suites
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My fiance and I and two other couples spent two nights and three days at this fine establishment. This is our second trip to the Thousand Island Park in as many years. The hotel has only 4 rooms for rent but they are comfortable and clean. As someone who travels for work, this hotel is more akin to a very nice bed and breakfast vs. a chain hotel. A breakfast of pastries and hot beverages is waiting for you in the Map Room when you awake. The restaurant at this hotel is outstanding. Chef Brinkman, classically trained in NYC and a professor of culinary arts in Rochester, NY serves a wonderful selection of fine food delights. Everything is fresh and prepared in the hotel kitchen. My meal consisted of a lightly fried and breaded local perch with fresh vegetables. My fiance had NY strip steak that was grilled to perfection. The wine selection was extensive. The service was superb. Everyone at our table enjoyed their meal. From swimming in the mighty St. Lawrence, to walking the beautiful historic village, to visiting the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton; to watching the freighters and pleasure boats off the dock; this was a very relaxing and enjoyable get away. (We managed to tour a tall ship sailed by the Sea Scouts out of Webster NY that was docked at the Thousand Island Park community during our stay.) Diane Brinkman, who manages the Hotel and wait staff and Chef Gerry Brinkman, who runs the restaurant , certainly made our stay memorable..
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband and I along with our 16 year old granddaughter recently spent two nights at the Wellesley Hotel. When booking there was little to go on as far the rooms as no room photos were available. Loving historic hotels and buildings I took a chance and booked two nights. I should note that my husband and I are no strangers to older buildings as our own home, where we have lived for over forty years is over 100 years old. We expect quirky but not neglect. So let me start by saying what I thought was good. The downstairs lobby, bar area, dining room, porches and exterior were obviously well cared for and presented nicely. Dinner here gets good reviews, although pricey. Breakfast is provided across the street (via vouchers) and was good. Even the upstairs hall was fine and is where there are numerous little shops as well as the guest rooms. Since the shops close early, 3 p.m. I believe, we never got to check them out. Our problem was the room we booked. If I had not met several guests the next morning as we were leaving I would have assumed all rooms were similar to ours as far as condition etc. Not true! Both of the guests I met were pleased with their rooms and offered to show me. (They had the St. Lawrence Suite and Room #3, both of which faced the St. Lawrence and overlooked the upstairs porch.)What a surprise! I would have been happy as well. When I showed them our room, ( South Bay)they immediately understood why I was not happy. First, we had two rooms, one with a double bed and one with a single for our granddaughter. Our room had a ceiling fan, hers did not. Our windows which overlooked the back roof and kitchen exhaust fans had no blinds, were dirty and cobwebbed, and had wooden sticks to hold the window up, which was okay, but were so short the entire window couldn’t be raised. We used the trash can with the stick to fully open the window as the room was hot. We also bought a fan for our granddaughter’s room when we went out later. The bathroom had a psychedelic paint job....panels of bright green, lavender, I think....a rusting shower stall and a window with no blinds. I kept finding small insects in my soap dish in the morning. Nothing on the walls, simple curtains hung at the two bedroom windows with no tie backs so you could let the air in. This was not a bargain room and was the same price as the St Lawrence Suite across the hall that had: dust ruffles on the beds, blinds in the bathroom, a new fiberglass shower stall, a vanity sink, cleaned windows, tie backs for curtains, cute baseball bats to hold the windows up, pictures on the walls and fans in both rooms. The room presented very differently....clean, and care taken to make it homey. The room down the hall was similar but without the new shower and vanity. Also the second room had no bed but was more of a sitting room. Obviously, our room had not been redone as the others had, but yet the owners continued to book it without putting just a little effort in to make it more pleasant. Paint is cheap as are a few pictures, bed ruffle, ceiling fan and a coat of paint in the bathroom and a cheap blind. There was no excuse for not caring enough to take a day and fix up that suite. I should add that another issue was finding someone at the desk. On our last day I had to go into the kitchen as I wanted to check out and report that we were missing a second pillow (very odd) after our room was made up on our second day. Maybe they were short a pillow?? And also to express my disappointment in our room after seeing the other two rooms. The staff were friendly so I have no complaints there and obviously the condition of the rooms is the responsibility of the owners. So, book with care and I would suggest the St Lawrence Suite. Also, to do again, I would only book one night on the island as there doesn’t seem much to do there (we did enjoy riding around the town to see the quaint Victorian homes) unless you are into water sports etc.
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Date of stay: August 2018Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Thousand Island Park area.
LOCATION
United StatesNew YorkWellesley IslandThousand Island Park
NUMBER OF ROOMS
7
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