The Brookside Motor Inn in Upper Jay is a rustic two-story motel in the High Peaks Region of Upstate New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Rooms on the upper level are only accessible via a steep rickety wooden staircase that looks and creaks like the one that led to the basement of my grandmother’s farmhouse. If you have any mobility issues, make sure you specifically request a room on the ground level. Carrying our luggage up the stairs while hanging on to the board railing for dear life was a challenge. We received a text message informing us of the access code to our room. When we arrived, we rang the doorbell of the house by the motel with the word “office” on the door. Nobody came out to meet us. Instead, a gruff voice over a speaker asked if we had received the text with the room access code. When we said “yes,” the voice responded, “Then you’re checked in.” Then the speaker went silent. We never saw any management or staff member during our stay. For all we knew, the voice in the speaker could have been from an absentee owner managing the facility from a distant city. Our room was very clean and attractive in a rustic sort of way. The bed was comfortable. There was a kitchenette with a full-sized refrigerator, sink and stove. The kitchen was also stocked with complete sets of dishes, flatware, cookware and utensils. Our bed was comfortable. The bathroom was modern and functional. We had no problems requiring management assistance, so we enjoyed our stay.
