In 1890 the Lamplight Inn, a grand Victorian Gothic in the village of Lake Luzerne, was built by a wealthy bachelor lumberman as his summer playhouse. One can only guess at the romantic trysts of this 19th-century playboy, but adjoining doors (no longer used) to two
other bedrooms from the master bed-room hint at the possibilities.
Today, the Lamplight is a romantic bed-and-breakfast for 20th-century guests, thanks to innkeepers Gene and Linda Merlino. In 1984 they were still dating when they bought this mansion on a whim. Within a year they were husband and wife; they spent their honeymoon painting the front porch. There have been quite a few proposals uttered on bended knee under this romantic roof, and honeymooning guests and other couples love the Lamplight, as room-diary accolades attest: “Our privacy was respected and our newness as a couple treated with gentleness and humor,” one newlywed wrote.
The decor helps considerably. The down-stairs sittingroom has its original chest-nut molding, wainscoting, and unusual keyhold staircase. On cool evenings the room is lit by two fireplaces. Wicker chairs beckon visitors to the front porch, and the airy dining room provides the perfect backdrop for Linda’s granola and muffins and Gene’s peach crepes and three-egg omelets.
|