The Round House is honestly an experience more than a lodging. You don't just get a bed and meal, but a truly remarkable stay in an amazingly unique home. Rebekka is a wonderful host, she went out of her way to make sure that everyone's dietary concerns were taken into account, including making several versions of each dish so we were all accommodated. All the food was locally sourced and came with a lovely explanation of why she chose it and whose farm it came from. She entertained us with stories of her family and the house's history and by the time I left, I felt like I'd met a friend, not just a host. The house itself isn't built to rigid specs, it's a creation of love and the uneven floorboards and quirky cubbyholes are part of its charm. I ended up with an amazing bed tucked into a wall with light curtains surrounding it, and in the mornings I was able to step out onto the deck and watch the sun rise over the beautiful Colrain countryside. I noticed none of the health hazards that Macky B. mentioned, and struggle to comprehend how Bekki could be considered rude by any stretch of the imagination; her experience seems very opposed to my own, and that of my coworkers. This honestly was the best place we could have chosen as a retreat for our nonprofit, a place for us to not only relax and bond with one another, but to brainstorm and cultivate creativity. Bekki was encouraging and nurturing and I'm almost certainly going back to hold my wedding there after completely falling in love with the place. read more

The Round House - The Round House. - Guest Houses Near Me - Colrain, Massachusetts

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Ms. Rebekka Tippens, owner of the Round House, which she also calls "The Center for Cultural Evolution", or "Bekki's House", gets 1 star instead of the symbolic 0 stars since the building looks quite unique, w/its curved architecture. Unfortunately, the building is hazardous, and is unprofessionally run. We were sure to get video footage of problem areas of the house before leaving, to back claims (re: hazards) made below. My sister was responsible for booking everyone's room & board (20+ people), for friends and family. We were attending my niece's college graduation celebration. Since every everything in the area was booked that week (many area schools also having graduations), it was impractical for everyone to switch lodging mid-stay. Safety hazards 4th Floor cupola (where Ms. Tippens knowingly assigned children to sleep): Large hole in the center of room (large enough for a child or adult to fall through). Entire floor surrounded by large glass windows, with printed warnings on several to never open those windows. The bedding areas there are just cramped, slanted, crawl spaces. Upper floors: A weak, shaky railing on a balcony (over one room). Some small, wall-to-wall bunk beds, which contain very low ceilings. Ms. Tippens assigned several to older adults. If there were to be a fire again - Ms. Tippens told us all there had been a fire in the house already (and there's evidence of that) - it could easily result in tragedy. Bedding problems Multiple bunks were assigned to guests, regardless of age or height, plus several beds don't fit adults over about 6 feet. (Also problematic in the event of a fire.) Attitude Problems My husband was bitten by a deer tick while on a couch (urgent care clinic identified the bug). My sister asked Ms. Tippens if she had a bug problem. Ms. Tippens's response was to accuse my sister of scheming to take legal action against her. Ms. Tippens made rude comments to several guests (including to my sister, my husband and I, and others), throughout the visit. It was only when addressing everyone at once that Ms. Tippens seemed hospitable. The food (some seemed canned at times), was touch-and-go, though Ms. Tippens claimed it was all fresh. The one bright spot was that we all got to spend time with family and friends we hadn't seen in ages as we celebrated our niece's graduation from college. ... I would never recommend the Cultural Center for Evolution to anyone, for any reason. read more

The Round House is not your typical B&B or average retreat. It's made for adventure and it's as much about the soul experience and enjoying your environment as it is about food and lodging. Rebekka goes to extraordinary lengths to make her guests feel at home. She creates a wonderful air of hospitality and is totally genuine when she asks you to "make yourself at home". As someone with food intolerances, I could not have been more grateful to Rebekka for her care and organisation to ensure there was always plenty of food I could eat. And it was all delicious, and prepared with a mind to healthy bodies, and sustainable/ecological food practices. As for the accommodation? As I said before, prepare yourself for an adventure. You may end up in a fairly ordinary bed. But, if you're lucky, you'll get your own, lace-curtained hidey-hole -- a little cubby house to make your own. Or perhaps a quirkily cornered attic space to snuggle within. There is a wide range of beds and sleeping spaces and they all have their own personality. To ensure you get a good night's sleep there are plenty of pillows, extra quilts, and your very own fluffy toy to cuddle. There are animals ready to be your friends -- dogs who want only a big cuddle. And a donkey who'll come out to say hello if you offer her a treat. It's not your average, everyday boring old guest house. It's welcoming, and comfortable, and hospitable and, just a little bit magical. read more

We had our October wedding at the roundhouse with 56 guests. The October foliage and scenic views were amazing this time of year. We chose the roundhouse because it accommodated our friends and family that wanted to stay over night, there was a separate house for the bride and groom and the owner included brunches and dinner cooked onsite at a reasonable price. Pro's - Rebecca's food was amazing. The brunches and dinners were incredible, some of the best food I ever had. The venue is eclectic, this is my style, it might not be yours. Con's - a few of the guests left early because the beds were uncomfortable or didn't meet their needs - also be aware that this is a DIY venue, so there may be a lot of ground work if your having a wedding here. Please note, this is not a holiday inn, if you require privacy or a posture-pedic pillow top mattress, than this is not for you. However, if your open-minded and want a unique experience full of story telling, great food, instruments, hats and books everywhere and a nice bon-fire outside at night...then this is your place! We hoped for an outdoor ceremony, but it ended up raining. Inside the roundhouse we accommodated 54 people for dinner...it was tight, but we made it happen. I would not recommend more people than that. If you can plan on an outside wedding with a tent then you could have more. We did the entire wedding ourselves, we bought all the wine and alcohol and had a self serve bar and kegs. We rented all the dishes, glasses, tables, table clothes etc... We put everything up, we took everything down. It was a lot of work. So my recommendation is to understand what your getting into or else hire someone else to do it! In the end, I wouldn't change a thing. We have amazing memories and photos of an amazing place. We got to share an entire weekend with friends and family and had a wedding too. Just a note on the dogs - they were well hidden during the wedding and never a problem. On the days they were out, they were well mannered. As some of the earlier recommendations implied, the owner of the roundhouse is a strong personality, but we were able to work with her. She did have a few "rules of the roundhouse" that everyone followed, a few guests rolled their eyes as she explained with painstaking clarity how to hold on to your coffee cup and napkin for two days so she didn't have to clean them twice. We had to make our beds after our visit and deposit our linens to a central location, anything that was moved out of place had to be put back in place. We had very specific instructions from time to time, but overall Rebecca made it happen and her food was really, really amazing! read more

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This house is amazing. I spent almost an hour exploring it (lots of nooks and crannies), exclaiming "oh wow" over and over again. You'll like this place if: You have fond memories of building forts as a kid, a unique experience is more important than a sterile box to live in, you like animals, you listen to or were raised by parents who listened to artists like Pete Seeger and Joan Baez enjoy looking at people's bookshelves and knickknacks when you visit their homes, you like animals, nature and scenic views. You may want to look elsewhere if: You want something sterile, you're expecting a hotel stay, you have bad allergies (in a house this large, with so many rooms, there's bound to be dust and pollen that accumulate), you have 20 people who each need their own room or lots of privacy, you're visiting in winter and have a car which has trouble in the snow (house is on a hill, long, winding drive up could be hard for rwd cars, cars with summer tires, etc.). read more

So much fun. A perfect place to bond as a group and feel a little spark of something magical. Bekki is such a kooky soul. Everything she says makes you want to lean in a little closer just so you get it all. Wonderful food, adorable hidey holes for sleeping, beautiful hilly views from the balcony. Amazing time! read more

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We had our wedding here. The house is beautiful & we were attracted by what seemed to be the price tag. Unfortunately the owner, Rebecca, seems to have some major issues & should not be in the hospitality business. She was incredibly unprofessional, rude, and difficult to deal with throughout the planning process & during the actual wedding. Our caterer refused to work with her eventually because of her use of abusive language & controlling behavior. She told us at our original meeting that the house could hold 130 people for our wedding dinner, at our next meeting she changed that number to 60 & denied that she had ever said that. We also had been told we'd have use of the kitchen during our stay, but this changed after our initial meeting too. She had opinions about ever aspect of our wedding and would forget what we had decided and insist on going over everything again, taking up hours of our time. During the actual wedding she was incredibly uptight, belligerently rude to guests, and had multiple confrontations with people in our wedding party. The worst was when actually told a young child of one of our guests to shut up. Maybe she can behave better with smaller groups of people & smaller events, but I would strongly recommend that people stay away from The Roundhouse. read more

I attending an amazing wedding there..the location is remote and if not for the most the owner wbo refers to black children as monkies; make her guest.clean up from ber unkept dogs; make her guest soooo unwanted that by the end of the weekend they running to get the HELL away although she was pushing you to leave; as we went through the line where most of the food was catered i saw in horror the mother of the brides face watch as her dog went at the mac and cheese she spent hours preparring for thus once in a lifetime occassuons. Many guest complained to the mother as to not upset the bride and groom. I would not reccomd tbis place for a dog.convention just due to the owner. If she could be taken out of the rqation it would have been a lovely occassion with five stars now i can only give it one star solely on what it should have been. Good luck to those of u who won't see the real rebecca until u have paid your money. Maybe as a B and B the above peple was treated well or maybe it was because some of us didn't come here on the Mayflowe!!!!! read more

Our family of 14 people ranging in age from 17 to 84 (and our dog) had a great time. We made our own gourmet meals, and we had fun with the huge collections of books, movies, music, musical instruments (including 2 pianos), board games, and dress-up clothing and hats. This place is not for everyone; some people should stay in hotels in a city. read more

We spent a weekend yoga retreat at the Roundhouse. Food was amazing. They accommodated all our food needs (gluten free, vegi etc'). The roundhouse itself is fun with many nouks to sit and sleep. read more

I was very disappointed during my stay at The Center for Cultural Evolution (AKA The Round House. My 4 specific areas of concern were: 1. Cleanliness: I am not what anyone would consider a clean freak but the were several issues of note which include: The bed room was very dirty; spiderwebs and dead insects were plentiful along the wall next to the bed. When we lifted the mattress to change the sheets, there was a dead bug (ladybug) in the bedding. We had to fend for ourselves finding bath towels. There were two bathrooms with showers to be shared by over 20 people. The bathroom in general was very dirty; old half used toiletries were all along the top of the sink. There was a collection of mildewed towels hanging on the wall and there was dark "something" the floor in the shower. I travel frequently as part of my work and I consider these accommodations the most unsanitary I have ever seen. 2. Safety: The outside walk is very unsafe as the walkway is buckled. I tripped twice walking in and out of the house. The house also has no visible smoke or CO detectors. Also there were open areas between floors which could be very dangerous if a small child were playing on the upper floors. 3. Privacy: It was possible to look down into one of the second floor bedrooms from the third floor. The door to another bedroom didn't close correctly and it was possible to see inside the room from the outside when the door was closed. "House Rules" also forbid the locking of the bathroom door. 4. Hospitality: The oppressive "house rules" put a damper on other aspects of the stay. At mealtime, a bell was rung until everyone showed up at the table. If you were doing something else, too bad! It was made very clear, when the bell was rung, you were to report to the dining room. The meals were edible. We were expected to use the same glasses and napkins during our entire stay. One evening, I wanted something other than water to drink. I saw there was orange juice in the 'fridge and decided to get a glass to drink. I was rudely told that the juice was for tomorrow's breakfast and I could not have any. I ended up driving about 11 miles round trip to hit McDonald's for a soda. I wanted to use the washer but I was told "I should be a have full load before running the washer." Finally, we were expected to to change our own bed linen. On a personal and professional level, I cannot recommend The Center for Cultural Evolution. The concept of serving a paying customer is not at work here. read more

The Roundhouse was round, and that's where the fun ended. This house was very unsanitary. Dead bugs in the rooms and at least "my" bed. I broke the house rule of No Shoes because the shower was so filthy I wore them, quickly due to spiders crawling on the ceiling above. The beds were very unsatisfactory and there was so much clutter throughout the house. Chairs were partially broken and the legs held together with string. Other furniture was is poor condition or filthy that I was scared to sit on it. The kitchen was packed with so much stuff there was no counter top visible. The dog dish and compost bucket sat right below where the food was prepared.. Having to use your same napkin throughout the stay, as everyone's was piled together on top of a cabinet, did not meet my sanitary standard. Dog hair was everywhere including the tablecloth. Safety hazards throughout the house were plentiful. Lack of smoke detectors, Cubbies where guests slept would be difficult to exit in case of an emergency. Walkways were falling apart. There were no visible signs for an electric fence , where animals were kept, and we were encouraged to look at. (Yes, I found the fence by accident). Ms. Tippens only comment was "Nice to know it still works". The idea behind the house is good. It was wonderful to have a place where a large group could stay. This part was nice. However, there were way to many "House Rules" and don't want to be informed about not flushing feminine products at the dinner table. Also, normally when I pay to stay somewhere I do not wish to do chores. I'm on vacation! It is apparent that Ms. Tippens in in violation of many codes and needs help running the place. I would never recommend staying at this "Magical" (magical disaster) house. read more

Extremely filthy premises, both inside and out. The house likely has many code violations and needs to be inspected before accepting paying customers. The rooms are dirty, several with no mattress. You sleep on a plain plywood board covered in a sheet or blanket. The bedding smells musty and dirty. The floors are warped in several places, causing a safety concern throughout the house. The proprietress expects you to clean the dishes and house as part of your "requirements" to stay there. You do not receive clean linens for the length of your stay --I assume because she does not want to do the laundry. You are required to REUSE the same cloth napkin, no matter how long you are there. These dirty napkins after each meal are placed in the same basket with all other guests. There were bugs and gnats flying all over the breakfast foods. Meal times were disastrous, much of the food was inedible, including rotten bananas and stale cereal and bread for breakfast. The proprietresses "storytime" was inappropriate, and she shared many indelicate stories about herself and her sons, things of an illegal nature that I was embarrassed and offended to be witness to. I would never recommend this establishment to anyone and I'm appalled that it is allowed to remain open. read more

This is a misleading name for an organization/centre. The director feels free to rudely impose her own uninformed beliefs on visitors. With a very shaky knowledge of history and culture, she lectures and "corrects" guests on their own heritage! read more

DO NOT STAY HERE! Everything about this experience was a disappointment. The house is unsafe and appears to have multiple code violations. I don't recommend this house to adults, but I absolutely don't recommend this house to anyone with children under the age of 10. I saw many dangers in this house ... including extension cords in cubbies attached to small lamps (which one of the children in our party burned her hand on the hot light bulb when playing in one of the cubbies); railing doors that are approximately 15 feet off the ground that are held closed by two, one-inch piece of cloths tied in a knot; crawl spaces that open on top of other crawl spaces where people are sleeping, etc). If there was a fire in this house, it is doubtful that you would ever get a child (who would be busy exploring the many cubbies and "secret spaces" in this house) out of this home unless the child was right next to you. I had many safety concerns in this house for my 8 year old son. The sleeping arrangements, which are more akin to sleeping on a camping mat, are uncomfortable. The mat is a one inch pad that is laid on top of plywood. In my "cubbie" (which by no means qualified as a room - it was literally a hole in the wall with a mattress pad), there was no electricity so my cell phone went dead. My son and I had to use a rickety step-ladder to get into our "cubbie". Our "door" was a see-through, lace curtain that overlooked a railing door held closed by two cloth ties. I was terrified my 8 year old son might fall while trying to climb down from the cubbie and fall over (or through if the cloth closures broke) the railing to the 15 foot hardwood floors below. The meals that were included with the stay were barely edible. The first night it was "fish stew" which had four different fish chunks in some brothy liquid. I nor my son touched the "fish stew". My son at white rice, green beans and bread rolls for dinner that night. Fearful that my blood sugar would drop if I ate so many empty carbs, I didn't eat any of it. Breakfast wasn't much better but at least there was bagels and some overcooked eggs. The meals and sleeping arrangements were awful, but the worst part of the stay was dealing with the owner of the house Rebekka. She was unfriendly, inhospitable, and made a bad situation worse. She was rude and made several insulting comments to another guest in our party ... including "don't worry about stripping the beds because the dogs sleep in your bed". Paying guest being given the "dog's bed". By the way, these aren't two little dogs, these are two huge, fur covered dogs. I also did not appreciate the "rules of the house", which basically amounted to each guest serving as their own housekeeper. We were expected to clean our own dishes and tidy up the house. At the end of our stay, we were expected to strip our beds and remake the bed with clean linens for the next guests. When I stay in a guest house/hotel, I do not expect to have to clean up the home for the next set of guests. In the end, I stayed only one night and left the following evening in order to avoid sleeping in the home a second night. I would never stay in this guest house again. read more