Pines Motel on Lake Erie

About Pines Motel on Lake Erie

The Pines Motel was built in 1950, originally called the Payne Motel, with rooms of real pickwick knotty pine that is still in place today. The main house on the property dates to 1822 and was once the center of a 100-acre farm. Paul and Natalie Gelbke-Mattis, originally from Cleveland, purchased the motel in July 2023 and are its newest chapter in a property that has been operated by husband-and-wife teams for nearly fifty years. Ripley sits in Chautauqua County in the far southwestern corner of New York, on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The surrounding area is the Lake Erie Wine Country, a designated American Viticultural Area with more than two dozen wineries between Barcelona and the Pennsylvania state line. Lake Erie is accessible by a short walk from every room.

What Pines Motel on Lake Erie Is Known For

Paul and Natalie are restoring this property transparently, one season at a time. When a 2024 reviewer noted that the bathrooms needed updating, Natalie responded publicly: 'We also agree the bathrooms need work. We bought the motel in July and plan to do a complete reno of the rooms when we close down this fall.' That kind of directness, from an owner who reads and replies to every review, is not how a property in decline behaves. It is how a property being rebuilt with intention operates. The Rock & Roll Suite tells you what Natalie and Paul are aiming at: a diverse vinyl collection, a record player, a room that has a point of view. The original knotty pine walls from 1950 are not a renovation choice, they are what was here and what new owners chose to preserve rather than cover. That preservation instinct, combined with the active renovation of what genuinely needs work, is what earns this property a place on Boutels before the work is fully done.

Amenities

• Pets Welcome
• WiFi
• Original 1950s pickwick knotty pine walls in motel rooms
• Lake Erie shoreline a short walk from every room
• Rock & Roll Suite with record player and vinyl collection
• Seasonal operation (May through November)
• Cottages with full kitchens available
• Pet-friendly in select rooms
• Refrigerator and microwave in every motel room
• Coffee available in office for all guests
• Packages available (winery, fishing)
• BBQ grill with Tiny House
• Propane grill at Cottage 13
• Lake Erie sunsets from the grounds

The Room

The standard motel rooms are built in the original pickwick knotty pine from 1950, a dense, warm-toned wall paneling that survived multiple ownership transitions and gives every room a specific textural character that paint and drywall cannot replicate. Rooms have queen or double-bed configurations, TVs, small refrigerators, and microwaves. Shower updates have been in progress since 2023; recent reviews note showers that appear newly replaced. Rooms are small by contemporary motel standards, consistent with the 1950 footprint. The Rock & Roll Suite occupies the second floor of the 1822 farmhouse. It has a queen bed, a living room, a refrigerator, a microwave, a in-room coffee maker, a full bathroom, a diverse collection of records, and a record player. No pets are permitted in this suite and occupancy is capped at two guests. Cottage 13 is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom structure with a full kitchen and propane grill suited for families or larger groups. Cottage 15 is a one-bedroom king with a full kitchen and a porch with a lake view, also on the second floor of a structure, accessible by stairs. The Tiny House has a full bed, a compact shower and toilet, a kitchenette, and a TV TV.

The Grounds

The Pines Motel is a low-profile 1950s motor court set back from the road on the Lake Erie shoreline, with at-door parking and the knotty pine building facing the grounds. The 1822 farmhouse sits on the same property, a two-story historic structure that predates the motel by over a century. The lake is a short walk from every room, and the grounds face west: the orientation that produces the sunsets guests consistently name. A beach is accessible on foot. The broader property includes the cottage structures, the Tiny House, and open grounds suited to the quiet, unstructured pace that this part of the Lake Erie shoreline delivers.

The Experience

Paul and Natalie run the Pines with visible investment in what it is becoming. Natalie responds to reviews, acknowledges what needs work, and updates guests on progress through social media. The renovation is being done transparently and in stages, which means staying at the Pines right now means participating in the rebuilding rather than arriving after it is finished. Guests who have followed the property describe returning to see what has changed. The pace is slow, the sunsets are consistent, and the wine country corridor is accessible by car from the property with more than two dozen wineries within a short drive. The Lake Erie Wine Country runs along the southern shore of Lake Erie through Chautauqua County, and the Pines is positioned in the middle of it. The grape-growing season here is long, moderated by the lake, and the wineries range from small family operations to established estates with tastings, events, and restaurant service. Fall is the harvest season and one of the most visited periods: the vines are at peak color, the winery events run through October, and the lake has its own particular late-season light. Summer brings fishing, boating, and full winery schedules. The property closes for winter and reopens in May.

Details

Frequently Asked Questions

Things to Do Near Lake Erie Wine Country

Lake Erie Shoreline and Beach

0.3 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.

Lake Erie's southern shore is a short walk from every room at the Pines. The lake faces west, producing the sunsets that multiple guests name as the defining feature of the property. A public beach is accessible on foot, and the shoreline is a consistent draw for fishing, swimming, and the particular quality of late afternoon light on a Great Lake.

Arundel Cellars and Brewing Co

4 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there.

Arundel Cellars is a well-reviewed family winery and brewery on the Lake Erie Wine Trail in Cherry Creek, about four miles from the property, with tastings of estate wines and craft beers. The Lake Erie Wine Country designated viticultural area has more than two dozen wineries between the property and the Pennsylvania state line, making this one of the most wine-dense stretches of shoreline in New York State.

Barcelona Lighthouse

8 miles, about a 15 minute drive.

The Barcelona Lighthouse in the village of Barcelona, New York, is one of the oldest lighthouses on Lake Erie, built in 1829 and notable as the first lighthouse in the United States lit by natural gas. It stands on a point above the lake and is surrounded by a small harbor with a public fishing pier, a park, and views across the water toward Pennsylvania.