Stony Brookside Bed & Bike Inn to close, on market for almost $1.3 million
The owners of the Stony Brookside Bed & Bike Inn have listed it for $1,275,000. Credit: VHT Studios/Peter Scifo
Beside a creek that draws ducks and geese, swans and night herons, turkey and turtles, Elyse and Marty Buchman have spent seven seasons cultivating a haven for cyclists. On spring and summer mornings, Elyse cooks breakfast in a kitchen that overlooks the water and walks it to the guests of the Stony Brookside Bed & Bike Inn.
A dream realized for the Buchmans, who have completed bicycle tours around the world, the bed and breakfast has offered lodging to cycle tourists, recreational cyclists and non-cyclists alike since its opening in 2016. But as Elyse prepares for retirement, the Buchmans have decided to sell.
Listed at $1,275,000 with Kate Works of Compass realty, the 4,500-square-foot home sits on a 0.75-acre lot on Main Street across the street from Avalon Nature Preserve in Stony Brook. The inn will open for its eighth season in May before the sale, Elyse said.
After serving the cyclists and non-cyclists alike since 2016, the owners have decided to sell while preparing for retirement. Credit: VHT Studios/Peter Scifo
"We found this property and it was just a residential home, but the location was ideal," Elyse said. "We always felt that Long Island was a really special place to bike tour, because whenever we would travel we would see beautiful places all over and then we'd come home and we'd say, 'Well, we have the same thing here.'"
The gray-shingled Colonial has five bedrooms, 5½ bathrooms and an attached two-car garage. The home is heated by natural gas and forced air, and cooled by central air conditioning. Annual taxes total $23,568.
The home has five bedrooms and 5½ bathrooms. Credit: VHT Studios/Peter Scifo
When the Buchmans moved in, they readied the property for opening as an inn with cosmetic but not structural renovations. The property lent itself well to this use case, Elyse said, because the living quarters she and her husband share are separate from the guest rooms but within the same structure.
Enchanted by the abundance of "all kinds of critters" in their backyard, Elyse said she and Marty struggled with the decision to leave.
"It feels like we're living in a nature preserve," she said.
The address falls within the Three Village Central School District and is within walking distance to Stony Brook Village, the Stony Brook Grist Mill, the beach and kayaking.
The kitchen. Credit: VHT Studios/Peter Scifo
Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.
