Ithaca or Skaneateles?
 

Message: My husband and I are planning a weekend getaway the 2nd week in October. We were thinking either the Rose Inn in Ithaca or The Mirbeau in Skaneateles. Anyone stay at these places before and if so, which one did you like the best. Thanks in advance for the info!

Mirbeau is amazing!!! We stayed there for our honeymoon last fall. The rooms are big and luxurious. The beds are soft, the linens by frette. wow. We felt like we were in france. The spa is incredible. You must schedule a mud wrap. My husband loved the massages. They made him feel very comfortable.
There is a restaurant in Mirbeau which is nice, expensive, but not amazing. But, there's this italian restaurant right behind Mirbeau, just a short walk, which is wonderful! Let me know if you have any other questions. I'll be happy to answer.

Do you know about how long it takes to get to The Mirbeau from New York City. We are actually in New Jersey but just 10 minutes from Manhattan. What rooms would you suggest at the Mirbeau? Are the cottages nice? Thanks so much for the info.

If you were planning to spend plenty of time out of the room and looking for local activities, Ithaca might have more to offer but The Mirbeau does have a very good reputation. Rosalie's Cucina is the Italian restaurant mentioned and is also highly regarded.

Until last week I was living in Rutherford NJ, probably close to where you are - just off Rte 3. Allow about four hours to get to Skaneatles depending on traffic. Contingent on road construction on Rte 81 or Friday afernoon traffic towards the Poconos on Rte 80.... it might take a bit longer but certainly no more than five hours at the most.

Owen - we live in Clifton which is right next door to Rutherford. We would like to do some hiking and visit some wineries but I wasn't sure how long of a drive from Mirbeau to the wineries or would it be easier to stay in Ithaca or another town?

We stayed in one of the Cottage patio rooms. It was nice having the patio because the weather was so nice. I think that all the rooms are equally nice.
It took us about 20-30 min to go from the inn to the wineries. It wasn't so bad. It's a beautiful quiet drive. It was just so nice to be able to go back to "france" at the end of the day... so peaceful. There is so much.. maybe too much going on in ithaca. It is a college town afterall.
If you go to Rosalie's, you must try the banana pudding. It was the best dessert I have ever had!

We stayed near Ithaca a month ago. We stayed in a Rose Inn which is a beatiful B&B. THe rooms on the ground floor have French doors which open into the garden. The town of Ithace is not too lively at night but it has one or two decent restaurants. YOu can drive to Cornell University and visit their campus - it is beatiful there, they have waterfalls and gorges throughout the campus.

I've stayed at both and Mirbeau is my favorite. The rooms are beautiful- fireplaces, down pillows and comforters, bose cd players, big claw foot tubs with great bath products... It is a wonderful place to getaway!

Just returned from a week in the Finger Lakes. Stayed in Ithaca, but did day trips to Skineatales, etc. Ithaca is a much bigger "city," actually a little scruffy with a real college feel-sort of like Berkeley in ways. Skin is very, very, very quaint and beautiful, but is further away from many of the lovely state parks and the wineries. In Ithaca we stayed at the William Henry Miller Inn, just 2 blocks from the pedestrian mall (which is absolutely nothing to write home about). Inn was beautiful, beds and bathrooms wonderful, and food delicious. It was a good location. Enjoy.

Thanks everyone for posting the info about Mirbeau. I had never heard of it before. Their web site, www.mirbeau.com, shows photos of all the facilities. It looks like a real treat.

Didi - Skaneatles is about a 30 minute drive from the area where the wineries begin and yould could drive as far as 90 minutes each way if you were visiting some that were on Seneca or Keuka Lakes vs. Cayuga Lake. It's a loely drive regardless but if I were planning to do day trips to some parks (e.g. Taughannock Falls and Watkins Glen or staying for more than a weekend and wanted some other diversions.... e.g. a broader array of restaurants, an art film theatre, a decent art museum (the Johnson Museum at Cornell).... and a shorter drive to wineries.... Ithaca would be a better choice. For a weekend Skaneatles is a great choice - quaint, relatively quiet, one very good restaurant (Rosalie's), one that's hit or miss but usually decent (The Sherwood Inn) and a good location right on the lake.

Owen - we are actually staying for three nights and thought we could hit Ithaca on the way up to Skaneateles or on the way back. We just found out its parents weekend in Ithaca the weekend we want to go so we're not sure if the town is going to be overcrowded that weekend.

Ithaca will be overflowing that weekend and some (not all) of the restaurnats will pull the famous "big Cornell weekends" routine - either a more limited menu than normal, higher prices or both. I was there last night just to nose around (it's only an hour from where I'm now living) and it was swamped with parents dropping their freshman sons and daughters off for orientation. best to just use Skaneatles as your base to stay in. Ithaca is still worth a visit on that weekend as apart from restaurants and the campus it's not that crowded - actually a nice time to visit Taugannock falls, Tremain Park gorge or Watkins Glen.

By the way... if books interest you, the two used bookstores on the Commons hahve both expanded into larger quarters and offer great browsing/shopping opportunities for used and out of print books.

We stayed at B&B last year during parents weekend in Ithaca -- we didn't go out to dinner right in town, however it was so much fun with the apple festival on the Commons (pedestrian walkway). Yes, it was VERY crowded, but we like that sort of thing. Make reservations ASAP regardless of where you're going in the Finger Lakes -- that's one of the best foliage weekend, and everything books up quickly. Good luck.

I'm so glad I mentioned the parents weekend. We definitely plan on visiting the Falls and the state parks and some wineries while we are there. We will definitley stop in Ithaca because I'd like to see the Cornell campus since everyone has said its beautiful. I'll have to stop by the bookstore you mentioned as well.

My next question is what wineries to hit since we will only be able to visit a few.

By the way, thank you for all the wonderful help!!

ethaete - My husband and I don't mind crowded either but its our anniversary weekend and we want to be able to relax in a quiet atmosphere once our hectic day of touring the Finger Lakes is over. We will most definitely spend a day around Ithaca and definitley now to hit the apple festival! Any good suggestions for restaurants in that area for lunch and dinner?

didi,
I spent 7 years in Ithaca, and just the thought of the restaurants there tempt me to make a trip sometime soon. So many wonderful options. What kind of food/setting interests you?

We love everything when it comes to food so its hard to pick just one. That's usually our problem when we go away; there are so many restaurants but not enough time to try them all! It all depends on if we feel like hanging out that night in a casual atmosphere or having a gourmet meal. We usually like to go where the locals go since those are often the best places. We would appreciate any suggestions on restaurants.

Forgot to ask how long a drive it is between Ithaca and Skaneateles.

mmmm... wineries. We always enjoy Knapp, Lucas, Anthony Road, Lamareaux, lakewood, wagner, and glenora. There are tons others and I would say almost all are worth a quick stop and taste. My husband and I share tastings... that way we can go longer.
The drive from Skaneateles to Ithaca... I would say 45 min to an hour. I could be slightly off since we did make a couple of stops along the way.

Having visited the wineries in Napa and Sonoma, I was gravely disappointed. There were no tours, and usually unsophisticated tastings by staff. The wineries were just excuses for a retail store. Sorry to burst a bubble.

My husband and I also toured the wineries in Napa and really enjoyed them. I appreciate you warning us not to expect the same.

Usually there are not posted tours at the wineries, however if you ask a staff member, they are more than happy to give a personally guided tour and tell you about the operations. There are a bunch that have planned tours, you will just need to check out the web-sites: www.uncorkny.com. I haven't been to CA yet, so I cannot compare. Hillview -- what lake did you tour that disappointed you?

Regarding dinner, go to www.visitithaca.com for a listing of restaurants & reviews - its the most comprehensive list I've found.

didi,
a few of my favorites:

Thai Cuisine
John Thomas Steakhouse
Both of those are good, self-explanatory options for dinner.

Simeons on the Commons (casual american) or
Aladdins in Collegtown (mediterranean flair) are great lunch options.

Other great stops for snacks and such...Purity Ice Cream on Rte 13, Cornell Dairy Bar, Farmers Market (sat mornings only I believe) off Rte 13.
Have a great great time!

Oh and one more note, I've done the wineries in both Napa/Sonoma and the Fingerlakes area, there is a marked difference in atmosphere, but in my opinion the Fingerlakes offer their own type of charm--I specifically enjoy Wagner and Knapp.

Happy Anniversary and Happy Travels!

These restaurant options sound great, thank you so much!! Well definitely have to try the Thai place since many of you have suggested it here on Fodors. I have a feeling my husband and I are really going to enjoy the Finger Lakes. I better make reservations at some of these restaurants before we go!

We know the atmosphere will be different from Napa but since the Fall is my favorite time of year, I think the beautiful colors along with the charm of the area will more than make up for it! :)

Now, are only decision is whether to keep our reservation at the Rose Inn or to stay at the Mirbeau. We're just a little concerned due to it being parents weekend in Ithaca. We didn't know this until after we made the reservation. I also read a couple of reviews about the Rose Inn and they weren't the best. Apparantely, for the money you don't get many amenities.

We toured the Finger Lakes area last fall - late September I believe. Four of us went up on a driving tour and took in as much as we possibly could. Some of the wineries were large and others were quite small and we also found ourselves having smaller sips to not start tottering! We have a lovely, delightful time. One night we finished driving from watkins Glen to the north part of Lake Geneva and we had dinner at a castle! We had a grand time.

Two years ago we did the tours at Napa and had a great time there also. The tastings are simply that "tastings" so you decide which wineries to stop at - we stopped at primarily large wineries in California and we were taken around in a group.

We also have a nice little winery here in Maryland and we're tried that and enjoyed it. They have great tastings at Lake Linganore Winery.

Find some neat B & B's, wander (by car) around the lakes and just have a marvelous time.

Whoops!! I mean Lake Seneca and we stayed in Geneva.

For places to eat in Ithaca I would suggest the Boatyard Grill for waterfront dining, Maxies Supperclub for a funky, fun Cajun menu, and for somthing a little more elegant, Taughannock Farms Inn. Favorite restaurants near the Fingerlakes would be Stonecat Cafe and the Red Newt on Seneca Lake and Henry B's in Seneca Falls. Most all of these places have websites with menus to check out. Have fun in the beautiful Fingerlakes!!

Rose Inn in Groton,NY (near Ithaca) also has a very elegant and upscale restaurant with live jazz on some nights. I also recommend Boatyard Grill for lunch.

Hi there
The Rose Inn, located at 813 Auburn Rd, Route 34, P.O. Box 6576, Ithaca, New York 14851, is closed for renovations due to a fire in March. Check out their website at www.roseinn.com
Not sure if there is another Rose Inn around here, you might want to check into this before you decide on where to stay.
Happy travels!

The Finger Lake wineries may be different from Napa but we absolutely love them. You may meet the owner, get to try something not on the regular tasting list, etc. We've found them very friendly and fun. Some favorites are Chateau Lafayette Reuneu (sp?), Red Newt, Dr. Frank, Hermann Weimer and Heron Hill. You should have lots of fun, and the area is just gorgeous.

Enjoy!

A lot of fast responses! A vote to leave the wineries to CA and try to split your time to enjoy both Ithaca & Skanateatles, there is at least 1 other top-notch B&B in Skaneateles called Hobbit Hollow.

Good information here, but the OP asked the question a year ago