4 Best Hotels in The Finger Lakes, New York

Here's a slice of Europe at the edge of Seneca Lake. Formally manicured grounds and Italian Renaissance architecture call to mind Tuscany. The stunning white manor house, built in 1914, has fireplaces of imported marble and rich upholstery and tapestries. Rooms are furnished with different styles of Stickley furniture. Ten suites have two bedrooms. Studios have living rooms and Murphy beds. Spend a summer afternoon playing lawn games, fishing, or taking a pontoon boat ride on Seneca Lake.

The large 1848 colonial-revival house sits on 300 private acres of woods and meadows across the street from Skaneateles Lake. Interiors are plush but not fussy, with a leather sofa, silk and velvet drapes, Oriental rugs, and a hallway mural. Two bedrooms have fireplaces; most have four-poster beds. Lake views are especially nice from the front and side porches.

Understated elegance is the rule at this châteaulike property. Mirbeau is French for "reflected beauty" and appropriately, the complex wraps around a water garden with lovely lilies and an arched wooden walkway. The 10,000-square-foot Roman-style spa has the region's most extensive treatment menu. Rooms have fireplaces, French-country furnishings, down comforters, and soaking tubs. On Saturday night the elegant Giverny restaurant, which serves contemporary takes on seafood and game, hosts live jazz. Four- and five-course tasting menus are available.

Cornell's School of Hotel Administration operates this nine-story hotel, as well as an Italian restaurant and two cafeterias. Guests have access to university recreational facilities, including the pool, golf course, basketball court, and ice-skating rink. Rooms, with contemporary furnishings, have beautiful campus views. Suites are spacious and have one full and one half bath. The hotel and dining facilities are closed during the university's Thanksgiving and Christmas recesses.