18 Best Hotels in The Finger Lakes, New York

The 1889 castle, complete with tower, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; you can stay in the original stone structure, but better rooms are found in the charming Georgian Revival mansion or in the modern Vinifera Inn, which has less personality but king-size beds, gas fireplaces, and two-person showers. The formal restaurant and lounge have lake views. Belhurst has its own winery, and a wine-tasting room and gift shop are on-site.

This seven-story lodging, in an East Syracuse business district, is geared for the business traveler. Rooms are contemporary, with large desks and ergonomic work chairs, cordless phones, and pillow-top mattresses.

About five blocks from Syracuse University, this hotel has rooms with elegant, streamlined furnishings, hypoallergenic bedding, and granite bathrooms (some with whirlpool baths). The restaurant offers fine contemporary fare with many Italian-inspired selections; the bistro offers more casual fare. The 50-seat theater is used for both business and entertainment purposes. The hotel lounge has a grand piano.

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.

Within Letchworth State Park, this country inn overlooks the park's tallest waterfall. Park founder William Pryor Letchworth had used the mansion as a retreat; it became an inn in 1914. Interiors are Victorian in style. Smaller standard rooms have one double or two twin beds, but the suites, with queen beds, are spacious. The Cherry Suite has a whirlpool tub, a private porch, and chevron-patterned hardwood floors. Also available are contemporary lodge rooms and three houses.

Rooms at this downtown high-rise hotel either look out onto some of the city's finest examples of 19th-century architecture or face Lake Ontario or the Genesee River. The hotel is within walking distance of the Blue Cross Arena and Geva Theatre Center. Guest rooms and corridors were completely renovated in 2006 and 2007; beds are topped with down duvets and bathrooms are granite.

Every room has a view of Seneca Lake at this inn 10 mile north of Watkins Glen, built in 1999 to complement the on-site Glenora winery (Seneca Lake's oldest winery, opened in 1977). All rooms are furnished with Mission-style pieces and have either a balcony or patio; Vintners Select rooms have fireplaces. The restaurant, Veraisons, serves three upscale-American meals a day in a cathedral-ceiling dining room with a stone fireplace, a patio, and excellent lake views.

This Armory Square landmark is Syracuse's oldest hotel. Most rooms and suites have kitchens, and all have flat-screen TVs and leather desk chairs. Decor is traditional, with wall-to-wall carpeting, walnut veneer furnishings, and crisp white bedding. The pillow-top mattresses were custom-designed for the hotel.

A pink-and-turquoise neon sign on Route 5/U.S. 20 welcomes you to this 1953 motor lodge, transformed into an art-deco-style motel. Each room is individually decorated, with some '50s and '60s lamps and furnishings mixed with more-modern pieces. Rooms have comfortable queen beds with better-than-average linens; some have hot tubs.

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.

In downtown Corning, this hotel is steps from Market Street, the Rockwell Museum, and the Corning Museum of Glass. Rooms have such traditional furnishings as dark-wood desks and big leather chairs, many have king-size beds, and some have bathrooms with granite countertops and brushed-steel fixtures. Guests share a 10-person hot tub outside.

The modern hotel is next to the Erie Canal, 6 mi southeast of downtown Rochester. Rooms have doorbells and traditional furnishings, while beds have luxurious sheets, specially washed to preserve softness, and down pillows and comforters. The spa offers massages, facials, body wraps, manicures, and pedicures. The Erie Grill, an intimate candelit restaurant, overlooks the canal, serves a seasonal American menu that emphasizes game meats in cooler weather.

The 1855 home is three blocks from downtown and less than 1 mi from the Corning Museum of Glass. Guest rooms, decked out in Victorian style, have antiques, plush towels, and 300-thread-count sheets. Some have canopy beds. Only the suites, both on the first floor, have kitchenettes. Porch-sitting in summer is replaced by 4 pm tea and cookies by the parlor fireplace in winter.

This blue-shingle inn is across the street from Clift Park and Skaneateles Lake. You may book a boat ride, complete with captain, on the inn's 1946 wooden Chris-Craft. Guest rooms in the traditional, tasteful main building are individually decorated with antiques, many carved-wood four-poster beds, and crisp white moldings. Suites have fireplaces and either steam showers or Jacuzzi baths. Drinks are served from the original 1807 tavern, which connects to a refined dining room.

The red clapboard inn, built in 1851, is across the road from Owasco Lake. Guest rooms all have wood floors and Victorian antiques; some have claw-foot tubs. According to local legend, Harriet Tubman hid runaway slaves in the woods behind the inn. Guests may use the inn's dock. The restaurant, open for dinner Thursday through Saturday and brunch on Sunday, serves Continental and American fare. A five-bedroom guesthouse is also 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.

Suites here are either one-bedrooms, with full kitchens and living rooms, or studios, with kitchenettes and living areas separated by shelving units. Every other suite has a balcony, with views toward downtown or the residential neighborhood. Suites are furnished with microfiber sectional sofas, contemporary wood-veneer furniture, and stainless-steel appliances. At the highly regarded Grill at Strathallan, seafood and beef dishes have some Asian influences.

This upscale hotel opened in 2008 in an enviable location at the south end of Seneca Lake adjacent to a marina and waterfront boardwalk. Rooms have a seaside-cottage decor, with white beadboard headboards, hardwood floors, and a blue-and-white color scheme. All rooms have flat-screen TVs and oversize walk-in showers, and suites have wine refrigerators. The Blue Pointe Grille serves American and Continental fare; in summer you can have drinks on the harborside patio. Captain Bill's boat tours and the Seneca Harbor Station restaurant are next door.