22 Best Hotels in The Finger Lakes, New York

This 18th-century stagecoach inn has elegant, spacious guest rooms furnished with a well-assembled blend of antique and contemporary country pieces. All rooms have down comforters and thick robes. In the Hotchkiss Room, which has a fireplace, French doors lead out to a walled terrace. A renovated barn 25 feet from the back door contains the private Barn Suite, with a kitchen and king-size sleigh bed. Grassy grounds, with stone walls, gardens, and a hot tub, surround the inn, which is a 10-minute drive outside the city.

The smell of freshly baked cookies welcomes you to this turn-of-the-20th-century home. Guest-room furnishings are a blend of Victorian and country-romantic styles. Two rooms have whirlpool tubs, three have electric fireplaces, and one has a private porch. The living room also has a gas fireplace.

The gracious hosts at this B&B win accolades from past guests. In a stately Federal-style home with original olive-green clapboards, rooms are tastefully decorated with a mixture of antique and reproduction furniture and accents, with some gas fireplaces and four-poster, canopy, or ironwork beds. Guests share a hot tub enclosed in a gazebo for all-weather use.

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.

On a residential street off boutique- and café-lined Park Avenue, this 1905 Tudor dwelling has been the home of owners Ellie and Bill Klein for 50 years. The decor is a jumble of patterned wallpapers; original features (like some claw-foot tubs); furniture from various periods (Italian and French provincial, early American, contemporary); and quirky touches like vintage dresses hung in closets. Guests have access to a library of classic VHS movies.

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.

This 1896 Georgian home is impeccably furnished and decorated in a mix of Victorian and modern country-cottage style, with lovely moldings and fireplaces, hardwood floors, tasteful floral fabrics and antique and reproduction furniture. The two larger rooms are the most impressive, with more completely executed decor. A room with a twin bed called the Sleeping Porch can be tacked onto the Cottage Suite. Breakfast is served in a pretty dining room or on a side patio in warm weather.

This exquisitely restored 1833 mill sits in a rural town en route to Letchworth State Park. Rooms are immaculate and decorated in historic country-cottage style with handcrafted and antique pieces. A bubbling creek with a waterfall runs alongside the inn, in view of the patio and flowering garden. The huge breakfast, with homemade granola and maple syrup tapped on-site is a high point.

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.

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.

Our pick for Rochester's top hotel, the Inn on Broadway is in the East End within blocks of the Eastman and Geva theaters, Strong Museum, and various dining and nightlife options. A private club originally occupied the 1929 building, and refinement lingers in the air. Every room is unique, but all have featherbeds (queen or king), down comforters, and thick towels; some have hardwood floors, gas fireplaces, and two-person Jacuzzi tubs. Deluxe rooms have baths with multiple showerheads. A sitting area with a small library is a B&B–style touch.

The waterfront inn next to the city pier has spacious grounds with a pool, a sand-volleyball court, and a barbecue grill. A large lobby-lounge extends out onto a deck overlooking the lake. Rooms are upgraded every few years and are contemporary in decor; those with lake views have either a patio or balcony. More lake views are found in the elegant, contemporary Max on the Lake restaurant, with a menu of steak, seafood, and pasta.

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.

This three-story inn sits on 70 acres on a hill 3 mi from downtown. You can hike into Buttermilk Falls State Park or fish in one of the two on-site ponds. Rooms vary in configuration and style: king rooms (many with fireplaces, hot tubs, and balconies) have swagged windows, light-wood furniture, and an overall feminine feel. A tower room has curved walls and a round bed. The John Thomas Steakhouse occupies a farmhouse on the grounds; the inn building also has a bistro.

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 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.

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.

The 1873 Victorian main house sets the tone for this elegant, 12-acre property, which also includes four guesthouses varying in style and number of rooms. You may choose a room with Victorian antiques and no TVs in the original structure; take one of the modern-built but Victorian-style units in the Edgewood house; or opt to stay in a room or suite in one of the guesthouses with country-cottage decor. Taughannock Falls State Park surrounds the 12-acre property and the state park lakeshore is across the street.

The Queen Anne Victorian, built in 1891 by a wine merchant, has spacious guest rooms with lovely, traditional furnishings like sleigh beds, Oriental carpets, and claw-foot tubs. The suite has a fireplace and a private veranda. Guests share a formal Victorian library with a fireplace. The breakfast buffet includes pancakes or waffles made with locally produced buckwheat. Next door, the B&B has a 2,000-square-foot, two-bedroom 1904 Arts and Crafts guesthouse with Stickley and Mission-style furniture.