41 Best Hotels in The Finger Lakes, New York

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Rooms at this inn, an 1880 Queen Anne downtown, are imaginatively decorated to highlight alcoves, built-in shelves, curved walls, and steeple views of the city center. Furnishings are traditional and pretty: European armoires, cherrywood sleigh beds and four-poster beds, and wood shutters. Breakfast is excellent, with treats like a homemade English muffin topped with scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, and asparagus, plus fresh juice and assorted muffins. A dessert buffet is offered in the evening.