Boutique Lodges & Design Hotels in the Adirondacks

    Adirondack design hotels tend to renovate older buildings using the region's own materials, with little stark modernism. Hotel & Camp Saranac is a 1927 hotel in downtown Saranac Lake, restored in 2019, with a two-story lobby and a rooftop bar. The Fern Lodge has 5 rooms with stone fireplaces overlooking Friends Lake, and Paradox Lodge's Cedar Lodge rooms on Lake Placid have jetted tubs and European showers.

    3 Properties

    Hotel & Camp Saranac

    Hotel & Camp Saranac

    Saranac Lake · Hotel

    A 1927 hotel restored and reopened in 2019 as Hotel & Camp Saranac, with 92 rooms across the historic building and a newer annex. The two-story lobby, with high ceilings and dark wood, is at the center of downtown Saranac Lake. Camp Saranac, the rooftop bar, looks out over the treetops to the mountains. It is the only full-service hotel with a restaurant and bar downtown. The Wild Center and the Saranac Lake Islands are a short drive. It is part of Hilton's Curio Collection.

    Design-forwardHistoricDog-friendly
    $$View lodge →
    The Fern Lodge

    The Fern Lodge

    Chestertown · B&B

    Five guest rooms on a 70-acre wooded property bordering Friends Lake in Chestertown, each with a king bed, a stone fireplace, a Jacuzzi tub and lake or mountain views. Stays include an evening boat tour, a homemade breakfast served privately, and use of kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. On site are a movie theater, a sauna, a wine cellar and a lakeside fire pit.

    Design-forwardRomanticWaterfront
    $$$View lodge →

    Paradox Lodge

    Lake Placid · B&B

    A small B&B on Paradox Bay on Lake Placid, with 8 rooms in two buildings. Cedar Lodge rooms have king beds, jetted tubs, dual sinks and European showers; Paradox Lodge rooms have private baths and lake or mountain views. Kayaks and canoes are free to use. The owner cooks breakfast from scratch every morning. It is on Saranac Avenue, about a mile from the Lake Placid village center.

    Design-forwardWaterfrontRomantic
    $$$View lodge →

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    What Makes It

    • •Lake Placid's resort infrastructure has attracted more design investment than most Adirondacks locations — the Olympic legacy, the year-round visitor base, and the town's relative affluence have produced properties that compare to the better Catskills boutique hotels.
    • •Design-forward Adirondack properties tend to keep the rustic materials, such as timber, stone and dark wood, and use them in newer layouts with larger windows and less clutter.
    • •Several boutique Adirondacks properties are small enough (under 15 rooms) that the quality of individual room design matters as much as property-level design. Worth looking at room-specific reviews and photos before booking.

    Similar Collections

    Lakefront Lodges in the Adirondacks →Rustic Adirondack Lodges →

    Frequently Asked

    A few, mostly around Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. The Adirondacks have seen less boutique development than the Catskills, partly because of the longer drive from New York City, and most of what exists is renovated older buildings.

    Catskills boutique hotels are more often new architecture, built around a specific look. Adirondack boutique lodges more often start from an older building and the region's log-and-stone tradition and update it.

    Regional materials, such as local timber and stone, and outdoor space: a dock, a porch or trail access. Most of the properties here are small, from The Fern Lodge's 5 rooms to Paradox Lodge's 8.