Romantic Getaways in the Finger Lakes

Geneva · Resort

A Romanesque Revival castle on the shore of Seneca Lake in Geneva, listed on the National Register of Historic Properties. Three lodging options — the historic Castle, a more contemporary inn, and private cottages — plus Edgar's Restaurant in the Castle and Stonecutter's Tavern for casual meals. The winery produces its own wines, and the estate also makes beer and hard cider under the Mabel's label. Wine Enthusiast named it a World's Best Wine Hotel; USA Today ranked it third among the country's top wine country hotels. The Isabella Spa-Salon handles treatments and hair. A complete destination, not just a place to sleep.

A Romanesque castle on Seneca Lake with its own winery, brewery, and two restaurants. Wine Enthusiast World's Best Wine Hotel. The National Register building. Three lodging categories.

Ithaca · B&B

An 1880 Chateauesque mansion in Ithaca, designed by William Henry Miller — the first architecture student to graduate from Cornell — who went on to design several of Cornell's most significant buildings. The B&B has nine rooms with carved chestnut woodwork, stained glass windows, and fireplaces. Breakfast is a serious affair, prepared daily and sourced locally. On the edge of Ithaca's downtown, a short walk from the Commons. For architecture enthusiasts, the building is the reason to visit.

Designed by Cornell's first architecture student, William Henry Miller, in 1880. Nine rooms with carved chestnut and stained glass. The breakfast. Short walk to Ithaca Commons.

Hammondsport · B&B

Six rooms in the T.M. Younglove Octagon House — an 1859 Italianate stucco-and-stone building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, one of the better-preserved examples of the mid-19th-century Octagon movement. In Hammondsport on 3 acres, with an on-site spa. Full English and Irish breakfast included, with vegan and gluten-free options. The architecture is genuinely unusual; the wine-country location makes it easy to fill the rest of the day.

Bluff Point · Inn

Built in 1838 by John Nicholas Rose as a wedding gift for his bride — a 2.5-story Greek Revival mansion with four Ionic columns and 6,000 square feet on a bluff overlooking Keuka Lake. The property later operated as Chateau Esperanza Winery (1979), and reopened as lodging in 2003 as The Mansion at Keuka Lake. Twenty-nine rooms across the historic mansion (8 rooms) and a newer inn building (21 rooms). The vineyard setting, the Greek Revival architecture, and the bluff views over the Y-shaped lake are the selling points.

Watkins Glen · B&B

An 1892 Victorian mansion on 2.5 acres overlooking Seneca Lake in Watkins Glen — the only 4-star-rated property in the area, and the consistently top-ranked B&B on TripAdvisor for the region. Fifteen rooms, including a turret room, sunrooms, and a grand staircase. Views from the hilltop extend across the lake. Complimentary breakfast made with seasonal local ingredients. Short walk to downtown, Watkins Glen State Park's gorge trail, and Watkins Glen International Raceway. EV charging on-site.

Ithaca · Inn

A 10-room boutique inn in the former Mayor's Mansion of Ithaca — which also served for years as the Duncan Hines world headquarters before sitting vacant and deteriorating. Avi Smith purchased and spent four years restoring it, reopening as the Argos Inn in 2013 with LEED certification, geothermal heating, heated stone slab floors, and a collection of original Dali, Miró, and locally commissioned artworks throughout. First building in Ithaca to win the Preservation League of New York State's Excellence in Historic Preservation award. Bar Argos has a zinc parlor bar, floating chandeliers, and a Moroccan lantern patio.

Skaneateles · B&B

An 1848 Colonial Revival house on 300 private acres across from Skaneateles Lake — one of the cleanest and least-trafficked of the Finger Lakes. Six guest rooms with gas fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, and enclosed porches. White Birch Vineyards on the grounds. Full country breakfast included. The lakeside setting and the generous acreage give it a private estate character rare in the Finger Lakes.

Fayetteville · Inn

A 90-room hotel and conference center in Fayetteville, near Syracuse, with every room furnished in genuine Stickley pieces — the Arts and Crafts furniture manufacturer with roots in upstate New York. The Wood Grille and Tap House restaurant uses a 96-inch wood-fired grill burning maple wood sourced from a local farm. Complimentary breakfast included. Green Lakes State Park is nearby; the location positions it as the practical eastern gateway to the Finger Lakes.

Skaneateles · Resort

A French country-style inn and spa in Skaneateles modeled on Claude Monet's Giverny estate, with water gardens, bridges, and plantings that reference the Impressionist sources directly rather than gesturing at them. The spa — Skana — is a destination in its own right: mineral pools, steam rooms, and a full treatment menu. The restaurant, Les Saisons, focuses on French country cuisine with seasonal ingredients. Skaneateles is the most resort-like of the Finger Lakes towns, and Mirbeau is its most polished lodging option.

Hector · Inn

A farm-to-table restaurant with four guest rooms in Hector, on the east side of the Seneca Lake wine trail. The kitchen works from regional farms and the wine list tracks the Seneca Lake producers directly outside. The rooms are simple — the idea is dinner, wine, and staying over rather than a dedicated lodging experience. A useful overnight for people doing the east-side tasting rooms who don't want to drive back.

Lodi · B&B

A B&B on nearly four acres on the east side of Seneca Lake in Lodi, with lake views from the property. Twenty minutes north of Watkins Glen, thirty minutes south of Geneva — well-positioned on the east-side wine trail. Each room has a private bath; daily breakfast included. The draw is the setting and the tasting room proximity rather than any on-site amenities.

Ithaca · Glamping

Luxury canvas safari tents at the foot of South Hill in Ithaca, on the grounds of La Tourelle Inn and within walking distance of Buttermilk Falls State Park. King tents and double-queen tents, all with private balconies. No electricity in standard tents — kerosene lanterns and a communal fire pit. A step above camping with a real bed, linens, and the full gorge landscape outside.

Hammondsport · Inn

A small inn on Keuka Lake — the only Finger Lake with a Y-shaped shoreline — in the village of Hammondsport, surrounded by vineyards on steep hillsides above the water. The lake is one of the Finger Lakes' most scenic and least crowded, and Hammondsport is its natural anchor: a compact village with a small square, tasting rooms within walking distance, and Glenn H. Curtiss Museum a short walk away. The inn is the right scale for the town — small enough that you're genuinely staying in Hammondsport rather than just near it.

Ithaca · Inn

The former Rose Inn, rebuilt as the John Joseph Inn and Elizabeth Restaurant after a fire destroyed the original 1851 Italianate mansion in 2004. Chef-owner John Hamilton reopened in 2006 with six carefully appointed guest rooms and a restaurant that has become a dining destination in its own right — Elizabeth Restaurant draws from local farms and changes seasonally. The famous mahogany spiral staircase, completed by carpenter William Houser in 1922–24, partially survived and was restored as part of the rebuild. On 10 acres in Groton, twenty miles from Ithaca.

Trumansburg · Inn

A Victorian inn inside Taughannock Falls State Park on Cayuga Lake, overlooking both the lake and the access trail to Taughannock Falls — at 215 feet, the highest single-drop waterfall east of the Rockies. The restaurant has held a serious reputation for decades, making it a destination for non-guests as well. The park setting means the inn is surrounded by trails and gorge views rather than a commercial strip. About ten miles north of Ithaca, accessible year-round.

Canandaigua · B&B

An 1810 European-style stone mansion on 45 acres near Canandaigua, with beamed ceilings, wide planked floors, walnut and mahogany inlays, and nine fireplaces. Seven guest rooms, each with a private bath and king or queen bed; the mansion’s kitchen and dining areas are available for guest use. Primarily books weddings, so B&B guests typically have the run of a grand estate on non-event weekends.