In the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, where rolling farms seem to stretch for miles and vineyards tumble into ancient and sparkling water bodies, The Lake House on Canandaigua offers a paradoxical feeling of remoteness paired with dozens of vacation amenities.
Positioned at the northern tip of 15.5-mile Canandaigua Lake, the fourth-largest of the eleven Finger Lakes and about 26 miles southeast of Rochester, the resort has views for days, generously sized rooms, cozy common areas, strong wellness and culinary programs, and a fortuitous location for exploring New York State’s wine country.
I’ve lived in upstate New York for more than two decades, but the Finger Lakes region never ceases to surprise me with the next scenic vista, and there are plenty around the hotel. It’s easy to see why the Seneca, the largest of six Indigenous communities that make up the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, named the lake Kanandague, or “chosen spot”.
Why stay at The Lake House on Canandaigua?
Hotel stays don’t come much more relaxing than at the family-owned Lake House, which has 124 rooms and suites with views of Lake Canandaigua or the woods that surround it. The resort makes a comforting home base to return to after a day of sightseeing and activities, including boating, kayaking, SUP, hiking, biking, and wine tasting. If you prefer a quiet getaway, you’ll find plenty to do on-premise: sign up for cooking or art classes, guided garden tours, and wine dinners, or curl up with a mug of coffee and a good book in a sunny window of the hotel’s library.
The Lake House on Canandaigua has made a deep investment in wellness. At the spa, choose from massage, facials, body scrubs, and nail services, or sweat it out in one of the outdoor barrel saunas overlooking the lake. In the neighboring building, join a morning meditation or yoga class, or immerse yourself in the healing energy of a group sound bath. A few times a year, the Lake House offers wellness centered around yoga, sound healing, nature immersion, creative workshops, and optional activities like henna art and tarot reading.
What are the rooms like at The Lake House on Canandaigua?
In a word, tranquil. Designed predominantly in white, ivory, and wood tones, rooms feel upscale yet relaxed, with hardwood floors and handsome built-ins for storage. Of the nearly one dozen classes of room, most clock in at 360 square feet. The Standard King Suite and Lake View King Suite measure 547 square feet, and the Cottage King Suite is the largest at 581 square feet. All rooms have a desk, flat-screen TV, Breville coffee and tea maker, mini fridge, Bluetooth speaker, and private tiled bath with rainfall shower head and custom-blended amenities by aromatherapy-focused brand Born Bathing. The furniture is made by The Brooklyn Home Company, a design firm owned by two of the Lake House’s owners.
I stayed in a Lake View King room, in the resort’s main building. I’m a light sleeper and found the mattress a bit firm and the pillows overly soft, but I loved the high ceiling with skylight-like window and ceiling fan for circulating warm air during my chilly fall visit. The private balcony, with panoramic views of the lake, was ideal for appreciating the candy colors of sunset, and the morning winging of small flocks of snow geese over the glassy water.
What is the food like at The Lake House on Canandaigua?
The Lake House has three main eateries. The Sand Bar, which sits at the lake’s edge, is an update of a local-favorite hangout that originally opened in 1994. The slat-back booths and boat hung upside-down from the ceiling give it its retro beachy character. It serves an eclectic mix of favorites like perogies, loaded burgers, and Asian-style chicken salad with crispy noodles. For light snacks, morning coffee and pastry, or evening cocktails over a game of chess, settle in by a crackling fireplace at the Library. Fancy breakfast in bed? Room service is available from 7am-9pm.
Rose Tavern, the resort’s signature restaurant, emphasizes local products, including herbs and vegetables from the onsite garden, plus upstate-produced cheeses and meats. Under Chef de Cuisine Pedro Hoil Chi, the New American menu showcases inventive recipes like gnudi pasta made from butternut squash and potato and mixed with a Parmesan cream sauce, and braised short rib with a red-wine reduction atop a jumbo potato croquette. Even if you’re not usually a dessert person, don’t pass up the sweets, courtesy of Executive Pastry Chef John Bard. His flavor combinations—like the pumpkin cheesecake mousse with buckwheat crumble, pepita praline, and coffee crèmeux—are unexpected and sophisticated, and nod to standby ingredients of the Northeast. Ask for a table in the greenhouse, which offers stunning views of Canandaigua Lake.
Diagonally across South Main Street, you’ll find Coho Pizza & Wine Bar and perennially popular Scoops Ice Cream. Less than 1.5 miles away, moody bistro Il Posto serves a menu of Italian and Italian-American classics.
What is the service like at The Lake House on Canandaigua?
Although the current iteration of the Lake House is just five years old, the property has been home to a series of beloved motels and hotels for half a century. The staff’s dedication to hospitality is apparent, from the welcome glass of sparkling Riesling to the spotless rooms, knowledgeable food and beverage service, and well-lit grounds.
Lake House staff excel at small touches, like door service with a smile and the “Good morning” and “Good afternoon” elevator mats that are changed out twice a day. Upon checkout, I was gifted with travel-size versions of my choice of locally made wine jelly or maple syrup.
The hotel has implemented a number of sustainability practices, among them the careful monitoring of energy usage and use of renewable energy, water conservation, environmentally friendly grooming amenities, stations on every floor that dispense still and sparkling water, and mitigation of pollution sources. The Lake House’s restaurants source local products when possible, and grow a number of herbs and produce in their on-premise gardens and greenhouse.
What are the gym and facilities like at The Lake House on Canandaigua?
Open 24 hours, the fitness center is on the larger side for a hotel gym. In addition to free weights and resistance bands, it has a universal gym, two treadmills, two elliptical machines, a Peloton bike, and a Sonifi interactive TV.
At Willowbrook Spa, adjacent to the main building, warm your feet on a detoxifying Himalayan salt dome while waiting for your treatment in a sunny lake-view room. I arrived early so I could decompress there before my treatment, sipping a cup of tea and nibbling snacks like raspberry yogurt-covered pretzels. I enjoyed the peacefulness so much that, after my Ultimate Anti-Aging Facial, where I was treated to 80 minutes of LED light therapy, serums, massage, and eye treatments that left me with dewy, glowing skin, I returned to sit there a little longer.
The Lake House’s heated waterfront pool and hot tub are open year-round. It was already dark outside by the time I took a soak in the hot tub, so I wasn’t able to enjoy the views, but the moonlight reflecting off the water and the flickering of fire pits around the property still felt pretty magical. Ask the reception desk staff for a s’mores kit to take with you, so you can dry off with a snack around the fire.
What’s the area like around The Lake House on Canandaigua?
Canandaigua is both a city and a town, the landscape of which slopes down toward the lake. The historic town center, less than two miles from the Lake House, boasts well-preserved nineteenth-century architecture and a variety of locally owned shops, restaurants, bakeries, and galleries. Standouts include Wildflowers Gift Shop, Kiko’s Den, and Canandaigua Record Exchange. At the new tasting room of Aquilano Wine Cellars, sample the brand’s artisanally produced, award-winning Riesling, Blaufrankish, Seyval Blanc, and Traminette.
Although you’ll find several natural areas to explore nearby, including waterfront Kershaw Park, renting a car will give you access to a larger variety of attractions. Hike or walk Canandaigua Vista Nature Preserve, whose 113 acres of open meadows and towering forests feel hushed and secret, kayak the Canandaigua Lake Water Trail, or cruise along the lake aboard the Canandaigua Lady, a replica nineteenth-century steamboat.
Go waterfall chasing in nearby Naples, then head into the village center, which looks like the set of It’s a Wonderful Life. Here, pay a visit to Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery’s tasting room and shop. The nearly 38-year-old winery crafts a number of wines from their 40 acres of Finger Lakes vineyards, and make fun, giftable products like preserves, dressings, hot sauces, gummy candies, and nostalgia-inducing, no-sugar-added grape juice.
Why you should you book a stay at The Lake House on Canandaigua?
Although the Lake House on Canandaigua is open to individuals and families of all ages, and it hosts a number of corporate events and weddings, its low-key charms and wellness programming are perhaps best appreciated on a romantic getaway or a girls’ trip.
If outdoor adventure is on your agenda, the best times to visit the region are late spring through late fall; expect peak foliage in early October. While there are fewer outdoorsy pursuits to choose from in the winter, this is the coziest time of year, when the Lake House is decked out in holiday finery, and its barrel saunas are an especially welcome escape from the chill.
DETAILS
Address: 770 South Main St., Canandaigua, NY 14424
Price per night: Starting at about $170 per night for standard rooms and $250 per night for lake-view rooms. Special rates are offered for AAA, AARP, and CAA members; residents of New York and neighboring states; and Canadian residents.
Closest transport: The closest regional airports are Rochester (ROC; 40 minutes) and Syracuse (SYR; 70 minutes); Albany (ALB; 3 hours) and Toronto (YYZ; 3.5 hours) are the nearest international airports. Amtrak’s Maple Leaf and Empire lines service Louise M. Slaughter Rochester Station and William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center in Syracuse.
Book now: via Booking.com
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