After the long, five-hour drive to Lake Placid from New York City, which included plunging temperatures and driving in the snow, I was eager for a cozy stay to warm up my bones. Fortunately, the new Eastwind Lake Placid met the task.
The boutique hotel, which opened in August of 2022 by co-founder and creative director Julija Stoliarova, greets guests with a roaring fireplace inside its separate lobby, which doubles as a bar, living room and stage for local artists who perform live weekly. Its gorgeous, exposed beams and wooden, mid-century modern furniture were an immediate signal that the entire hotel would be an homage to the designs of yesteryear and the beloved hygge so many Scandinavian-style homes exude.
We were escorted across the hotel’s large yard and the squeaky wooden floorboards to our suite in the main home—which includes four guest rooms and a vintage library complete with thrifted books, furniture and a typewriter that looks out onto the yard and street—and easily entered our room via a code we tapped into the door’s keypad.
Eastwind Lake Placid has a total of 25 designer-curated accommodations including luxury cabins with vintage Scandinavian design and postmodern inspiration, including 17 guest rooms and eight luxury cabins. There’s also a barrel sauna that fits four comfortably, a pool opening in the summer of 2023, a communal fire pit where you can roast marshmallows and build s’mores (we did), and a chance to rent snowshoes, bikes and skates.
Our suite, which opened into a gorgeous alcove with a claw-foot tub and gas fireplace, included a king-sized bed in the main bedroom, a twin-sized bed in a smaller room containing a nook for dining and reading, and a beautiful, full bathroom with deep green terracotta tiles. At $269 per night (at publication time in March 2023), it was a lot of space for the price. This particular room could sleep three and house a pet dog!
Eastwind Lake Placid knows what it’s doing by catering to style-savvy New Yorkers and others who care about the aesthetics of where they sleep. I was charmed by the beautiful wooden desk and typewriter across from my bed, the chance to bathe in a claw-foot tub surrounded by floral wallpaper and the breakfast basket delivered in the morning. There are no plastics to be seen—all breakfast foods (yogurt, blueberries and pastries) were in glass jars or wrapped in cloth.
We also took advantage of the lobby space each night by grabbing free mulled wine from the bar. Unlike some hotel lobbies that simply look at the check-in counter and nothing else, Eastwind Lake Placid’s is inviting with guests actually hanging out and socializing around coffee tables and the fireplace. It’s less lobby and more living space. On our last night here, we were treated to live music from Singer-Songwriter Anthony Cubbage (@ageofthebear). The hotel regularly schedules live music in its lobby for guests to enjoy.
One of the coolest aspects of staying at the Eastwind Lake Placid is that it is situated on a river. Those staying in the small cabins have the luxury of seeing it out their windows or nearby, at least. Those looking for time in nature, though, can find it at nearby Adirondack Park and the town’s Mirror Lake, where ice and water sports take place.
The hotel is conveniently located just outside the hustle and bustle of downtown Lake Placid, but close enough that a drive there is literally just minutes away. We were easily able to get into the middle of the action and went shopping, down to the lake and out to some of the town’s best restaurants. But it would be easy to spend an entire weekend holed up at this place. Just be sure to request what you need—our breakfast basket did not include utensils or plates so it made eating the yogurt impossible. There was no soap or bubble bath in the room with the tub and the shower’s drain, while pretty, was located in a spot that made the water pool by our feet. The toilet also clogged more easily than expected. But these small inconveniences wouldn’t deter us from staying there again. The staff is happy to provide what you need and we expect that with more time, these kinks will be worked out.
Reservations at Eastwind Lake Placid can be made by visiting eastwindhotels.com/lake-placid or by calling (518) 734-0553.
