A big thanks to The Lake House on Canandaigua for hosting our stay so we could provide this detailed review of our experience. This article has been created in partnership with Allianz Travel Insurance.
My wife Natalie grew up in Canada so we visit often, especially during the summer months, to spend time with her mom, sister, friends and extended family. While we were there this summer, I received a press release from the team at the Lake House on Canandaigua.
I’d never heard of the hotel or the lake so I looked them up … and both looked incredible. Canandaigua is a city in Ontario County in upstate New York and Lake Canandaigua is one of the Finger Lakes. I hadn’t been to the Finger Lakes since I was a kid, Natalie had never been and it was only a three(ish)-hour drive from Toronto. The hotel was kind of enough to arrange and host our visit so we got to check out what turned out to be one of our all-time favorite hotel experiences.
Getting there
I rented a car from Enterprise, which was quick and easy, though the first car they gave me was a worn-down Toyota Camry with 72,000 miles on it. After driving just a mile down the highway, I could feel the car pulling to the right so I made a U-turn and returned it. They gave us a brand-new Nissan Kicks, which is a compact SUV. It was my first time renting such a small car and I was amazed that it only cost $24 to fill it up with gas (six gallons), with a quarter tank left.
The Canada / U.S. border
Driving across the border was uneventful, which is always a good thing. There were about a dozen cars in each lane and of course, I picked the one that took the longest. We waited about 25 minutes and about 80% of that time was a border agent dealing with just one car. When we pulled up, the agent didn’t ask anything about the rental car and there was no paperwork, just as the Enterprise salesperson had said.
It was a beautiful day for a drive. Once off the highway, we were about nine miles from the lake.
It was a straight drive the whole way and the last mile or two takes you through the town’s Main Street, which looked like it was straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
The Lake House on Canandaigua
Pulling into the long driveway of The Lake House on Canandaigua, I was a little confused at first. I didn’t realize it was a resort-style hotel with multiple buildings that housed the property’s 124 guest rooms and suites. There’s also an event barn and two restaurants. Here’s why we loved it so much there and what made it so special.
The staff is friendly … and many are locals
Oftentimes, hotel staff members are transplants, having transferred to the hotel from other parts of the country or even from across the world. But here, nearly everyone I spoke to was a local. They had grown up and lived in Canandaigua for most of their lives or had left but returned. It was delightful and refreshing to visit a hotel where the local staff were not only so knowledgeable about the hotel and the surrounding area but also took genuine pride in it. When we pulled up, there was an army of valets and bellmen, who were all very friendly and helpful, as was everyone else we encountered during our stay.
I mention this at the very beginning because it really doesn’t matter how beautiful or luxurious a hotel is if the staff isn’t genuinely friendly and helpful. At the Lake House, they’ve more than got this covered.
Parking is free
Not only is parking free but so is valet. That’s always a welcome surprise! And there are charging stations for electric vehicles.
History
If you’ve been to the area before, you may be surprised to learn that the land that The Lake House on Canandaigua occupies used to be home to a Sheraton Motor Lodge but that was knocked down in 2018 and The Lake House was opened in late 2020. It is family owned and operated by the Sands family (they made their money in the wine- and beer-distribution business) and was designed by Post Company (formerly known as Studio Tack) in collaboration with design collective and The Brooklyn Home Company. The exquisite design is one of the first things you’ll notice when you enter the hotel. It’s apparent to even the most untrained eye how meticulously every design decision was made and every detail thoughtfully incorporated.
Lobby scent
A signature scent in a hotel is nothing new. Hotels have been diffusing fragrances into hotel lobbies and common areas for decades. But in my experience, not all fragrances are created equal. Some have a very … commercial scent … while others I have found to be natural and more pleasing. At the Lake House, there’s an environmental scent for the lobby called ‘Lake Effect’, created by Born Bathing, which makes holistic bath, body and beauty products. The scent is White Grapefruit, Sweet Basil and Juniper and my wife says, “it’s divine. For me, it elevated the hotel experience and got baked into all the memories we created there. One whiff of that scent and I’m transported right back to those lazy, hazy days spent by the lake at the Lake House.”
Complimentary drink
Guests are offered a complimentary glass of Riesling upon check-in, another welcome surprise if you enjoy wine. I don’t drink and my wife rarely does but she enjoyed and appreciated the crisp, cold, refreshing glass of wine after a long drive. And speaking of checking in, the woman who checked us in grew up in Canandaigua but went to LMU for college, the same college I graduated from. We had just missed each other by a couple of years but is another example of locals leaving but returning to Canandaigua.
The lobby
The lobby is beautiful and really sets the tone for your stay. It’s the perfect blend of business and pleasure.
While the hotel staff is conducting their business of getting visitors checked in, guests can sink into the leather couches in a space designed with many natural elements to feel like a casual yet chic living room.
There’s a little mercantile-style shop just off the check-in desk with a great assortment of products, from toys for kids to hats and sweatshirts for those chilly lake nights.
There are also two shuffleboard tables, where our kids spent plenty of time playing.
Yard games
And speaking of games, on the expansive yard just outside the lobby, there are lawn games for guests to enjoy. Our kids couldn’t walk by the cornhole game without begging to stop and play so we enjoyed a lot of time out there. Guests can also play bocce and croquet on the front lawn, daily from 8am to 8pm.
Bikes
The Lake House has well over a dozen bikes, including electric bikes, that are complimentary to use and in a variety of sizes for adults and kids.
It was the first time my kids and I got to ride together (the kids have bikes at home but I have yet to replace my old one) and we had so much fun exploring the area together, especially riding down the path along the lake.
There’s a playground about a quarter mile from the hotel that the kids enjoyed playing at.
The rooms
When it comes to choosing hotels to stay at, my wife is the expert. She worked at a design magazine for 15 years and has a keen eye for beautiful things. When she saw the photos of the Lake House on Canandaigua, it rocketed to the top of her list of places to visit. And it’s really not hard to see why.
Everything about the design of the hotel is, as my wife described it, exquisite. The rooms are sparse and minimalist but don’t feel cold or impersonal. The custom-designed four-poster king-sized bed in our room was beautiful and original and of course, covered in luxurious linens. The rooms have gorgeous hardwood floors, which is something I wish all hotels would do. My wife loathes hotel carpet and rooms with hardwood floors not only feel cleaner but are also less likely to trigger our son’s dust allergies.
The bathrooms feature lovely tile work and shiplap walls.
There were bathrobes for both adults and kids, which our children loved to wear, especially after coming out of the deep-soaking tub.
It’s not often that I comment on the toiletries at a hotel beyond a passing reference, but the handcrafted bath products by Born Bathing echoed the lobby’s signature scent and are really, really nice. The Mind Body Wash in Juniper Berry, Geranium Leaf, Wild Native Bergamot and Pink Pepper gives you both a soothing yet invigorating shower and my wife loved it so much, she plans to gift it to friends and family this Christmas.
The spacious balcony outside our room came with Adirondack chairs and tables and pretty panoramic views of the lake.
Pool
The Lake House is open all year and so is the large hot tub next to the pool. The pool is a popular spot and beautiful. Hotel guests can reserve one of the large daybeds, available to rent from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Since our kids have yet to meet a pool they don’t like, we spent lots of time here, another great spot to enjoy the lake views.
Frozen grapes
Frozen grapes are one of my favorite summertime eats so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that if you rent a daybed, you’re treated to this yummy treat. It was the perfect way to cool down on an extremely hot day. I think they should offer frozen grapes to all pool guests since it’s unique, memorable and a definite talking point. The staff by the pool were extremely friendly and helpful and provided great service.
Swimming in the lake
There’s a small area of the lake with a lifeguard where you can swim. You climb down onto the dock to get in and I did, although my kids didn’t want to swim in the lake. It was about 70 degrees, which was pleasant, and it wasn’t too deep. I was told it was five feet deep but I think it was a little less.
Other activities
There’s no shortage of things to do at The Lake House. They have wake surfing on the lake, morning and evening cruises, yoga, stretching, meditation, garden tours, tarot card reading, a star-gazer floating sound bath and more to keep guests engaged throughout their entire stay. The activities are unique and very in tune to the hotel’s environment.
Sunset cruise
We were scheduled to go on a two-hour sunset cruise with other guests but a storm came through so it was canceled. We didn’t know it had been canceled when we went out to the docks in the light rain and fortunately, the rain stopped just briefly enough for one of the staff members to take us out on a quick, 20-minute ride, just so the kids could experience it. Our captain was an 18-year-old named Eliza, nicknamed Buoy, because she grew up boating on the lake.
Dining
While there, we dined at both of the on-site restaurants: Rose Tavern and Sand Bar. Both served delicious food. Rose Tavern is a ‘New American’ restaurant, serving a seasonal and rustic menu inspired by local ingredients and classic cooking techniques.
Someone recommended we try the Parker rolls with honey butter ($9) and they were not wrong! They’re only served at dinner, though. The beet salad was extremely fresh and delicious as was everything else we sampled.
Originally opened in 1994, Sand Bar is described as a longtime institution in Canandaigua and serves up casual vibes and bar staples like burgers and fries but also lots of fish and seafood. The lobster roll was delicious!
Willowbrook Spa
Everything about The Lake House on Canandaigua oozes calm and serenity. From the natural, less-is-more design choices to the beautifully manicured grounds, the gardens and the flowers bursting with color around the property, you’ll feel instantly transported to simpler, easier times and you’re sure to feel less stress. At least, that’s how both my wife and I felt.
But if you want to kick up those relaxation vibes, check yourself into the Willowbrook Spa. Its beautiful location, with both garden and lakefront views, and calming interiors welcome guests into a sanctuary. The spa menu includes everything you’d expect: massages, body treatments, facials and nail services. I had the Manuka Honey Body Drench and Natalie, who is often sleep-deprived, had the Deep Sleep Massage, a deeply relaxing treatment that she says was restorative.
Aside from the typical spa experiences you’d expect at a luxury hotel, The Lake House also offers guests a truly unique experience. These creekside barrel saunas (pictured above) offer relaxing, therapeutic treatments that can be elevated with the use of topicals and tonics.
Weddings
As you would imagine, a place this gorgeous is a popular option for weddings. So it’s no surprise that almost every weekend is close to sold out, especially in the summer months. I heard that some of the region’s beloved Buffalo Bills players either get married here or attend weddings here.
Wegmans
The Lake House is situated close to town, which is another bonus about staying there. My favorite place in town is the Wegmans grocery store, about a mile and a half down the road. Wegmans is one of my favorite grocery stores of all time after discovering it in Erie, PA, when visiting my sister. I shopped there every day to get fresh fruit for the kids and snacks for our road trip back to Toronto.
Tornado
Thanks to climate change, the weather has been crazy all over the world and Upstate New York is no different. We were supposed to only spend two nights but after checking the weather apps and watching the local news, I saw that the remnants of Hurricane Beryl were making their way right across our path causing flash flooding. So we played it safe and spent another night. It’s a good thing because not only were there thunderstorms the whole way back to Toronto, but there was also a tornado warning to shelter in place pushed through to our phones. Almost all the hotel’s guests gathered in the hotel lobby and the Library, a cozy spot where coffee and pastries are served in the morning and cocktails and light snacks are served in the evening, to watch the weather reports and stay safe until the worst of the storm passed.
Rates
The lowest rate you will probably find at The Lake House is $249. The highest rate is around $1,200 for a suite in the high season. Book your stay here.
As you can tell, The Lake House on Canandaigua is a very special place and my wife and kids loved it so much, they hope to make it a yearly tradition. I’d also love to go back in the winter since it’s open year-round and there’s a ski hill, Bristol Mountain, located just 15 minutes away. It would be great to see what it’s like in the snow, especially when everything is decorated for Christmas. But from what I can tell, this place is pure magic, no matter what time of year you go and I hope you get to experience this slice of heaven on earth.
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