Finger Lakes Resort Named Best in New York State

Every year, Travel + Leisure asks its readers to chime for its "Worlds Best Awards" which lists the very best of the best in both the United States and abroad and this year, readers were happy to let the publication know that a place located in Central New York should receive the award for the best in New York.

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New York was the recipient of ten awards for outstanding resorts and Upstate New York is home to eight of them. Rankings were determined by rooms and facilities, location, service, food, and value and were voted on by actual travelers.

Among the top ten best of the best resorts in the state of New York are the Rockaway Hotel and Spa in New York City, Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, The Lake House on Canandaigua in Canandaigua, The Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown, Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid, Gurney’s Star Island Resort & Marina in Montauk, Lake Placid Lodge in Lake Placid, Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa in Lake Placid, and The Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing.

The top spot though went to a resort located in the Finger Lakes. The resort that travelers believe is absolutely the very best of the best in New York is the Inns of Aurora which is located on the shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes.

Readers described the Inns of Aurora and its expansive views as idyllic. They also raved about the 15,000 square-foot holistic wellness center which opened in the spring of 2021.
While many resorts saw a steep decline in visitors during the pandemic, the Finger Lakes region actually saw a boom thanks to there being so many activities to do outdoors.

During the pandemic, people so desperately wanted to get away that demand for rooms skyrocketed which drove up room prices by double and people were more than happy to spend the extra money.

According to New York Upstate, places such as the Inns of Aurora embraced people's need to be outside and got creative by doing things like creating nature trails and even a small archery range which visitors soaked up.