Escape busy New York City at Lake Canandaigua
There are more than three million lakes in the US and these special waterways are just five hours from bustling New York.
Eleven slender strips of water are scratched into the heart of New York State, as if clinging to its beauty with both hands. These parallel pools, the Finger Lakes, point to the quintessentially American experience of lake vacations. And yet this holiday style is largely overlooked by Australians, who end up in cities or at beaches, on road trips or cruises, but less often lakeside.
There’s something special about lake life that takes me a while to figure out.
A lake is more intimate than the ocean; it somehow makes the world seem smaller, like your own private island. Shared only with a few people, instead of holiday hordes, a mirror-like lake suits those in search of reflective tranquillity.
There are more than three million lakes in the US, with the overwhelming majority in Alaska. Most of the remaining ones are not suitable for recreation, leaving relatively few for fun. For years I have heard about the Finger Lakes region, renowned for its green landscapes and white wines, but I have never taken the easy trip north of New York City. The perfect time arrives on an extended stay in the Big Apple, when I crave a change of scenery – somewhere quiet and steeped in nature.
One of the best lake towns among the heavenly 11 is Canandaigua, where the most coveted accommodation is The Lake House. This resort-style hotel provides no reasons to leave, with excellent restaurants, bars, shoreside firepits, free wellness classes, lawn games, water sports, boat rentals and cruises, a heated pool with hot tub, daybeds and a poolside bar and grill. I check into a sunlight-drenched balcony room for a long weekend.
Lake Canandaigua is smooth as silk; the hardest part is learning how to say it. When I hear the correct pronunciation, I want to keep repeating this Indigenous Seneca (Native American) word, which means “chosen place”. Can-in-day-gwa, Can-in-day-gwa, rhymes with day spa, and my chosen place turns out to be The Lake House’s Willowbrook Spa.
After a blissful massage, I wander outside in my robe and slippers to inspect the two wooden cylinders in the garden. The barrel-shaped saunas are undeniably cute but getting sweaty sounds too intense for my summertime session. Staff explain that the one-hour ritual, which includes a honey face mask made in-house, is cooled by a carafe of herbal water, aromatherapy sprays, and cold facecloths in a bowl of crushed ice.
My preferred chill-out activity is sipping a coconut margarita at the Sand Bar before dinner with a friend. We order a selection of specialties: scallop, shrimp and crab chowder; beet and apricot salad; pan-roasted cod; and chicken cooked in the wood-fired hearth. At the end of our meal, the waiter hands us two extra-long skewers and a takeaway bag of marshmallows, crackers and Hershey’s chocolate. In classic American camping style, it’s time for s’mores by the firepit.
Under a full moon, we make our oozy dessert over the crackling flames while gazing at the narrow blue yonder. We’re sitting with a dozen other hotel guests in a circle of deckchairs beside the shore; it feels like a pool party but with a big lake instead of a small pool, or a bonfire party minus the messy, sandy beach. Similar to the vibe at a campground, travellers from different states (I’m the only non-American) find common ground around the fire. We chat about boats, beer, wine and weddings, and search for constellations in the starry sky.
In the morning I take a sunrise stroll along the boardwalk, beautifully landscaped with native plants. Opposite is the City Pier, part of the Canandaigua Historic District. Built in 1848, it’s lined with 80 well-preserved boathouses, each painted in bright colours. From the pier to the town centre runs Main St, where shoppers can browse boutiques, galleries and brewpubs. Opened in May, the new Hotel 1892 has five exquisitely appointed suites, with the option of a private chef.
Somehow I tear myself away from The Lake House for lunch at Roots Cafe in the rural nook of nearby Naples. This converted home is a whimsical space of art and flowers, with outdoor seating on the porch and under a yellow-striped marquee, with a vineyard view. All drinks and ingredients are sourced from local farms, bakers, wineries, breweries and distilleries.
Next door is Inspire Moore Winery, one of five stops on the Canandaigua Wine Trail. Overlooking the vines, I sample the sparkling, dry riesling and award-winning blaufrankisch, followed by a palate-cleansing mango peach wine slushie. Then I head to a festival in Linden St, Geneva, which shuts down to traffic (on Saturdays between June and September) to offer kerbside tastings from some of the 130 surrounding wineries.
The next day is spent exploring more regional attractions, such as Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park. This 21ha estate has one of the country’s few remaining Lord and Burnham greenhouses and nine themed gardens sprawling around a 40-room holiday house built in 1887.
Lunch is at the lakefront 19th-century Belhurst Castle, which has 11 guestrooms and its own winery. Guests receive a key to a wine spigot, locked behind a small gate, which dispenses glasses of complimentary red to be enjoyed in their room. Hidden behind a sliding door is a 1933 speakeasy, where alcohol was secretly shipped from Canada during the Prohibition era.
My last day is leisurely, unwinding at The Lake House, before my train back to the city. After leaving Canandaigua comes a gnawing urge to explore the other 10 lakes – Canadice, Cayuga, Conesus, Hemlock, Honeoye, Keuka, Otisco, Owasco, Seneca and Skaneateles. Weeks after my stay, I am still gripped by daydreams about my next possible visit to the Finger Lakes.
IN THE KNOW
Canandaigua is within a five-hour drive of New York City, Washington DC, Boston and Philadelphia, as well as Toronto and Ottawa, Canada. Alternatively, take a scenic seven-hour journey on the Amtrak train from New York’s Penn Station to Rochester and then hire a car for the 40-minute drive to Canandaigua.
The Lake House on Canandaigua (770 South Main St) has 124 guestrooms; from $US386 ($600) a night, including wi-fi, yoga and meditation classes, use of bicycles and fishing gear, and lawn games such as bocce, croquet and cornhole.
Louise Goldsbury was a guest of Finger Lakes Visitors Connection.
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