Mid-Atlantic - Anything upscale on NY's Fingerlakes??

After dropping our son off in Cornell in late June, we are interested in extending our time in upstate NY for a few romantic days.

Looking for something on the nicer side quality wise, hopefully on a lake shore but at least accessible to it. Most of what I see is online is either tacky (sorry to say) or does not get consistent ++ reviews. Prefer an Inn but B&B's would be OK........ as long as I am not sleeping in the daughter's bedroom with the teddy bears she chose not to bring to college.

Coming from Northern CA, we are pretty hard to please wine-wise but open to be impressed.

Check out The Sherwood Inn (http://thesherwoodinn.com)in Skaneateles. It's on the north side of the lake just a short walk from the lake (like a minute or two). Good food in town, interesting shopping, beautiful little town.

Check out the Inn at Glenora Wine Cellars.

http://www.glenora.com/glenorawine/page/accommodations.jsp

Pretty good spot. The winery is pretty good, for Finger Lakes standards. (Disclosure -- the original winemaster was my friend and fraternity brother who is now the owner of Frog's Leap in Napa Valley.)

I assume your son is doing the summer program for H.S. students at Cornell? Great program. Did it myself many many years ago ('70's). Thought Cornell and Ithaca were so great, I decided that was my top choice. Went there, and did not realize that the winter weather was a WHOLE LOT different than the idyllic days in the summer.

Enjoy your trip.

Although I've never stayed in any of the lodgings, I've eaten many a meal at Taughannock Farms Inn, about 9 miles north of Ithaca on NY-89. The property is on a hill overlooking Cayuga, and offers rooms in the inn, as well as rooms in more-recently constructed buildings. Details here:

http://www.t-farms.com/

For a very different (and more expensive) vacation experience, you could also rent a canal boat for a week out of the Rochester/Syracuse area, and cruise Cayuga/Seneca, and the Erie Canal, going through the locks. Haven't done it yet, but it's on my list. Details here:

http://www.midlakesnav.com/

and here:

http://www.canalcruises.com/

Note to Djlawman: I was an R.A. in Cornell's H.S. summer program in '74, '75, and '76. What year were you there?

I've always found the Sherwood Inn to be overrated and overpriced for the product.

There is the Esperanza Mansion http://www.esperanzamansion.com/

Geneva on the Lake http://www.genevaonthelake.com/

Belhurst Castle http://www.belhurst.com/

And this general website may have some ideas for you

Don't drink the wine. Yeah yeah the locals go on and on about wine tours and how great the Riesling is and so on but you could save a lot of time taking a couple glasses to the nearest Sunoco and topping them off. It's swill. I love NY and upstate is fantastic but any praise NY state wine (this goes for long island too) is the product of boosterish delusions.

Skeneateles is a lovely place though, will second that. As is Canandaigua. And I didn't even pretend to try to spell those right.

Don't drink the wine. Yeah yeah the locals go on and on about wine tours and how great the Riesling is and so on but you could save a lot of time taking a couple glasses to the nearest Sunoco and topping them off. It's swill. I love NY and upstate is fantastic but any praise NY state wine (this goes for long island too) is the product of boosterish delusions.

Skeneateles is a lovely place though, will second that. As is Canandaigua. And I didn't even pretend to try to spell those right.

You did good on Canandaigua; not so much on Skaneateles. I have to disagree with you on the white wines though - although I cannot stomach Rieslings personally, most people I know who are white wine drinkers really do love many of the Finger Lake whites - even those people from outside the area. I am a red wine drinker and have found several decent meritage and pinot noirs that are quite palatable.

Note to Djlawman: I was an R.A. in Cornell's H.S. summer program in '74, '75, and '76. What year were you there?

This is what I've come up with so far in Dundee:

http://www.thepearlofsenecalake.com/index.htm

Anyone ever been?

Yes, my son is going to the summer Architecture program at Cornell. Don't have much $$ left for a big trip elsewhere. YIKES! More than 1/2 year's tuition at UC.

Please don't tell me how crazy it was in the dorms with High Schoolers............Well.... that was the 70's after all. I can only assume they will have him so swamped with work that he won't have time to get into trouble!

You might take a look at the Aurora Inn or the EB Morgan House. Both were redone by Pleasant Rowland (American Girl doll fame) when she pretty much bought up the town a while back.

http://www.aurora-inn.com/

Even if you don't think much of New York State wines, you should definitely do the wine tours. It can be loads of fun, especially if you have a designated driver. Have done it with friends a couple of times. The wineries are all fairly close to each other, so you just drive from one to the next, tasting the wine. You can get quite buzzed after a while.
Some of the wine I bought later in the day (that I thought tasted good at the time) was quite dreadful when I opened it a few months later. Amazing how my taste buds lost their ability to discriminate after the 6th or 7th winery! :D