Geneva On The Lake

A 1911 Italianate villa on Seneca Lake in Geneva, New York, modeled on a Renaissance Lamoreaux Landing-era country house and set in formal Italianate gardens running down to the water. Thirty all-suite rooms across the original villa and an attached wing. The villa was built as a private home for the Nester family, became a Capuchin monastery for thirty years, and has been a hotel since 1981.

It is the polished Finger Lakes-luxury answer that Belhurst's medieval-castle program isn't. Italian gardens, a long pool framed by clipped hedges, and a dining room facing the lake.

The setting

Geneva sits at the north end of Seneca Lake. Geneva On The Lake is two miles south of downtown on Lochland Road, on a parcel that pitches gently down to the water. The Italianate gardens — formally laid out in the 1920s and well maintained since — run from the villa to a lakefront promenade. The Seneca Lake Wine Trail begins at the property and runs south on both shores; Watkins Glen is forty minutes south.

The drive from Rochester airport is an hour; from Buffalo, two and a half.

The building

A 1911 Italianate villa — symmetrical stucco facade, deep eaves, terracotta-tile roof, arched loggias on the lake side. The interior keeps original carved-oak ceilings, parquet floors, marble mantels, brass and velvet in the public rooms. Public spaces include the formal dining room (now Lancellotti Dining Room), the loggia with views over the gardens to the lake, a library, and the gardens themselves. The Capuchin monastery years, oddly, are part of why so much of the original 1911 detailing survived intact.

The rooms

Thirty all-suite rooms across the original villa and a built wing. Categories include classic suites, lake-view suites, and the larger Master Suites in the original villa. All have sitting areas; many have working fireplaces and decorative ironwork balconies. From-rates open around $445 in season; the historic villa suites run higher. Bathrooms are tile and marble.

Food & drink

Lancellotti Dining Room — Italian-influenced contemporary cooking with a strong wine list (heavy on Finger Lakes Riesling and Cabernet Franc, plus a real European list). The room itself, with its original ceiling and lake-view windows, is the destination as much as the menu. Non-guests book regularly. Breakfast is included for guests; lunch and dinner à la carte. There's a separate piano bar.

On the property

The Italianate gardens — possibly the best-maintained formal gardens at any hotel in the Finger Lakes. A long classical pool framed by clipped hedges. Tennis. Lakefront promenade with dock. There's a small spa with massage. Bicycles for borrow.

• Heated outdoor pool in formal garden
• Italianate gardens with lakefront promenade
• Lancellotti Dining Room and piano bar
• Bicycles, dock, tennis
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Couples doing a Finger Lakes weekend who want polished hotel-keeping, not folksy
• Wine-trail visitors who'll appreciate a serious wine program in the dining room
• Anyone who'd choose Italianate gardens over a "rustic" theme any day
• Architects on weekends

Who it's not for

• Travelers expecting a casual, family-friendly resort vibe
• Anyone who wants a contemporary minimalist room — this is heritage interiors throughout
• Pet owners (verify policy with the front desk)

Nearby

The Seneca Lake Wine Trail begins at the property. Hermann J. Wiemer, Lamoreaux Landing, Anthony Road, and Atwater Estate are the established producers. F.L.X. Wienery in Dundee is the Christopher Bates lunch stop. Watkins Glen State Park is forty minutes south for the gorge trail. The Corning Museum of Glass is an hour south. Geneva's downtown has the Smith Opera House and a few good restaurants on Linden Street.