The Best Hotels to Book in Lake Placid, New York, for Every Traveler

Snuggled against the shore, this smart hotel in Lake Placid is a masterclass in Scandinavian design. The Whiteface Suite, with its wooden ceiling beams highlighting Nordic charm, offers staggering lake views. The ligneous rooms have marble accents, USB ports and voice-controlled Alexa devices, which are as attentive as the family who’ve run this place for more than 40 years. Play cornhole while picnicking, kayak for free, and say hi to chattering ducks as a rainbow appears above the misty mountain.

Glimpsing this head-turner, rising above the treetops like a wooden fortress, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was far older than its years. The vast suites-only hotel was built in 2005, but the details make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time, with hand-milled tree trunks forming its structural skeleton, crafts in the higgledy-piggledy wooden furnishings, and stone fireplaces. But you won’t be short of contemporary comforts either, as each suite has a flat-screen TV, a cast-iron fireplace and a fully equipped kitchen.

There are few prettier resorts in Lake Placid than this one. Think upscale New England country house with white shiplap and balustraded balconies. Gabled windows jut out from the roof-like periscopes, scoping those shimmering lake views. Inside, the feel is refined rustic – stone fireplaces, taxidermied woodland beasts – but it’s less hunting lodge and more of a stately Scottish home. Expect elegant-legged furniture, lashings of soft leather and velvet. Dress up for dinner at the View restaurant, or dress down for the Cottage, a cozy local favorite on the water’s edge.

You won’t find a more authentic Lake Placid experience than at this 1700s-built boutique inn – the oldest in the area – with a wraparound porch and softly squeaking floorboards. Showing you to your cozy, cabin-like room, owners Stacia and Mike continue the tradition of hands-on innkeepers, helping to serve breakfast, complete with home-made yogurt. They even host a complimentary nightly cocktail hour with a generous spread of local cheese and charcuterie. There are woodland trails starting at the back door, and you’re only a five-minute drive from the town center.

You’re spoilt for choice at High Peaks Resort, on the shore of Mirror Lake, with three accommodation options. The largest of the lot is the Resort, with an outdoorsy, campsite-chic vibe. Think suspended canoe-shaped lights in the lobby, the Trailhead Market gift and gear shop, and walk-in river-rock showers in the bedrooms. Next, there’s the retro-modern Lake House, all clean mid-century lines and pared-back rooms with pops of red. Then there’s the homey Waterfront Collection, with views of the water.

You couldn’t be closer to the heart of the action than at this hotel in Lake Placid, overlooking Main Street. Step outside, and you’re practically on the doorstep of the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum, essential if you want to learn about the sporting legacy of the area. Once you’ve been inspired by the story of the Miracle on Ice, cross the street to Lake Placid Skate Rentals and take to the snow-dusted surface of Mirror Lake for an elegant (or fumbling) twirl. After a day with the wind in your face, warm up by the fireplace in the stately lobby, with a warming whiskey in hand.

When it comes to feeling at home on vacation, there’s nothing to beat the cozy privacy of a home away from home. These glam holiday apartments in Lake Placid are sleek, with an urban palette of gray on black. And they have everything you need to feel you’ve carved out your own little permanent corner of town. With a fully equipped kitchen, calming, rustic-contemporary decor (think sliding barn-style doors to the bedrooms) and high-speed wifi, you’ll have the ideal private, personal base from which to explore.

The Pines Inn has been welcoming guests to Lake Placid since 1900, and reassuringly, it has lost none of its charm during the intervening decades. Imbued with history, the red-brick structure sits off Main Street, just a short walk from the town center. While the rooms straddle the line between quaint and dated, they’re cozy and comfortable – and brilliant value for the area. The Segger family, who owns and runs the hotel, is warm and welcoming, making you feel at home.

“Ah, it’s cute,” you’ll say as you pull up outside the Swiss chalet-like main office building of this boutique motel in Lake Placid. The oohs and aahs will get louder as you drop your bags inside your room. Whether you go for the standard double or one of the spacious king suites, you’ll get warm contemporary wood paneling around the walls and on the headboards, stylish floating TV units and flashes of brilliant color from the soft furnishings. Using the spick-and-span communal kitchen is a sure-fire way to make new friends. Get cooking.