If you think that New York State consists of just Manhattan and Westchester, you’re missing out on a lot of beautiful places!
Skaneateles is about a 4.5 hour drive from midtown Manhattan and is a perfect weekend getaway for couples or a group of girlfriends. The drive is almost entirely on highway/thruway so it’s very easy. But it really isn’t pretty at all so if you’re looking for a drive with scenery, this isn’t the trip for you!
The quaint town sits on Skaneateles Lake in the Finger Lakes region about 25 miles from Syracuse.
Where We Stayed: HomeAway Rental
We rented a 3 bedroom home on HomeAway about a 5 minute drive from town. It had a view overlooking the lake and plenty of room for all of the girls in our party. The floor plan was very open which was great for decorations and bachelorette games! There was also lake access with a dock but we didn’t use it.
And how about this bath tub?! I mean goals, right?
Where We Ate:
Dinner: Bluewater Grill
We had a delicious sunset dinner at Bluewater Grill which sits right on Skaneateles Lake. Their menu has a lot of variety which was great for a party of our size. We had a group of about eight and it was also extremely fast!
After dinner we walked out onto the pier just next to the restaurant for a great view of the sunset.
Lunch: Johnny Angel’s
The burgers at this place alone are worth the 4.5 hour drive from Manhattan. It’s nothing fancy but they have a HUGE menu! So, so, so juicy.
Thing To Do: Mirbeau Spa
The main attraction in Skaneateles is Mirbeau Spa which attracts many bachelorette parties. There are tons of treatments to choose from including massages and facias. Not everyone in our group loved their massage. You can read my sister’s hilarious recap here.
The spa has a large clean, upscale locker room as well as a spa room where you can wait for your service. In the spa room you’ll find cushioned lounge chairs, cucumber water, cold towels for your face, a small pool to dip your toes in and a fireplace. Inside the spa room is supposed to be silent but with several bachelorette parties there that day, we found it to be really busy in there. So. Much. Gossip!
Just outside the spa room is a stone outdoor hot tub with a waterfall. You would never know you’re just on the other side of the parking lot! It was a great place to hang out where we could be a little louder than in the spa room. You can also order drinks from the bar and have them in the spa room or by the hot tub.
After our treatments, we had lunch at the restaurant at Mirbeau. We were told in the spa that we could wear our giant bath robes to lunch but we found that we were one of only two tables that did so! We felt a little uncomfortable at first as we expected everyone to be in robes. The service was extremely slow. Granted we were a group of about 16 but still! We had to beg them for rolls because we were so hungry. The food was meh. But I’m not sure I even tasted it in the end I was so hungry!
I would recommend Skaneateles as a fall or spring weekend getaway from Manhattan. The summer is beautiful on the lake as well but if you’re heading there for Mirbeau, I think it’s a little too crowded with bachelorette and wedding parties during the summer months. And in the winter, they get WAY more snow than we Manhattanites are used to!
very nice report and pictures … inspiring 😊😊😊
Thanks so much!