Inns of Aurora

Inns of Aurora

Inns of Aurora sits on 350 acres above Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes village of Aurora, a collection of historic homes restored and joined into a single resort of 59 rooms across three low-rise floors. Mornings start with coffee and a view of the lake before the spa opens at 8:30, a farm-inspired campus on the hilltop rated among Vogue's 100 Best Spas in the World, with four hot soaking pools, two cold plunges, steam rooms and both single and co-ed saunas, plus a treatment menu that requires booking ahead. Bicycles are free to borrow for the walkable, under-one-square-mile village, and guests who prefer solid ground can hike, read in the library, or take a picnic to the grounds; a fitness area and yoga sessions round out the active side, while billiards and a terrace suit slower afternoons. Rooms run from an Economy Small Double Cottage with lake views up through a Premier Junior King Suite of nearly 600 square feet, each with air conditioning, blackout blinds, a safe, tea and coffee, and a hairdryer. The restaurant and bar handle dinner and drinks, though full breakfast is billed separately, around USD 15 to 40 a person. This is an adults-only property: children 11 and under are not permitted, which suits couples on a spa weekend or a small wedding party far more than a family trying to fill a long weekend. Front desk staff greet arrivals after a check-in email sent 48 hours ahead, and free parking and Wi-Fi are standard throughout. Anyone wanting nightlife or a city pace should look elsewhere; anyone wanting a lake, a hillside spa, and quiet should book here. A cluster of restored historic homes on 350 acres above Cayuga Lake, adults-only and built around a hilltop spa ranked among Vogue's 100 Best Spas in the World. Fifty-nine rooms, free bicycles, and a walkable village make it a slow-paced escape, not a stop for families with young children.