Our annual sister trip is in the book.
One of the best outcomes of Dad’s illness was spending blocks of time with my sister who lives on the opposite coast from me. When he died, we agreed to try to plan an annual sisters trip to stay better connected. This inaugural year, we selected a spa vacation in central NY state next to the lovely Cayuga Lake.
We started our trip in Ithaca, NY – home of Cornell University. We chose Ithaca because it’s close to our farm. (If you’re intrigued about THAT journey look for us on YouTube/@BigSpruceFarm or read about it here.) We started our stay at my favorite Ithaca lodging, the Grayhaven Motel. I’ve reviewed it in the past so you can read about it here. This time, besides a visit to the farm, we did a five-mile hike at nearby Buttermilk Falls. I cannot recommend this enough!
After a few days in Ithaca and surrounding areas, it was time to head north along the eastern edge of Cayuga Lake to Aurora, NY.
Aurora was the home to Wells College. (It just shuttered a week ago as it graduated its final class.) The history of Aurora and more specifically the Inns of Aurora is fascinating! We wouldn’t have known about it without having a lovely conversation with Scott, a member of the guest services team. You can read more about it here. The brief history fails to dive into the fascinating character of Pleasant Rowland who, among other things, was a Wells College graduate, a teacher, author, an entrepreneur and the founder of American Girl dolls. When she sold the American Girl business to Mattel, she used the $700 million dollars to (among other things) start the Aurora Foundation with Wells College to restore historic homes in Aurora. Those homes are now part of the Inns of Aurora.
Super cool! If you’re a history buff, this is worth a visit for that alone!
Where We Stayed
The Inns of Aurora are a collection of the historically restored homes in the town. Among them are:
- Aurora Inn – The centerpiece of these, the inn dates back to 1833.
- E.B. Morgan House – Historic mansion which originally belonged to…you guessed it, E.B. Morgan!
- Rowland House – A gorgeous 20-room lakeside mansion with 11 guest rooms
- Zabriskie House – Across the street from the lake, a majestic home set up on a hill overlooks the Roland and E.B. Morgan Houses.
- Wallcourt Hall – Boutique hotel vibes with funky art.
- Orchard Cottage – A lovely private cottage
We stayed at Rowland House because it is right on the lake. We were there just before Memorial Day so sadly we were not able to get on the water in kayaks or on stand up paddle boards. I would go back just to get in the water!
The room faced the lake and was both bright and cozy. The fireplaces are non-functioning but they lend to the vibe of the home. The supplied shower products (and dispensers) were among my favorites at any hotel. If you are coming here I would encourage you to keep your own toiletries to a minimum.
The amenities are thoughtful extra touches that elevate your stay from ordinary to extraordinary. Every morning they put out complimentary, delicious granola bars. They are really more like delightful cakes – and they offer them gluten free! We obviously had a number of people enjoying the gluten free granola bars. They would only put out two each day. We called the front desk day two and from then on at least four – six were provided. They also give you the recipe card to make them. Not healthy per se but really delicious!
There was a firepit at the back of the house. The staff would light it each night so people could gather around and enjoy them with the complimentary s’more kits. There were plenty of places to sit down, relax, read a book, play a puzzle, or marvel at the artwork all over the house!
We drove up and parking was easy and plentiful. There are two chargers in the area that will allow you to SLOWLY charge up your car. They could use more.
We ate a couple of meals at the 1833 Restaurant, located in the original Aurora Inn. We have a fair number of dietary restrictions and found that breakfast had the most choices for us. Every meal was delicious if not a little pricey.
There is a daily resort fee that provides access to a fitness facility and yoga studio in an old schoolhouse. You have free access to the water, though it was a tadbit chilly in May. We signed up for an optional archery class (fee required) and managed to both get a few bulleyes as novice archers. There are other fun fee-required activities that will appeal to a broad array of interests.
The Spa
We love a good spa.
We realized that we don’t pamper ourselves with pricey spa vacations. Never ever. I don’t think that we will being doing this every year…but what a treat!!
Your experience starts as you wind up this quiet, curving road to a large parking lot with plenty of spaces. I’m an electric vehicle driver so I think there is a missed opportunity for some destination chargers but no complaints!
You are greeted at the door and provided an intake form and some spa sandals. You leave you shoes in cubbies right by the entrance. When you complete the intake form, you are guided around the property for a brief orientation.
The inside is breathtaking.
The style matches my dream house so I was drooling at the details. I did NOT take pictures as the use of electronics is forbidden inside the spa.
TIP: Bring an old fashioned paper book if you are going to hang out for the day (I STRONGLY recommend you hang out for the day!).
There are men’s and women’s locker rooms with their own steam rooms and saunas. The indoor and outdoor hydrotherapy pools are share (coed) and there is a co-ed sauna outside. The recommended hydrotherapy circuit is a 15-minute hot plunge, 15-minute cold plunge (who are we kidding? I lasted 30 seconds!), and relaxation loop (aka lounging on chairs and napping!). You can do those in or out doors.
The cafe is open for five hours in the middle of the day. There is an included salad bar of sorts, as well as additional food and beverages available for purchase. The salad bar was SO appealing that we were able to eat just that and be happily satiated. A tip from friends Mark and Alexis (hi guys!) was to go to the spa as soon as it opened and spend the day there, feeding from the salad bar. Awesome advice!
We selected three services each. My sister and I both got Red Flower Hammam Ritual which is a body-scrub, scent-filled journey ending in a luxurious massage. It felt truly decadent and is a signature treatment for a reason. Following that up a couple of days later, we both had Signature Facials and then Hot Stone Massages. Each service and service provider were wonderful, but I am a sucker for hot stone massage. That was probably my favorite and a great note to end on! It’s worth noting they include a 20% gratuity automatically so you don’t need to worry about any extra tipping.
Would We Do It Again?
In the plus column, the service across the board was impeccable, friendly, and efficient. It was singularly impressive for that reason alone. The accommodations are unique and beautiful in a very warm and welcoming way. The spa was next level for me and an astonishing experience I will remember for years to come. We drove and parking was plentiful but once we were onsite, everything was walking distance or within easy reach of the complimentary electric shuttle.
On the down side, not being able to get into the lake was a bummer. One week later and we would have had access to their canoes, paddleboards, and kayaks. It is a pricey vacation so if you are a frugal traveler, this trip is not for you. The two restaurants (owned by the Inns of Aurora) are largely the only game in town and you will need to drive 20-30 minutes for the next closest options. There is a small village market (also owned by Inns of Aurora) that has a small array of travel essentials but may not have everything that you want and need. It feels sufficient for a few days stay but there isn’t any other game in town. I think the entire set up is ripe for some destination electric charging, so I’d like to see more than two chargers in the town. We missed the height of mosquito and blackfly season but if you are bugged by bugs (like I am) then you may want to inquire with guest services before you book your time.
Bottom Line
I would do it again, but only as a special occasion. I’m more inclined to spend the money on the spa than the accommodations solely because of the restrictive (for me) food options. The good news is that it’s only an hour or so away from our farm so I can see treating ourselves after we hit some significant milestones and our weary bodies need a rest. If you LOVE spa time, then I definitely recommend you check out the Inns of Aurora. I love the beauty of the town enough that I would consider real estate in the area – if that tells you how much I fell in love with it.
