Planning the perfect romantic Finger Lakes winter getaway

So, here’s the deal. Travel as a couple can completely transform and deepen your relationship. But even the most loving, dedicated travel couples need a chance to take a break and reconnect. Work, family, and life are all wonderful things, but they also have a habit of getting in the way of connecting with your partner sometimes. We felt that we were in this all-too-common rut recently, so we decided to take a long weekend on Seneca Lake, in New York’s wonderfully unique and beautiful Finger Lakes region. Known for their small-town vibes, fabulous wine scene, and immersive outdoor culture, the Finger Lakes are a perfect place to escape the daily grind in any season. So, since we needed a few days solely to ourselves, we set about planning the perfect romantic Finger Lakes winter getaway.

Spoiler: it worked ❤️

The perfect place to stay in the Finger Lakes in winter

We almost always choose vacation rentals over hotels in our travels, because we love being able to better connect with and be exposed to locals and the local culture. For that reason (and many others!), we couldn’t have picked a better host than Tina, who rents out the 1885 Fruit Packing House on her family homestead and vineyard. Yes, you read that right. This beautifully restored one-bedroom cottage maintains a lovely rustic feel inside with its light wood paneling and wood burner, even though it has every other amenity you could want – right down to a heated bathroom floor. Basically, you get to wake up in the morning with views of snowy vineyards, in a house that feels secluded but sits not five minutes away from some of the best wineries and restaurants on Seneca Lake.

As if that weren’t enough, Tina is an absolute jewel of a human being. When she realized we were open to suggestions for things to do, this incredibly warm woman swept us right up into her life. She showed us around the area, introduced us to new friends, hooked us up at some of the wineries, and gave us fabulous recommendations for area restaurants. Basically, it’s the AirBNB experience we’d dreamed of but never gotten… one that feels like coming home to visit friends. In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, we’re planning to go back.

(If you want to book with her as much as we do and you’re an AirBNB noob, get $20 off your booking – on us!)

Romantic things to do on a Finger Lakes winter getaway

Take a spa day in Skaneateles at Mirbeau Spa

One of the first things we decided to do was get a couples massage. Since the spots near Hector were either booked or closed the weekend we were visiting, we made an appointment for a spa day at Mirbeau Inn & Spa in Skaneateles. Even though it’s about an hour from Hector each way, Mirbeau has a reputation for serious luxury, and we felt like treating ourselves a little. NO REGRETS. Walk in, check in, be presented with a robe and flip flops, and head off to either the relaxation room – complete with chaise longues, pillows, and a warm foot bath – or the thermal outdoor hot tub and bar. We spent most of the time waiting for our massage in and out of the hot tub (enjoying the snowy weather and resulting icy hair) or sitting by the roaring fire in their giant, outdoor fireplace with a glass of champagne. Then, our masseuses called us back and prepped us for what ended up being a stunningly relaxing Swedish massage. Lovely, quiet ambiance, unexpectedly pleasant aromatherapy, and skillful massage made this the perfect way to spend a winter day in the Finger Lakes.

Practical information for your Mirbeau spa day

• Address: 851 W Genesee Street Rd, Skaneateles, NY 13152
• Free parking onsite
• Cost: variable, based on service
• Accessibility: accessible
• Website: https://www.mirbeau.com/our-spas/

Take a yoga class with Katy Dunlap Yoga

The day after our spa day, Tina suggested we join her for a yoga flow class at nearby Barry Family Cellars. Their old packing building has a huge, open loft upstairs with original floorboards and paneling and a big window that lets in a fair amount of diffused light – all making it the perfect location for some early morning yoga. Even though I’m a devoted yogini, I don’t often take classes when we travel, just because it’s not really a shared interest. But since we were both game to try this class out, we got the fun and pleasure of sharing our practice with Katy. Bubbly but calm, Katy led us through a very sweet, seasonally-appropriate practice and reflection that left the entire room much calmer than it started.

Practical information for Katy Dunlap’s pop-up yoga

• Address: the class we attended was at Barry Family Cellars – 3821 Main St, Burdett, NY 14818
• Free parking onsite
• Cost: $12 per person for walk-in classes
• Accessibility: variable by venue
• Website: http://www.katydunlapyoga.com/

Get your #FLX wine tasting on

If you’re visiting the Finger Lakes and you’re okay with imbibing, you have to stop at a few of the wineries around Seneca Lake. Finger Lakes wine has a lot going for it – passionate winemakers, a fairly temperate climate, and lots of versatility. So you really need to go all-in and experience everything this region has to offer. If you stay with Tina, like we did, you’ll get exposed to the full width and breadth of #FLXwine, from vine to bottle. Because her vineyard supplies so many of the local wineries with grapes, she has the best hookups and the best friends behind the bar. We made stops at Damiani Cellars, Hector Wine Company, Hazlitt Winery, and more. Best known for their Riesling, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc – among others – you’ll find yourself hard-pressed (pun totally intended) to find a bottle you don’t enjoy. Add to that, you get such wonderful smalltown vibes, even from the folks behind the tasting bar. We found they really seemed invested in getting to know us and making sure we had the best possible experience while we were there.

But perhaps the coolest thing we discovered at Hector Wine Company? Something called verjuice. This nonalcoholic concoction is made by pressing sour or unripe grapes, and lends an extremely citrusy taste to whatever you choose to make with it. Tina mentioned using it in salsas, and we even tried it in place of lemon juice in a risotto recently when we realized we’d forgotten lemons at the store. It’s not an exact citrus taste-alike, but boy does it lend the perfect amount of tart and acid to set your dish off.

Practical information for #FLX wine country

• Learn more about Finger Lakes wine trails here: http://www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com/wine-food/wine-trails/
• Free parking onsite at most wineries
• Tasting fees: variable but often starting around $10/person
• Accessibility: variable by venue

Seriously, just do some casual Finger Lakes sightseeing

It sounds a little cheesy, but we wanted to pull over every mile or so for photos as we drove around the area. Particularly in winter, the views of Seneca Lake from the road – already beautiful in other seasons – become absolutely breathtaking. Whether you watch snow actively fall on the lake, or stand by a public road through a vineyard and listen to sleet hit the grapes, or even just watch the sunset as you drive home from dinner, you’ll be surrounded by more beauty and stillness than you know what to do with.

Best places for breakfast and lunch in the Finger Lakes

Elf in the Oak – Have you ever spent a snowy New York morning sitting in a neighborhood eatery overlooking a beautiful lake with a cup of coffee in one hand, playing gin while you wait for your huge breakfast portions to come out? That’s exactly how we spent our first winter morning on Seneca Lake. Best known for their fabulous sandwiches (turkey, cheese, and apple anyone? YES PLEASE) and tastebud-defying muffin-slash-scones, their breakfast is equally tasty, attested to by the number of recognizable locals we saw passing in and out while we relaxed.

• Address: 4221 NY-414, Burdett, NY 14818
• Free parking onsite
• Hours: 9am-3pm (Sunday-Thursday), 9am-6pm (Friday-Saturday); closed between Thanksgiving and late winter
• Tasting fees: $10 CAD for 4 samples; $15 CAD for flight of icewine samples; additional table wine samples, $3 CAD/ea; Icewine samples, $5 CAD/ea
• Accessibility: accessible
• Website: https://www.theelfintheoak.com/

Toni’s Diner – If you want to experience the ultimate morning watering hole for locals, this is your spot. When we walked into to the little diner, we hopped up onto the only two free seats at the bar. Toni stopped to take our orders in between chatting with local guys about their families and work, and bringing them their regular orders without having to be asked. The food is the kind of diner food that makes you go “ooooooh” rather than “uhhhhh” and you’ll definitely leave a very happy camper.

• Address: 3631 Tichenor Rd, Hector, NY 14841
• Free parking onsite
• Hours: 8am-2pm (Tuesday-Saturday), 8am-1pm (Sunday), closed Monday
• Accessibility: check with the restaurant before you visit
• Website: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tonis-diner-hector

Other recommendations Seneca Lake locals swear by

• Grist Iron Brewery and Starkey’s Lookout were both enthusiastically recommended to us by two frequent visitors when we took our romantic sailboat cruise. We wish we’d had a chance to try them!
• Dr Frank’s (on Keuka) – Luke ate here with friends when we visited in the summer and very much enjoyed their sandwiches and fish.

Best dinner in the Finger Lakes

Stonecat Cafe – When we visited Lucky Hare in the summer, they recommended Stonecat Cafe for a late dinner/early lunch. NO REGRETS. This has to rank as one of the best meals we’ve ever eaten. The menu changes consistently, but their mac’n’cheese melts in your mouth, their fish has always been perfectly prepared, and the ambiance is cozy but elegant. When we visited again in winter, we were thrilled to catch Stonecat on the last night they were open for the season – when they had a gigantic party and buffet. We literally sat on a piano bench with our food and drinks because it was so crowded, but neither of us complained. THAT is how good the food is.

• Address: 5315 NY-414, Hector, NY 14841
• Free parking onsite (gravel lot)
• Hours: variable (check hours here)
• Accessibility: fairly accessible; check before you visit
• Website: http://stonecatcafe.com/

Scalehouse Brewery – Scalehouse doesn’t look like anything special when you walk in. But we had already figured out that it would be ridiculous to ignore Tina’s recommendations, so we beelined over there after a day of wine tastings for one of us (guilty as charged) to sober up over what we’d heard to be the best pizza in the area. Not an exaggeration. We split what ended up being a giant pizza with chicken, spinach, and mushrooms on it, and didn’t break the bank. Luke also did a quick beer tasting, since Scalehouse is a brewery first and pizzeria second, and left a happy camper. (No one drove drunk, we promise. Or tipsy.)

• Address: 5930 NY-414, Hector, NY 14841
• Free parking onsite
• Hours: 12pm-8pm (Sunday – Wednesday), 12pm-9pm (Thursday-Friday), 11am-9pm (Saturday) ;; NOTE: may change seasonally!
• Accessibility: accessible
• Website: http://scalehousebrews.com/

Other restaurant recommendations Seneca Lake locals swear by

• Red Dove Tavern – Located up around Geneva, on the north end of Seneca Lake, we heard several locals recommend Red Dove for dinner. They warned us it looked like a dive, but the food is so incredible that you need reservations to make sure you can get in.
• Microclimate Wine Bar – Sadly, the city decided to do work on the sidewalk right outside Micro Climate while we were in town, and they had to close to avoid safety hazards for guests. But Tina recommended them as one of the best places to eat in Watkins Glen, with a solid wine and cider selection and really delicious, locally-sourced food. It’s on our list for when we return.

Save the romance for later!

Note: All opinions in this piece are our own, and all services mentioned were purchased out of our own pockets.