A 54-room boutique inn on a fifteen-acre wooded rise above Buttermilk Falls State Park, with August Moon Spa, John Thomas Steakhouse, and a small fleet of seasonal glamping tents pitched along the ridge.
"The Finger Lakes' answer to the country inn argument, fifteen wooded acres on a ridge above a state park waterfall, a spa that takes itself seriously, and a steakhouse that locals book three weeks ahead. The glamping tents on the ridge are the property's most underrated room category."
La Tourelle opened in 1986 on a quiet wooded rise just south of central Ithaca and has been the city's standing alternative to a corporate hotel ever since. The property sits on fifteen acres directly adjacent to Buttermilk Falls State Park, the network of trails and the eponymous cataract begin a five-minute walk from the lobby. The original building is a low-slung stone and timber inn with a corner turret that gave the property its name; subsequent owners (the inn passed to the current proprietors in 2010) added an annex wing, the August Moon Spa, and a separate Coy Glen wing.
Fifty-four rooms and suites run across the main house and the two newer wings. Classic Inn rooms in the original building hold king or queen beds, fireplaces in many, and stone-clad bathrooms. The barn-style suites in the Coy Glen wing are the property's signature room product, larger, two-room layouts with soaking tubs and balconies that open onto the woods. Seven seasonal glamping tents are pitched from May to October along the upper ridge, fully outfitted with proper beds, electricity, private decks, and a short walk to a dedicated bathhouse; they book out almost immediately when the calendar opens each spring. The interior signature is a restrained New England country palette of cream linen, oiled walnut, and dark slate, with deliberate restraint in pattern and ornament.
John Thomas Steakhouse occupies a converted 1850s farmhouse on the property and is the senior fine-dining address south of Lake Cayuga; the dry-aged ribeye, the long Finger Lakes wine list (the cellar carries every serious local producer plus the deeper European bench), and the firelit dining rooms make this a destination booking rather than a hotel courtesy. Mâche Bistro runs lighter American service for breakfast and lunch. The August Moon Spa is a 5,500-square-foot wellness building with a hydrotherapy soaking tub, eight treatment rooms, a yoga studio, and a small heated saltwater pool; the menu leans local, with herbs grown on the property and treatments timed to whatever season is closing or opening.
The operating posture is informal but careful. Reception staff are knowledgeable about the regional wine trail and will route a guest through three or four cellars that match their palate; the concierge can book a trail walk through Buttermilk with a state-park guide on twenty-four hours' notice. There is no resort fee, parking is free, and WiFi is complimentary throughout. La Tourelle is consistently rated among the top three boutique hotels in the Finger Lakes and is the city of Ithaca's strongest non-Cornell-affiliated booking by a wide margin.
For a Finger Lakes anniversary that wants the wine country without the formality of a grand resort, La Tourelle is the precise booking. A Coy Glen Barn Suite with a fireplace, an early dinner reservation at John Thomas, and a Sunday morning treatment in the August Moon Spa is the property's textbook anniversary template. The hotel will arrange a private wine tour of three cellars on the East Cayuga trail with twenty-four hours' notice.
La Tourelle is the rare upstate New York property where the spa is the operating heart of the building rather than an afterthought. The August Moon programme runs a weekly yoga sequence in the morning studio, hydrotherapy and massage through the afternoon, and the trail access into Buttermilk Falls State Park makes a structured walking practice possible without leaving the address. Book a two-night midweek stay in shoulder season for the quietest wellness rhythm.
For a solo Finger Lakes weekend, the glamping tents are the most quietly satisfying booking the property runs. The tents are perched along the upper ridge with private decks, the wooded position gives the night sky genuine clarity, and the short walk to the main inn for dinner or spa is exactly the right amount of separation. A two-night solo stay in early autumn with a hiking morning, a long lunch at Mâche, and an evening on the deck is the platonic version.
1150 Danby Road
Ithaca, NY 14850
United States
3 miles south of downtown Ithaca and Cornell University; adjacent to Buttermilk Falls State Park
54 rooms, suites, and seasonal tents
Classic Inn rooms from $148/night
Barn Suites from $295/night
Glamping tents (May to October) from $245/night
Two-night minimum on weekends
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Opened 1986; renovated through 2018
August Moon Spa with heated saltwater pool
John Thomas Steakhouse and Mâche Bistro
15 acres adjacent to Buttermilk Falls State Park
Seasonal glamping tents on the ridge
Complimentary WiFi, parking, no resort fee
From $148/night. Glamping tents and Coy Glen Barn Suites book three to four months ahead for peak autumn colour weekends in late September and early October; six weeks ahead for Cornell graduation in late May.
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