June 13, 2017
Saranac Lake is a timeless place. We effortlessly contain a number of historic "timeframes." This is reflected in our eclectic range of available lodging.
Our motels are the cozy little motor courts of yesteryear, with owners on the premises, Adirondack themes in the decor, and a history of catering to generations of families. Our Bed & Breakfast places are stately homes from the Great Camp Era. Our hotels range from modern to historic; and sometimes, both at once.
The roaring twenties
Back in 1927, the Hotel Saranac was the celebrated center of our downtown. Now it has been completely updated for the twenty-first century, without losing the best parts of the twentieth.
The famous Paul Smith, celebrated Adirondack guide and a major figure in developing the Adirondacks into a visitor destination, built the hotel as a culmination of his hospitality dreams. From the dining on the ground floor, to the Italianate second floor with a terrace for events, all the way up to the sixth floor with its lovely views of Lake Flower, this was state of the art.
Now taking reservations for the fall of 2017, the Hotel Saranac celebrates 100 years of making visitors feel welcome. Updates include a spa and gym, bistro dining, gourmet cocktails, and completely updated rooms, it offers the best of the old and new.
We also had the Twenties Roaring on a beautiful lakeside setting. White Pine Camp was world-famous as the summer White House of President Calvin Coolidge. Enjoy a night in a classic Great Camp setting, with separate buildings for bowling, two boathouses, a boardwalk, and the amazing Tea House on its own little island.
Choose among the many cabins for visitors, enjoy the canoes for guests, and find just the right spot to read "The Great Gatsby."
This was such a significant time in Saranac Lake that Historic Saranac Lake opened a new exhibit on May 31. Experience the spirit of the age as you explore what it was like to go to a hotel of this era. The decor was delightful, the expectations high, and the era was a boom time across America.
But perhaps your own history interest goes even deeper. If you are saying, "Yes, that's lovely, but do you have anything that is really old Adirondacks?" Our answer is, "Yes."
Classic Adirondack
Just ten minutes north of town, we have a place where time may not have stood still, but it moves slowly enough that you can chat with it. Lake Clear Lodge & Retreat is a classic Adirondack lodge resort complex. The year 2017 is its 130th anniversary. For the last fifty years, it has been owned and operated by generations of the same family.
While only the very rich of the Gilded Age could build their own Great Camp, many Adirondack lodging places of the time would model themselves after that same style. Several separate buildings created enough room for everyone to enjoy nature in their own way, and also lessened the damage a fire could wreak. Lake Clear Lodge offers everything from rooms in their Inn to different kinds of cabins in the woods.
With on-site dining, hiking trails, the shore of Lake Clear, and their own Rathskeller, there isn't necessarily any reason to leave the grounds if you want inclusive service and exclusive enjoyment.
We can go back to stagecoach times at Charlie's Inn, a classic building which caters to campers in summer and snowmobilers in winter. Stay in one of their rooms, enjoy their screened porch, tuck into a fine meal, and gather around their bar.
First with stagecoaches, then with rail travelers, and now with modern forms of transport, Charlie's Inn remains a place people don't want to leave.
Folks have always come to the Adirondacks to enjoy our unspoiled natural beauty. There are places who take this concept and run with it.
One with nature
The lakeshore location of Gauthier's Saranac Lake Inn is only the beginning of this property's embrace of nature. They are one of only six given the Platinum Property designation by Audubon International's eco-rating program. They are the only Green Eco Sustainable Resort in Saranac Lake.
Step out to their docks which offers access to thirty miles of paddling in the Saranac Chain of lakes, using their SUPs, kayaks, and canoes. Snuggle into organic linens and down comforters. Cycle into town on one of their bikes. It's both luxurious and a low-carbon footprint.
This same kind of uniqueness is found at the Porcupine Inn. This is the region's largest luxury Inn, built by Thomas Bailey Aldrich in 1902. The family named it The Porcupine "because it had so many good points, and because it was occupied by a quill driver." This was a tongue in cheek reference to Mr. Aldrich's position as an author and editor.
Now, the elegant mansion is a classic Adirondack Inn, with three acres of grounds, billiard room, breakfast room, library, salon, and back deck to explore. The guestrooms feature European goose-down comforters, fine linens, and private bathrooms with bathrobes and custom made Adirondack soaps. It was built for the benefit of Charles Aldrich, a tubercular son of the original family.
It later was the home of another TB patient, Alexander Cochran, the founder of the Elizabethan Club at Yale, and then, two doctors. A history of the healing power of nature, and this same spirit is still part of its mission.
These are just a few of the many choices Saranac Lake offers. Explore all of our distinctive lodging.
While you're here, discover our delightful, and different, dining, and a multitude of cool activities.
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