40 Best Hotels in The Adirondacks and Thousand Islands, New York

The small lakefront motel has standard rooms and efficiencies with private screened-in porches and balconies with water views. Some units have kitchenettes. You can rent canoes, rowboats, and paddleboats on the property.

These owner-run lodgings include a variety of accommodations, from standard motel rooms to suites with decks and lakefront cottages with fireplaces. Motel rooms are on the large side and have wood furniture and big windows. One suite has a whirlpool tub. A small park next door has tennis and basketball courts and a nearby restaurant serves breakfast and lunch.

Most rooms at this two-story motel have knotty-wood paneling and forest views; some have two queen beds and a pull-out couch. The location is convenient to canoeing, hiking, and other outdoor activities.

Located right on the banks of Long Lake, the cottages, efficiencies, and motel rooms at Shamrock are trim and tidy, though not overly luxurious. All are located a skip away from the sand and near recreation opportunities. Open year-round.

The 5-acre property has an expansive patio that overlooks 300 feet of lakefront. Motel-style rooms are paneled in wood and have large windows. A private boathouse provides dock space.

Housed in a beautiful old Victorian home and set among rambling, 3-acre grounds, this relaxing B&B is comfortable and filled with antiques. It's run by Todd and Karen Hennessy, and Karen makes delicious sit-down breakfast in the morning and refreshments in the afternoon. The owners have chosen not to set up Internet access, and to keep the phones and TV downstairs in the main area. "This is where you go to get away," Karen says.

The single-level motel, a good budget option, has comfortable rooms overlooking the pool, which has a slide. You have a choice of either one or two double or queen-size beds. A supermarket and restaurants are within walking distance.

Built in 1891 as a boardinghouse for lumberjacks, this historic country inn is easily identified by its two-story porch with rockers. Guest rooms, all on the second floor, have antiques and quilts; bed configurations vary from a double to two queens or a king. In the restaurant you can order a wide range of seafood or regional recipes like vodka riggies (rigatoni) or greens—a mix of sautéed escarole, cherry peppers, mozzarella, and bacon. The tavern also serves food, but you might want to try the "Fresh Seafood on the Porch" event, which features grilled seafood and live music.

The rustic-style, three-story lodge with modern amenities sits at the edge of a lake in the Fulton Chain. Rooms have balconies, some overlooking the lake, and attractive traditional furnishings. Common areas include a library with cushy chairs, a stone fireplace, and water views conducive to lingering.

The two-story European-style Gasthof (guesthouse), built in 1920 at the foot of Whiteface Mountain, has a large porch and a deck. Fireplaces, skylights, and whirlpool tubs are among the extras in some rooms. The three-room suite includes a sitting room with a TV and a bedroom with bunk beds. The dining room is centered on a German Kachelofen (tile stove) and features a traditional German Stammtisch (corner booth for regulars) and an English-style bristle dartboard. Breakfast for overnight guests includes apple pancakes and blintzes.