 | Flytrippers cofounder |
For our roadtrips to nature destinations nearby, my girlfriend and I sometimes enjoy going to the Adirondacks in Upstate New York. We just went for a cozy getaway during the snowy season for the first time, and we stayed at Lake Placid’s most iconic resort. Hilton’s Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa, an SLH Hotel was truly amazing.
I love unique boutique hotels, but I honestly usually prefer ones that are more modern and more urban. Well, I still loved this hotel. My girlfriend loved it even more, and it was actually her favorite hotel experience of the year!
It’s certainly a great hotel option, especially if you live not too far away. Flytrippers aims to help you travel for less through our 3 types of content, namely flight deals, travel rewards, and tips/inspiration/news.
Here’s my review of the Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa, an SLH Hotel.
What is it like to stay at the Mirror Lake Inn?
The Mirror Lake Inn, an SLH Hotel is an amazing option for a relaxing getaway. The iconic 85-year-old property offers stunning lake views and a true cabin/chalet vibe with its old-world charm. The 124-room hotel truly captures a quintessentially Adirondacks atmosphere and feels so cozy.
It’s a resort with plenty of amenities that was honestly perfect for a wintertime escape, but it looks just as amazing in other seasons. It’s highly rated (AAA’s Four Diamond Award, for example), and I agree. I highly recommend it, and honestly, I’m sure I’ll go back myself.
Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) is one of Hilton’s soft brands, meaning it’s a collection of very original properties rather than cookie-cutter chain hotels. Those are my absolute favorites, especially on the luxury side. SLH focuses on smaller, more intimate properties, and Mirror Lake Inn was an excellent first experience.
What is the price of the Mirror Lake Inn?
The Mirror Lake Inn is a luxury hotel, so it’s certainly on the pricier side.
For our November dates, weekend rates were around 486 USD or 105,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
I get plenty of free hotels every year with my points, but this specific stay was amongst the few that were free because I was invited for a complimentary stay. As always, in these rare instances when we get sponsored trips, Flytrippers editorial content is always completely and 100% independent (just like literally all of our content, even if it always contains links that may earn us a commission). Our absolute priority is for you to always trust our travel expertise.
Where is the Mirror Lake Inn located?
The Mirror Lake Inn has a great location just off Lake Placid’s cute main street, across the street from beautiful Mirror Lake. It’s on a quiet street, and it’s somewhat elevated on a small hill, making for a serene setting.
You can walk to anywhere in the city. Everything else nearby, including the many natural attractions, is also very easy to access. That includes the area’s great skiing.
Fittingly for this Olympic city, the hotel’s operations manager is a former 2-time Olympic Medalist, whom I met briefly during the stay and who was very nice. The hotel offers packages where you can actually ski with him, which is a cool experience.
How was the check-in experience at the Mirror Lake Inn?
The Mirror Lake Inn is unmissable when you arrive, with its large building perched above the street.
Its typical white architecture makes for a lovely first impression.
The main front door leads to a grand staircase.
That said, parking is out back, so you’ll probably enter from the other end and see the lobby from a different angle, as I did.
The main building has another door near the parking lot.
The front desk is in the center of the building, and the friendly agent welcomed me warmly. Check-in was quick and efficient.
Service was great throughout the stay and definitely worthy of a luxury hotel.
They even had a sign that says a lot about how much they care about customer satisfaction.
It’s true that it makes no sense to criticize a hotel only after a stay is over, when it’s too late for them to do anything about it. So I really like this sign.
After getting my keycard, I headed back to the other building (there’s a covered footbridge) and took the elevator, where the owl decorations kept the cabin/chalet theme alive.
All the rooms are on the same side of the building, giving everyone a nice lake view.
What is the room like at the Mirror Lake Inn?
My room at the Mirror Lake Inn was the Great Range Room.
It was room 835, on the top floor.
The room was very nice, with an impressive vaulted ceiling.
It had the same elegant cabin/chalet feeling.
The living room area had a sofa and table beside the bed, plus a physically separate tiled area at the very end of the room (with curtains to close it off if desired).
The highlight was the 2 chairs facing the large wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows… even though it didn’t look as good when we arrived after dark, with the light reflecting.
The view of the lake and the mountains in the distance was epic.
Sitting there and taking in the scenery was amazing. The French doors also open up, which is probably nicer in summer.
Next to those chairs was also a small desk beside the air conditioning unit (which I didn’t use in late November, but the heating worked great).
The room is pretty big, at 420 square feet.
The King bed was very comfortable, and the wooden posts gave it a nice cachet.
There was a TV, a small table, and another place to sit.
There was also something you don’t see often: a 2nd sink and mirror in the main room.
Below was the mini-fridge.
As a big fan of sparkling water, I was very happy that, for once, the free water bottles were ones I could actually drink. Saratoga is a local company from Upstate New York, which is nice as well.
Although it wasn’t huge, the bathroom didn’t feel too cramped.
There was a shower/bathtub combo opposite the vanity.
The shower toiletries were by The Botanist & The Chemist (a small Parisian-inspired Italian brand), while some others were by MALIN+GOETZ (a NYC brand).
The bathrobe was very comfortable and soft.
The wardrobe had plenty of hangers, multiple baggage racks, and a safe.
A few drawers provided storage opposite the sofa.
The nightstand had a cute lamp.
There was a full-length mirror on the front door.
Even the door signs were pretty nice, yet another touch of wood.
What amenities are offered at the Mirror Lake Inn?
The Mirror Lake Inn‘s common areas truly stood out. There were so many nice spots.
There are many outdoor amenities, even more so during the summer. I hate the cold, so the only outdoor thing I considered was the pretty fireplace (and then again; we didn’t even go after all).
Speaking of the cold, a nice touch was the 24/7 station with free coffee, tea, and most importantly, hot chocolate.
Even more interesting was the plate of delicious chocolate chip cookies available in the lobby.
The lobby on the main floor felt very homey and relaxing.
I’m usually a fan of modern design, but I really appreciate the chalet/cabin theme throughout. It fits the destination perfectly.
It was fun and relaxing to just sit in front of the fireplace.
I absolutely loved the quiet policy and the fact that cell phone sounds were forbidden.
You shouldn’t need a sign like that, and it should be common sense to keep such public areas quiet. But since people are the way they are, I think more hotels should post explicit rules like this. Bravo.
On a similar note, this will surely be unpopular with some, but it was certainly popular with me: they had a sign encouraging parents to supervise their kids, which again should go without saying…
The decor was just great, and really put us in a relaxed mood.
The main floor had plenty of seating options, and they were all comfortable.
You also get a great view of the lake from here.
The lobby was truly huge and continued into a separate game room.
There were pool and shuffleboard tables.
There were books and board games.
There was plenty of seating to play games or read there.
There was even a wonderful outdoor terrace overlooking the lake.
Don’t worry: it’s covered, and it’s even heated! That was very nice.
There was even another room with a few tables and a TV.
There was a room with a few individual workspaces.
The lobby also had a grand piano.
You really feel like you’re in a traditional cabin.
And one thing’s for sure: you won’t run out of places to relax.
There were many seating options.
Even in the other building with the rooms, sofas sat near the elevators.
The hotel has an indoor pool on the lower level, and the cabin/chalet theme continues down there.
There’s also a hot tub and dry sauna.
In fact, they are even adding an outdoor hot tub, which will be very nice. It wasn’t ready yet, though.
There’s also a spa, but we didn’t go there.
The gym was very well equipped, and the cardio machines offered yet another great view of the lake.
There’s also a laundry room for guests.
Finally, a store with souvenirs and essentials is located directly inside the hotel.
As with most SLH properties, there’s no VIP hotel lounge.
How was the food at the Mirror Lake Inn?
The Mirror Lake Inn has 2 main restaurants (both of which we tried) and 1 bar.
The bar is called The View Lounge. It was pretty and was located on the main floor.
The main restaurant, also located on the main floor, is called The View Restaurant.
You probably guessed why it’s called that: yes, you have a great view of the lake from many tables inside.
We had breakfast and dinner at The View.
The breakfast buffet had plenty of options. Not the largest selection, but more than enough for a good start to the day.
At dinner, everything was very delicious. The plates were very pretty, too. Indeed, the food presentation was very nice.
We first got a bread basket.
We got the Brussels sprouts appetizer.
We had the chicken with nuts.
And the steak.
Our dessert was the chocolate cake.
Finally, we ended the amazing meal with macarons.
The other restaurant is called The Cottage and is located in a small cottage directly on the (frozen) waterfront.
It’s a lot more casual.
There are even a few tables in heated gondolas outside, which is pretty cool.
The food was tasty here too, even if it wasn’t as fancy.
We got the dumplings for our appetizer.
I got the burger.
My girlfriend got a ham sandwich.
Finally, the other food we tasted at the hotel was our welcome snack platter.
It had bread, cheese, nuts, and fruit, and it was waiting for us in our room when we arrived.
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Summary
The Mirror Lake Inn, an SLH Hotel is an iconic cabin-style luxury hotel overlooking beautiful Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, New York. It was my girlfriend’s favorite stay of the year, and even though I myself usually prefer modern urban hotels, I really enjoyed the relaxed vibe too. The lake views were awesome. I truly think we’ll be going back.
What would you like to know about my review of the Mirror Lake Inn, an SLH Hotel? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Mirror Lake Inn (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers)
