Mirror Lake Inn

Our go-​to restaurant for a nice meal in Lake Placid. Have had many a fine meal there.
Nice setting. Good food. Good wine selection. Solicitous, skilled professional service.
A little pricey, perhaps, but a very nice meal in a gracious setting.
Highly recommended.

My girlfriend and I spent 4 days here for Christmas vacation and I have to say the service and atmosphere at the Mirror Lake Inn was amazing for the holidays. We arrived late in the evening after a long 5 hour drive and was pleasantly surprised that the Inn had gone all out in decorating for the holidays. We stayed in a suite in the Colonial House right in front of the lake. The rooms were very spacious with the perfect balance of rustic décor and modern touches. One great thing about the suite was the push button fireplace which just adds to the charm of this wonderful property.
In addition, Mirror Lake will put a fully decorated Christmas tree into your room before you arrive for a fee. If you are into the whole Christmas celebration, this is a must. Also being on the ground floor allowed us to walk from our private patio right onto the lake area. The mountain views were absolutely breath taking.
The only reason I gave this 4 out of 5 stars instead of the perfect 5 out of 5 is the restaurant located on the property (same owner as the Inn) charged our credit card three times accidentally and it took nearly a month to get everything sorted out. Other than that, I have no complaints!

This is my second year in a row staying at the Mirror Lake Inn. The place is nicely decorated and close to everything which is a plus. In my opinion, the breakfast was a bit expensive… there are many other places in town for breakfast that are cheaper. Parking is a bit of a pain in the neck…2X on my first stay I could not find a spot in my assigned lot… luckily, there were other spots nearby… keep in mind I went in a very busy time of year. The desk service was ok… I also found the maid service about average compared to other places I vacationed. The nicely appointed lobby rooms were cold… it was freezing outside during my stay, so that could have contributed to the coldness inside… cookies were delicious. I can tell you this… whatever you do be aware of the shuttle bus service. Twice it was off schedule… My wife and I were waiting almost 30 minutes in the bitter cold outside the Mirror Lake Inn, sub freezing temperatures, by the curb where the bus stops. During my stay, I asked the desk to call a cab and was quoted 20/dollars…when the cab dropped us at the mountain, the price changed to 25/dollars…On 2 trips the shuttle felt like it had no heat. a young woman, with a young child and my wife and I were on the bus… we were subjected to freezing temperatures on the shuttle. I did email management. After I told them I would not return to this hotel, they offered me 150/​dollars credit towards my next stay… nice of them, but that was after I told them I will not be staying here anymore and opted out of the offer. Additionally, they did credit my account 5/​dollars for the car service mishap… i found that to be a nice gesture. The management team did mention it was not their responsibility of the lateness of the shuttle bus service and would share my complaint with the team who manages the shuttle. In my opinion, this place is not cheap by all means… I would expect a better overall experience. The location was very good, close to shopping, the lake and dining and the view from some of the rooms was very nice… this year, my room had a partially blocked view of the lake which was very disappointing to me compared to last year.

Had a wonderful thanksgiving at this inn. All the staffs were so nice and polite. The room were newly renovated so everything looks in great condition. The lake view was pretty and peaceful. Also the hotel was very quite at night which was perfect for a get away! Definitely going back again in the near future!

The View on the first floor is amazing. Had a birthday dinner there last night and it was perfect in almost every way. The service was top notch. The food was great and for someone who is gluten free, the roll they brought me, fresh from the oven resembled a popover. Had after dinner drinks in the game room. Wine was very good and we compare it to Napa Valley wine. Only thing I would suggest is to ask if Cassis or Raspberry liqueur is preferred in a Kir Royale. Also presented us with a birthday plate dessert. Wonderful evening!

Frozen in time. Very very cool place. There were some Jackie O photos on the wall with her buggy-​eye shades. It’s why you’re in Lake Placid… a throwback to elegance and simplicity. Kind of like the Geneva-​On-​The-​Lake idea in Lake Placid. Combined with a ski trip to Whiteface (defied Iceface rep with a good snowfall. Simple extras like Saratoga water in the rooms. Great vacation.

Recently stayed here for a girls weekend and can’t wait to come back. The Inn and grounds are absolutely beautiful. The entire staff is very accommodating and go above and beyond. I encourage anyone who wants a peaceful escape from your daily routine to visit here.

This could easily be a 5 star rating but the attention to fine details reduces it. You ask them to mail you a copy of your reservation if you don’t have email and are yessed to death and never receive it as has happened multiple times to my mother. You ask for a particular type of room and they give you a different one and only when you bitch loudly are you suddenly shown to what you ask for. You order massages for friends staying at the inn and the spa assures you that your friends will get a card at check in with the spa itinerary and note from you and it is not given to them so you end up having to tell your friends by text instead. Yes, lovely location. Yes, friendly staff. Yes, good food. But the lack of follow through after being assured is annoying. The newly enclosed porches make the room so much larger and more useful no matter the season. Have been many times since first going on my honeymoon in 1994. My family goes at least 2x per year, have brought a business meeting here, have recommended it to many friends and colleagues.

Exactly as you would expect from a hotel in this price range and in the optimal location. Guests have access to a private beach area. Our room was spacious, had a private balcony and a spectacular view of the lake. Beautiful linens and towels and clean clean clean. We enjoyed the indoor pool and hot tub and started each day with a walk around gorgeous Mirror Lake. Would highly recommend!

Pricey, I will say, but definitely worth the money. Beautiful wood furnishings, helpful staff and great cookies. The rooms are huge, and very cozy. They actually look out over mirror lake, and the hotel is located just far enough from Main St. so that you hear nothing, bit close enough for it to be a 4 minute walk to the shops. They have their own restaurants at the hotel, but c’mon. It’s lake placid! Very cozy, they serve afternoon tea, and they have their private beach with free paddleboat/​board/​kayak rentals, so long as you don’t hit any swimmers. Stay here! You’ll love it!

My wife and I recently spent 2 nights in a Mountain View room at Mirror Lake Inn and it was absolutely fantastic. From the moment you walk in, the staff is so polite and accommodating. The front desk person who checked us in was very thorough explaining about the Inn and its amenities. Every staff member we passed during our say made eye contact and said hello. One staff member wouldn’t even let me hold the door for her and she was the one with her arms full. They really put the guests first.
The free boat (paddle, row or kayak) rental from their private beach is a really nice touch. I’ve never had the opportunity to try a kayak and the calm, pristine Mirror Lake was an excellent first experience. The boathouse attendant was really friendly and conversational as well.
We had a snack at the Cottage restaurant, which is their most casual offering. We only had nachos, which were simply ordinary. They had a nice local/​regional beer selection.
We had breakfast at The View restaurant, which is their higher end offering. Breakfast was casual though as they served it buffet style with standard breakfast offerings, plus a made-​to-​order omelet bar.
Their third restaurant offering is Taste Bistro & Bar. We didn’t eat there, but did have a drink. Service was good, as was the whiskey sour.
The décor of the hotel was awesome. There was so much detail that gave it a very north woods feel. I enjoyed just sitting on the couch in the Taste Bistro with a drink and admiring the décor.
The indoor pool area was nice. Well kept with a big hot tub. We borrowed Yahtzee from their big game list and played poolside.
The Mountain View room was very clean and had modern amenities. The view on the balcony was incredible and it was so nice to sit out there with a beer and a board game.
The only real negative thing was all the kids at the resort. I didn’t anticipate that (primarily because of the price of the resort — I thought it’d be more couple-​oriented). Of course, this isn’t the resort’s fault as it’s summer vacation time. The kids of course overtook the pool and hot tub, which was annoying. I did appreciate that the staff was quick to enforce the rules on the kids who were in the hot tub without their parents watching, and also made sure to reprimand the kids eating cookies in the hot tub.
I think an adult-​only swim hour in the evening would be an excellent idea.
Also, I think they should include Wifi for free. For how much they charge for rooms, it would be a nice service.
While pricey, overall it was a fantastic stay and a great way to celebrate our 10-​year wedding anniversary. We’ll be back!

Bellman who helped check us out today was terrific.
Shampoo wasn’t sudsing, noticed it had expired over a year ago.
I’m a clean freak and a self-​proclaimed germaphobe. We stay at a lot of hotels, and I can honestly say that I’ve never seen a hotel bathroom as clean as this one. Our entire room was actually spotless and passed my white glove and black light test. Kudos to the housekeepers! They do a phenomenal job!
The location is great!
All of the employees were very friendly and accommodating, with the exception of the staff in The View restaurant, but that’s a separate review.

This was our second stay at the Mirror Lake Inn, and both times we came away with very positive feelings about the place. Rooms themselves are a 3, but the amenities, dining and common areas are a 4.5, so I’ll round up to a 4. For those of you hoping for luxury, you’ll find it in the service, amenities and dining, but may be disappointed by the standard rooms. They are on the small side and a little dowdy. The first time we stayed in a Noonmark room (on the third floor of the main building, awesome view of the lake), but this time we stayed in a newly remodeled lookout room — eh. It was on the first floor so the view wasnt as nice, and even though I enjoyed the enclosed «lookout» front room that was filled with daylight, I really missed the balcony that was sacrificed for this space. It all comes down to personal preference.
The absolute best part of this hotel is that it has a wood burning fire going ²⁴⁄₇. It’s effing amazing. I just adore that fire and could sit there in the cozy living area for hours undisturbed if I could. The whole lobby and main room smells like pine, cedar, holidays, happiness, campfires and nostalgia. I wish I could package that glorious scent up and spray it around my own home. If you stay here, you will fall in love with it. Another bonus: no cellphones allowed in the common areas. You’d be surprised how much of a cherished hush this creates. If only we could go back to the simpler days of no cellphones and no smartphones!
We’ve used the hot tub, sauna, indoor and outdoor pools multiple times. The indoor pool complex is super hokey in a 1980s Walt Disney World kind of way. But it’s still well-​maintained and incredibly relaxing after a long day of hiking with sore muscles.
Food is amazing, but can only speak for Taste Bistro. Have eaten there twice and yet to be disappointed. Excellent service at the bar with a great mixologist at the helm. The Cottage on the lake has to be one of my favorite places in town, see my separate review.
The hotel bakes fresh chocolate chip cookies daily and has complimentary afternoon tea every afternoon. Staff can’t do enough to make you feel at home. Haven’t had a massage at the spa but did get a Shellac manicure once — excellent and refreshing. My husband and I love this place and consider it a wonderful getaway in Lake Placid.

My wife and I spent a great Memorial Day weekend at Mirror Lake Inn with daily visits to the spa, massages and walks around the lake and wonderful little town. Our stay was a great getaway and the entire staff at the Inn personified exceptional customer service. Here is just an example of the kind of care you can expect from them. One afternoon after spending an hour or so on the paddle boat and row boat we came back inside to our room to rest up. Someone in the front desk sent up a plate of cheese, gourmet crackers and fresh fruit just because they thought we’d like something after the lake. There was just so many little details that they so meticulously attended to you really felt well taken care of.
Our stay was also part of a getaway package so we also enjoyed their breakfast buffet and their excellent restaurant, The View, for dinner. The food at the View was really good and easily the finest dining option in the area and comparable to the finest restaurants in New York City. I will honestly say that I probably would not select the food package option again because there are a lot of really interesting restaurants around the lake that I would have liked to try for breakfast and dinner.
Overall, the Mirror Lake Inn is not cheap but a great choice for an indulgent little getaway.

Absolutely stunning. Just stayed here in early March for 4 days and had a great trip. I had always wanted to come here as a little kid when we camped during the summer in Lake Placid, and I’m glad I finally got the chance to! The staff was friendly, professional and helpful and the property is just beautiful. I had an enclosed balcony on my room with a great view of the lake and mountains.
We dined one night at The View, which was a great experience (expensive though). Killer wine list — we had one bottle of Veuve Rosé and a 2000 Napa Cab (I dont recall the name) which was great. Service was spectacular, and my foie gras and duck were both done perfectly. Breakfast in the same space every morning was also fantastic. Had an array of different things but my favorite was the crab cake eggs benedict! Service can be sloooow here in the morning, however. I guess it depends on what time you go.
My ONLY real issue with the Mirror Lake Inn was the spa. I scheduled a pedicure and was pretty disappointed with it. For $ 60 and it being at a hotel spa, you’d expect it to be pretty fabulous. The woman was nice, but she was 15 minutes late and the treatment didnt fit the description at all (no massage, no foot scrub). I was in and out quickly and it didnt feel luxurious at all. I’ve gotten much better pedicures at home for $ 30. I was also pretty disappointed that I wasnt able to use the steam room/​pool in the back of the spa. Its very misleading to say that all spa appointments can use it afterwards, because apparently that’s not true. However, the other pool area and hot tub were very nice, clean and spacious. I also used the hotel gym a couple times, which I found to be pretty nice for being at a hotel.

Good view, good food, disappointing service. The waitress thought sauvignon blanc was a type of red wine and almost spilled the soup on us. Such service is not excusable in any restaurant, let alone in a high end restaurant.

Got pedicures here. Nice atmosphere, a little expensive, and one of my nails chipped within a day :(But the experience was great, and I would do it again. They let you pick the smell you want in your spa and give a nice massage with the pedicure.

I came here to step away from work for a mini-​vacation.
I must say — this place. including the small lake and Lake Placid, Whiteface Mountain, High Falls Gorge and Olympic Village are going to HEAL me.
The town has a sort of old mining charm, but is not necessarily rustic. There are plenty of modern shops for both clothing and gear, a Starbucks, a Ben and Jerry’s, all of it. Just miles away from untouched beauty.
The hotel itself looks colonial and pristine from the outside and the grounds are maintained very well.
Inside, one walks into a hunter’s paradise. Dark woods, leather chairs, plenty of seating inside and outside the lounge areas to enjoy the view of Mirror Lake. Three restaurants on-​site, a spa (with WONDERFUL and capable practitioners) that will take your breath away and free use of paddle boats, kayaks and canoes at the small private beach across the street. They even do a s’more fire pit once a week!
The cranial-​sacral massage by MaryBeth was especially helpful and recommended.
During my stay, I asked if I may see some other rooms that were vacant… in case I may want to change rooms. I was shown four rooms by the bellman (Toby) and he was more than cheery about guiding me — telling me the history behind the rooms and explaining other parts of the property as well. I ended up wanting to switch to a room (the Ausable room) with a jacuzzi tub and the cost difference (because it was the weekend) was going to be prohibitive. The front desk staff all held a pow-​wow and Chris, the manager, came out and gave me an offer I could NOT refuse to upgrade to the new room. They even moved all my things for me while I ate dinner. ***Sidebar — Rachel in the Taste Bistro bar is AMAZING — great bartender and wonderful to talk with.
I am extremely happy with this hotel as I had a choice between this one and another spa hotel on Lake George. I chose well.
I would recommend for adult getaways and quiet, serene hiking vacations. Kids are allowed, but the owners maintain a STRICT policy of «mannered behavior» in the common areas of the hotel. Heavy frolicking is not permitted.

We enjoyed our recent stay at Mirror Lake Inn. We had a Cloudspitter room in the Mountainview Bldg with gorgeous view of the lake and the mountains. Our room was nice size, clean and comfortable. One issue we had was that there was no coffee maker in the room and no coffee available in the lobby in the morning (they do have coffee/​tea in the afternoon). We thought this to be unusual and a bit inconvenient.
We found the staff to be friendly and helpful. A turnoff for me was the two+ page list of rules and regulations that was handed to us at check in. Although none of them applied to us, and It seemed like they are trying to cover all their bases, I still found it to be a huge negative and deterred us from using the facilities. We did have drinks at The Cottage and that was pleasant.
Also we found the $ 7/​day gratuity charge to be unusual and a bit excessive (we typically leave $ 5/​day for maid service). All in all, we enjoyed our stay, but might reconsider returning to Mirror Lake Inn.

Took a short vacation here in December. Our experience was great start to finish, from even before we checked in — there was a party the evening we arrived that took over the main lodge, and we were called in advance to make sure we weren’t caught off-​guard. The main building is amazing, intricate, old, comfortable, lavish. The Cottage was a great place for a more casual evening, the Taste Bistro was perfect for a nightcap, and The View lived up to its excellent reputation. In short — completely worth the investment. We would happily go back anytime.