Argos Inn: Boutique Lodging in Ithaca

At the entry way to the tiny hipster town of Ithaca is the gorgeous Argos Inn. A Historic Inn which holds what seems to be the coolest place to sip and stay in town. Below is my experience staying at the property.

Location

The Inn is located right at the edge of town. As soon as you drive in and begin to experience your first signs of life - there she is! It was kind of strange for me entering this town because for many miles I questioned whether we were going the correct way or not. I couldn't understand how a town which houses Cornell University could seemingly be so on the outskirts of it all. The thoughts of a true city girl, feeling a tad uncomfortable on wide open farm roads.

Right before the turn onto the main strip of restaurants in Ithaca at the bottom of a hill sits the lovely Argos Inn. A large white mansion from the 1800's that has been superbly renovated and is less than a four minute walk from the center of town. This central location made it extra convenient for us so that we didn't have to drive to and from any dinner plans downtown.

For those making the journey from New York City it is about four hours from Northern Manhattan. Could be a touch less, but depends on traffic and the weather. It is a bit more of a jaunt than the Hudson Valley, but I found it to be worth it. With the Finger Lake wineries only 30 minutes away and plenty of restaurants and foliage to keep you entertained, the extra hour north isn't that bad.

The Rooms

Our room was gorgeous. Sweetly decorated and so cozy with cute bohemian touches and vintage elements here and there. The bedroom area has a vaulted ceiling and a little desk to do work. Since the Inn is in a historic home the bathroom layout is a unique shape with lower head room in places and a spacious shower tucked behind the door. I chose this room particularly because it had a claw foot tub. Rarely am I able to enjoy deep bathtubs so this was such a treat. The extra bonus was that the bathroom floor was heated. Honestly, I have to put this on my personal future home bucket list because it felt so luxurious.

We stayed in room 302 which is a mini suite with a king sized bedroom with a separate sitting area with a farm sink, vintage style fridge and a microwave. If we were staying for longer it had all that you would need to enjoy a breakfast or heat up some leftovers so that all of your meals wouldn't need to be eaten out. Do note, all the guest rooms are accessible only through a narrow stairway. Any late night drinking at the bar must be taken in good precaution as you have a few steps up to the room.

Argos Bar

Beyond the claw foot tub, the bar in the lobby was my favorite part of the whole Inn. Or maybe just the icing on the cake of the entire experience since it was so lovely. It felt wonderful to be able to walk down the stairs from your room and be in a happening bar with a welcoming and extremely knowledgable staff. On the evening we stayed there it happened to be live jazz night so it was superbly cool to feel like all of this was happening right in our living room. We came down for a pre-dinner cocktail and were able to return to enjoy the bar in the later hours too after dinner. There were all those cozy nooks to enjoy a drink close to the music or even outside of the music/bar area to chat with friends, which we saw all around.

I particularly appreciated the fact that the bartender knew in depth all the flavors of the craft liquors on hand. The bartender understood and could explain specific flavors, how the spirits were created, how it added interesting elements to a cocktail in order to help me and my bougie palate craft the perfect martini for me to enjoy. Rarely will bartenders spend so much time answering questions. I was so grateful.

Our guest room was over the bar area, up two floors, and luckily we couldn't hear the music at all. It was not disturbing to us in any way and the music ended at 10pm so if we needed to head to bed early the timing still respected that.

I know that it's not unusual and most hotels have a lobby bar, but truly this one felt so different. Kind of like you were in the towns upscale living room surrounded by all of your neighbors young and old. It was just buzzing with tons of energy and good vibes.

Value

This is one of the best things about staying in smaller boutique places. The prices! Our room was gifted to us, but if we were to have paid for it the cost would have been in the range of $230 per evening and its even less if you book for a longer stay. A true steal! I believe prices go up during the holidays and I would imagine in the Spring summer months, as well, but for such so much space and bohemian chic luxury in the center of town, you really cant beat it!

Downside

Honestly, there really weren't any down sides to the property. It was really perfect! If I had to think hard about something, I guess it would be that there were limited food offerings at the bar. It would've nice to be able to purchase a few snack items with drinks. There was a Roman style pizza truck outside which could be ordered from Wednesday through Friday.

Return or Not?

Hands down - yes! I really want to investigate the wineries more in Finger Lakes. This would be a great place to make your home base and go back and forth between the wineries. I would return to stay three days here, enjoy the bar in the evenings and wine tours during the day surrounded by nature, cool people and Finger Lake views. I can't think of a place for a better mini wine vacation to do all the things we love around here - sip, eat and relax. I'll be back for sure.