Hotel at a Glance: Abbey Resort and Avani Spa

Abbey Resort and Avani Spa is situated on a scenic 90-acre plot on Geneva Lake’s western shores. As the only full-service resort on the Lake Geneva shores, onsite facilities include recreation areas and a state-of-the-art spa with a diverse menu of services. The resort has even attracted such rarefied company as Carrie Underwood, Aaron Rodgers, Olivia Munn, Dave Matthews, and Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. Guests can take a dip in the indoor pool and the kids can splash in the wading pool.

• Dining options: There are several onsite restaurants, including 240° West—a locally-sourced farm-to-fork restaurant, the Waterfront Restaurant—featuring an updated contemporary lake feel with live entertainment on weekends, Bar West—a lounge featuring live music, and the Starbucks-serving Café Latte.
• Guest rooms featuring cottage lakeside furnishings, beamed or vaulted ceilings, high-definition flat-screen TVs, and patios or balconies.
• Pamper yourself at the onsite Avani Spa, where you can unwind with a massage, facial, or body wrap

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: Lakeside Mansions and Historical Museums

Located within 90 miles of Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison, Lake Geneva has become one of the Midwest’s most popular destinations for recreation. Geneva Lake—a gaping gulf of fresh water ripe for swimming, leisurely sails, water skiing, and tubing—is the resort town’s biggest draw in the summer. Admire the scenery by taking a stroll on the Geneva Lake Shore Path, a 21-mile walkway planned by early settlers that stretches around the entire lake. Along the way, you’ll pass expansive gardens and the opulent estates that helped the town earn the nickname “Newport of the West.”

In the winter, outdoor activities range from sledding and cross-country skiing in Big Foot Beach State Park to ice-fishing on Geneva Lake. There's also plenty to do indoors, such as the Geneva Lake Museum, which takes visitors back in time with re-created late 19th- and early 20th-century shops.