The only full-service resort directly on the shores of Geneva Lake — 334 rooms at the western tip of the lake at Fontana, the 35,000-square-foot Avani Spa, a working marina, indoor and outdoor pools, and the full Wisconsin lakefront brief in one address.
"Geneva Lake's only true full-service lakefront — the 1960s vaulted A-frame lobby is the unmistakable landmark, and a working marina out the back is the proof of position."
The Abbey Resort opened in 1963 at Fontana — the village at the western tip of Geneva Lake — with the distinctive A-frame chapel-influenced lobby that gave the property its name and that remains its visual signature. The original developer chose the Fontana site for a single decisive reason: it was the only available parcel of meaningful size with direct year-round access to the lakeshore on the entire western and southern stretch of Geneva Lake. The result has been the same ever since — The Abbey is the only full-service resort on the lake itself, with every other meaningful Lake Geneva hotel either back from the water (Grand Geneva, the boutiques on Wrigley Drive) or on a small footprint (the Baker House, the Geneva Inn). The Abbey's 90-acre site, marina, and 360 metres of private shoreline are the defining advantages.
The current inventory is 334 rooms across the main resort building, the Fontana wing, and the Bay Pointe condominium tower. Categories run from Standard Resort Rooms (around 350 square feet, no balcony) through Lakeview Rooms (with balcony or terrace looking east across the lake — the upgrade category most guests should book), Junior Suites, and the Bay Pointe Suites in the separate condominium tower (which include kitchens and full living areas for families and longer stays). The resort completed a multi-year, USD 25 million renovation programme in 2019; rooms were comprehensively updated, the lobby was refurbished while preserving the A-frame, and the Avani Spa was rebuilt to its current 35,000-square-foot footprint. Further refreshes have continued through 2023.
The Avani Spa is one of the largest hotel spas in the upper Midwest. Twenty-plus treatment rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, a salt cave, hammam, sauna, hydrotherapy circuits, and a dedicated couples-suite wing. The treatment menu is unusually serious for a resort spa at this price level — particularly the seasonal Wisconsin-honey and Lake Geneva-clay rituals that anchor the local positioning. The marina behind the resort runs scheduled lake cruises (the Fontana Mailboat, the Geneva Lady) plus private rentals — pontoons, ski boats, fishing charters — through summer. Indoor and outdoor pools, a small fitness centre, lakefront beach, and lawn games (croquet, bocce, volleyball) round out the on-property programme.
Dining is across three restaurants: 240 West (the contemporary American flagship overlooking the lake), the Waterfront Bar & Grill (the casual all-day patio with the strongest sunset view on the lake), and Cafe Latte (the morning coffee and grab-and-go counter). The Cocoon Lounge is the evening cocktail room with live music on weekends. Conference facilities — 32,000 square feet of meeting space — handle midwest corporate retreats and the wedding business that drives much of the summer occupancy. For Wisconsin family weeks, mother-daughter spa weekends, milestone anniversaries, and Chicago-friendly waterfront getaways, The Abbey is the most strongly lakeside answer in the upper Midwest.
The Bay Pointe Suites with full kitchens, the lake-access beach, the indoor pool for rain days, and the marina pontoon rentals make this the most family-capable lakefront on Geneva Lake. The hotel runs an organised activity programme during summer and over the Christmas/New Year weeks. Lakeview rooms in the main building accommodate smaller families; Bay Pointe is the multi-generational booking.
The 35,000-square-foot Avani Spa is the regional headline. Book a Lakeview room, a two- or three-night Spa Retreat package, and the salt cave plus seasonal Wisconsin-honey treatment menu — the value-to-quality ratio against urban competitors is the strongest in the Midwest, and the morning lake views from the pool deck do work that Chicago and Milwaukee spas cannot replicate.
For lakeside anniversaries that favour the unhurried, post-card Midwest lake-village brief over a fully programmed resort, the Lakeview rooms at The Abbey are the strongest combination on Geneva Lake. Dinner at 240 West, the sunset cruise on the Geneva Lady, and a spa morning the following day is the standard milestone weekend.
269 Fontana Boulevard
Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake, WI 53125
United States
Chicago O'Hare 95 minutes; Milwaukee 55 minutes; downtown Lake Geneva 15 minutes by car or 45 minutes by lake taxi.
334 rooms in three buildings
Standard from USD 200/night (peak)
Lakeview Room from USD 320
Junior Suite from USD 480
Bay Pointe Suite (kitchen) from USD 540
Check-in: 4:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Opened 1963
USD 25M renovation completed 2019
35,000 sq ft Avani Spa
Working marina, 360m private shoreline
Indoor + outdoor pools
240 West (lakeview American)
32,000 sq ft meeting space
Sunset cruise pier
From USD 200/night in shoulder season. Lakeview categories and the Bay Pointe Suites book three months ahead for the July and August weekends; September and October are the value windows with the lake still open.
Book This Hotel →The 1,300-acre AAA Four Diamond resort east of town — two golf courses, a ski hill, and the largest programme in the region.
The Peninsula, Four Seasons, Park Hyatt — the full Magnificent Mile and Loop slate for the city pairing.
The Pfister and the Iron Horse — Wisconsin's largest city, the natural same-trip second stop.