The key to any great vacation is a comfortable place to kick back after a long day of adventure. Whether you’re looking for small and minimalistic or large and elegant, here are some of the Hudson Valley’s top-notch lodging spots.
From the owners of the Inn at Ca’Mea and its onsite ristorante comes the freshly renovated and recently opened Howard Hotel on Warren Street in Hudson. The intimate nine-room hotel offers minimalist but luxurious lodging inside a gut-renovated vintage brick building. With tiled bathrooms and sumptuous bedding, this is the perfect base camp for your weekend adventuring in Hudson.
For a central yet private getaway, head to the Vanderbilt Lakeside Bar Room & Guesthouse. Located in Philmont, the front of the Vanderbilt overlooks the town’s popular, walkable Main Street, while the back boasts more than 500 feet of lake frontage and expansive lawns. The guesthouse holds eight rooms, each built to maximize natural light and appear boho yet modern. The Bar Room features a drink menu of signature cocktails, beer, cider, and wine as well as a small dinner menu of appetizers, vegetables, grains, greens, and legumes.
The Rhinecliff boasts trademark Hudson Valley charm with a restful atmosphere amplified by unmatched views of the Hudson River. Renovated and reopened in 2008, this historic hotel still boasts many of the antique features, such as the antique wood floors, historic beams, and Victorian oak bar. There are nine rooms available, each with access to a private balcony overlooking the Hudson. Weekly events include Tuesday open mic night, Wednesday date night with tango lessons and dancing, Sunday jazz brunch, and more.
Comfort and relaxation are at their peak at the Inn and Spa at Beacon. This boutique hotel has 12 elegant, high-ceilinged rooms. Choose from five different options ranging from the affordable two-person Snuggeries to the Balcony Room, which offers easy access to the solarium and roof gardens, to the Queen Anne Suite, which can accommodate up to four guests in its two beds. Rooftop yoga, acupuncture, a wide array of spa treatments, and thermotherapy make the inn a refuge for serenity and rejuvenation.
The Stewart House is a recently renovated boutique hotel in the sleepy town of Athens right on the riverfront. This historic inn has nine spacious, light-filled rooms, featuring plush furnishings, tiled bathrooms, luxury bedding, and vintage decor for a refined, eclectic aesthetic. All rooms except two offer river views. Downstairs at the ca. 1883 Tavern in the lobby, CIA graduate and Head Chef Bob Turner serves up a menu of New American fare, such as the locally sourced charcuterie board featuring house-made pate, preserves, and sourdough; the monkfish entree served with fennel, leeks, potato, and sherry saffron vinaigrette; and the roasted half chicken.
Opened this past summer, Hotel Kinsley, at the corner of Fair and Wall streets, is the first location of a planned four-site boutique hotel in Uptown Kingston. When completed, the hotel will offer 43 rooms spread among four restored 19th-century buildings. The 301 Wall Street location currently offers nine rooms, which blend modern furniture and vintage, 19th-century decor. Guests can also enjoy Restaurant Kinsley, which has a locally sourced dinner and brunch menu of New American cuisine.
Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in High Falls is a year-round refuge for nearly 300 rescued farm animals and can now be a weekend getaway for you too. The Gray Barn, a brand new designer inn built on the sanctuary’s property, offers luxury comfort, vegan breakfast delicacies, common areas infused with natural light and stunning views. There are five rooms that all have a mix of high modern and rural design, each with vaulted ceilings, big windows, ensuite bathrooms, and a private terrace.
Ever imagine what it might be like to play in a Gilded Age mansion tucked away in the Catskills? Throw in a full bar stocked with exquisite craft beverages, a superb locavore chef, and wildly imaginative hospitality, and you begin to get the picture of Spillian, an eight-room inn in the wee Delaware County village of Fleischmanns. This grand 8,000-square foot “lodge” offers a sunroom, a formal dining room, a great room, and a large porch with rocking chairs where guests can mingle. And you’ll never get bored exploring the surrounding 33 acres, which include a meadow, bonfire pit and picnic tables, a cathedral in the woods, gazebo, and acres of woodland to hike.
Spruceton Inn in West Kill is a true mountain escape, offering panoramic views of the Catskills in all directions. Headed up by wife-and-husband duo Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg, this “bed and bar” has nine rooms in a long one-story layout, more reminiscent of a chicken coop than an inn. The rooms blend fresh white paint with light wood accents and botanical prints for a clean, breezy feel. There is no WiFi as guests are encouraged to unplug and enjoy the inn’s bar, fire pits, meadow, and nearby creek. An onsite c.1800s barn is being rehabbed as an event and wedding venue for the 2020 season.
