Awaken from the winter doldrums to spring exploration – Hudson Valley style.
Here are some inns that run the gamut from luxurious to quiet, with hip in between.
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GLENMERE MANSION
Tuscan Elegance
Chester, NY
Orange County
Built 1911
Approx. 56 miles from NYC
This luxurious 150-acre escape allows for guests to enjoy classic Italian-style design in contemporary comfort. The 18 guest rooms feature one-of-a-kind furnishings, such as custom-designed Italian linens and marble baths with heated floors, as well as state-of-the-art technology, including flat-screen TVs with DVD players, iPod docking systems and Internet access. Many of Glenmere’s rooms include a fireplace and terraces, which offer breathtaking views of the estate’s grounds, gardens, lakes and hills. Also available to guests at Glenmere Mansion are a restaurant, a tavern, and a full-service spa that includes a bath house and a hammam.
The mansion originally served as the summer getaway for the Goelet family.
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STEWART HOUSE
Vintage Contemporary
Athens, NY
Greene County
Built 1883
Approx. 120 miles from NYC
Stewart House accommodates up to 18 guests in its nine gorgeous loft-like guest rooms. Each has its own name; among those is the Meryl Streep, which Streep used while filming “Iron Weed”; the Dakota Fanning, which Fanning used while filming “War of the Worlds”; and the Hudson, which is a penthouse on the third floor that offers a bathtub spa. While some of the rooms have unique names, they all boast floor-to-ceiling marble tile, soaking tubs, rain shower heads, heated towel racks, antique furniture and high-quality linen; many of the rooms have original exposed brick chimneys and original wooden floors.
The building was constructed in 1883 as the Athens Hotel, and it was successful for many years due to the prosperity from Athens’ famous bricks. However, the demand for cement outgrew that for bricks, and the hotel saw multiple owners, some good and some bad.
HOTEL DYLAN
Bohemian Hip
Woodstock, NY
Ulster County
Built 1970
Approx. 100 miles from NYC
A nod to the Woodstock area and its inhabitants, this two-story, 4,000-square-foot building sits on three acres and offers such delights as s’mores kits, campfire Jiffy Pop, access to 28 West Gym, a 1972 restored VW Bus and an outdoor movie screen. The interior only gets groovier, and it’s all in the small details. Inside each of Hotel Dylan’s 11 rooms, guests will find ‘60s and music memorabilia, including an Elliot Landy music print, a Michael de Feo tie-dye flower print and a Crosley vinyl record player with rock-and-roll records. The hotel and the guest rooms blend modern decor with a Woodstock vibe; this can be seen in the hip, vibrant prints, the retro furnishings, the arrow wallpaper and the original photos from the Woodstock festival in 1969 found throughout the rooms – all calling to mind the carefree ‘60s era. In the near future, guests will have access to a restaurant and bar, a massage parlor and a swimming pool.
The building was bought and renovated in 2013 by current owner, Paul Covello.
1850 HOUSE
INN & TAVERN
Historically Quaint
Rosendale, NY
Ulster County
Built 1850
Approx. 90 miles from NYC
The three-story hotel mixes the characteristics of the 19th century with the conveniences of the 21st century. Its 10 guest rooms include private en suite baths, flat-screen TVs with DVD players, guest-controlled temperature settings and iHome docking stations. Inside, one will also find beautiful enlarged photographic reproductions of antique photos and postcards from Rosendale families; these serve as reminders of the hotel’s vibrant, active role throughout Rosendale’s history. Also located on the hotel’s premises is the tavern, which serves as the perfect spot to end an evening. Here, guests will have access to a fireplace and several unique beer options. As the hotel states, they have the “comfort of an inn” and the “hospitality of a pub.”
The antique red-brick hotel, with its striking front porch, complete with quaint benches and American flags, brings to mind a gracious era. Its interior will also bring to mind times past, thanks to the original old wood and brick. The hotel has been called Central Hotel (1850) and the Astoria Hotel (1940-2011).
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