Hotels + Resorts 11 Beautiful Hotels in New York's Catskills and Hudson Valley That Our Editors Love It’s the season for New Yorkers to get out of town. Here's where our editors can't wait to go. By Paul Brady Paul Brady Paul Brady is the news director at Travel + Leisure and the brand's expert on cruise travel. He has been covering the travel industry for more than 15 years for outlets including Condé Nast Traveler, Skift, and The Huffington Post. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 21, 2024 Close Photo: Courtesy of Hotel Lilien It’s the season for New Yorkers to get out of town. And there’s perhaps no place more in demand this season than the Catskills and Hudson Valley, where there’s a seemingly endless number of hiking trails, restaurants, breweries, and arts venues to explore, whether it’s your first visit or your 40th. Fortunately, the region has seen a huge influx of new places to stay over the past few years. It’s so buzzy that Travel + Leisure named Hudson Valley one of the most exciting places to travel in 2023. In fact, there are now so many places to stay that it’s hard to know which one is right for you. Rather than giving an exhaustive list of everywhere you could stay, T+L surveyed its contributors and editors for their recent memories of hotels, lodges, and camps in the region. The mostly New York City–based editorial team had plenty of opinions, all based on first-hand reporting trips to the area. Here, T+L’s guide to the newer, more interesting, and worthwhile hotels for your next visit to the Catskills and Hudson Valley. AutoCamp Catskills Matt Kisiday/Courtesy of AutoCamp Catskills Opened in 2022, this summer camp for adults in West Saugerties has a fleet of refurbished Airstreams, plus a variety of cabin-style accommodations and safari-level tents spread across 37 acres. But it’s the Airstreams that impressed T+L commerce editor Lydia Price during a stay last fall: “Panoramic windows in the bedroom, which take up one end of the 31-foot Airstream, were perfect for gazing at the trees outside awash with brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges. The charming space has crisp white walls accented by a wooden floor, cabinets, and door frames. On my nightstand, I found a guidebook detailing the region’s rich history as a haven for artists.” Eastwind Hotels Lawrence Braun/Courtesy of Eastwind Oliverea Valley Eastwind Windham, about 150 miles north of New York City, caught T+L’s eye thanks to stylish rooms and suites decked out with “hand-woven Turkish rugs, custom wall-hangings, Masaya & Co. furniture, and private fire pits,” as editor Melanie Lieberman wrote in 2018. But last September, Eastwind stepped things up with stand-alone Scandi-inspired cabins — known as Lushna Suites — with private decks, hammocks, and outdoor showers. (These A-frame beauties are also stocked with cozy Pendleton robes if the spring weather hasn’t quite warmed to “outdoor shower” temps.) T+L features director Peter Terzian also loved his stay at the Windham, New York, hotel: “Eastwind's most beguiling element is hidden from view. Drive behind the renovated fishing lodge that makes up the main building and you'll find sleek wooden Scandinavian-style glamping structures in a field strung with fairy lights. Our oblong cabin was designed with the craftiness of a Rubik's Cube: a living room opened onto an outdoor terrace; a utilitarian bathroom and study were tucked under a sleeping loft.” The brand has since opened a sibling hotel in the area, Eastwind Oliverea Valley, with 27 suites deep in the mountains of the Big Indian Wilderness. Hotel Kinsley Tara Donne This chic stay spreads across two historic buildings in the Uptown neighborhood of Kingston, New York. The hotel's HQ sits in a 19th-century bank building that's been impeccably restored with 10 guest rooms, a gorgeous restaurant and bar (designed by Studio Robert McKinley), and a petite spa treatment room plus sauna. "During my stay, the cozy, wood-paneled bar and light-and-airy restaurant attracted just as many locals and visitors, making Hotel Kinsley feel like Kingston's best-kept secret," T+L managing editor Erin Agostinelli said. A sibling building a few blocks away occupies a three-story mansion dating to 1770 that's today kitted with every modern convenience, including heated bathroom floors and Bluetooth-enabled Tivoli Audio hi-fis. Each of the 13 rooms is a little different, but the real showstoppers are those with pedestal bathtubs, begging for a spot on your Instagram grid. Hotel Lilien Courtesy of Hotel Lilien A newcomer in the town of Hunter — and just minutes from the famed Kaaterskills Falls — Hotel Lilien got 18 rooms and suites that have enchanted several T+L editors. “Hand-picked vintage and Victorian furnishings and decor fill the hotel, which has original features such as 1890s wood paneling, stained-glass windows, and a cozy sitting area with a wood-burning stove,” as contributor Dobrina Zhekova recently detailed. “Old and new coexist harmoniously throughout the property. In the guest rooms, lounge chairs by midcentury furniture designers Marcel Breuer, Mies van der Rohe, and Franco Albini complement Victorian sofas, antique Persian Rugs, crisp Brooklinen bedding, and Wright mattresses.” T+L editors who visited also appreciated the property’s dog-friendly suites, set apart from the main building. Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection Courtesy of Auberge Resorts Collection “It’s a vision of rural Catskills life filtered through a luxurious lens,” wrote Jeffries Blackerby, the former editor in chief of Departures, in a recent issue of T+L. The newly opened escape in the town of Gardiner has “65 cabins and cottages arranged around a grand main building that’s home to Clay, the restaurant; the poolside Dew Bar; and an open-air venue named the Great Porch, as well as a shop, a spa, and an event space. Everything faces an open plain that rolls out like a carpet toward the stark granite ridge of the ‘Gunks,’ as the Shawangunk Mountains are known,” he noted. While hiking and relaxing in nature are certainly on offer, the resort affords guests “many everyday majesties,” he said, including spectacular bird-watching opportunities. Kenoza Hall Lawrence Braun A one-time boarding house, this newly renovated property is the latest from Foster Supply Company, which has six hotels across the Catskills region. Kenoza “marries historic touches like the original hardwood floors with custom elements, including sleigh beds,” wrote T+L special projects and surveys editor Sarah Bruning in a recent issue. “As a complement to hiking, canoeing, and other vigorous activities, daily programming focuses on wellness, including yoga, hydrotherapy, and meditation.” The most recent Catskills addition to the Foster Supply portfolio, Hotel Darby, opened near Narrowsburg, New York, with “retro-chic rooms and suites, a custom-built bar, a hammock grove, and miles of private hiking trails across the 17-acre spread,” as T+L reported in 2021. The Maker Francine Zaslow This Hudson, New York, hideaway was a revelation for travel editor Hannah Walhout, who visited recently. "My suite, the 'Architect,' felt like it could have been the apartment of some Bauhaus luminary," she said. "The best part: an unbelievably massive — like, swimming-pool sized — bathtub, made using two slabs of Roman black marble." Other suites and public spaces are just as enchanting, decorated with beautiful objets d'art, vintage furniture, and antiques galore. "It felt like everything was exactly in its place," Walhout said. The Shandaken Inn Kira Turnbull "This rustic yet refined getaway — the brainchild of Catskills resident Jay Jacobs — has graphic textured wallpaper and restored wood-burning stoves," Bruning wrote in a recent issue of T+L. It's a short drive from spring skiing — or warmer-weather zip lining — at Hunter Mountain or hiking to the dramatic Kaaterskill Falls. Starlite Motel Jody Kivort This stylish re-do of a 1960s roadside motel opened in May of 2020, and the vintage vibes and proximity to some of the best trails in the Catskills have made it a must-visit for T+L associate editor Liz Cantrell. "Just minutes from Minnewaska State Park and Mohonk Preserve, this is the perfect base for a weekend of serious hiking. Plus, the large saltwater pool and canteen-style bar will help you recover. There are 16 traditional rooms, but I've got my eye on the camper, which will be open for bookings this summer," she said. Urban Cowboy Ben Fitchett This 28-room lodge is set on the edge of the Big Indian Wilderness, a 33,500-acre expanse of land managed by New York State, which offers hiking and other outdoor pursuits. But guests can also hang closer to home base, according to Bruning: “Guests mingle at the nightly bonfires or over meals at the live-fire restaurant, which highlights foraged, seasonal ingredients. On-site pursuits include swimming and fishing for trout in the Esopus Creek, which runs through the grounds.” During a visit with his husband, Terzian said, “a feeling of well-being continued throughout our stay,” thanks to “the convivial staff, who treated us like new friends, all while delivering on-point service.” Wylder Windham Courtesy of Wylder Windham This totally reimagined escape debuted in 2022, though parts of the resort-y getaway date back to 1880. “It’s nostalgic, and perfectly executed,” wrote T+L contributor Alison Fox after her summertime stay. “It’s a modern property in every way that counts, but that knows exactly where it came from and embraces its past.” With a variety of room categories and both on- and off-property activities, “it has enough amenities to bring you back to a time before screens: there are wood-fired saunas and fire pits strewn throughout the grounds, pickleball courts … and hammocks framed by trees, overlooking the creek and the mountain beyond,” Fox added.