Plan Your Summer Getaway to Upstate New York with These 10 Chic Hotels

Over the past few years, upstate New York has become a haven for those looking to flee Manhattan’s hustle and bustle, and with popular art spaces like Dia: Beacon and Storm King Art Center just a few miles apart, art connoisseurs are leading the charge. To support the influx of design-minded visitors, a number of preexisting hotels are debuting striking renovations, and luxury inns are popping up in some of the area’s most bucolic towns.

While the COVID-19 pandemic put most people’s summer travel plans on pause, hotels north of Manhattan are beginning to reopen with the necessary precautions to ensure guests’ safety, like limiting occupancy and scheduling private amenity use. Here, Galerie spotlights ten design destinations in the Catskills and Hudson Valley that are offering a safe and secluded home away from home. Whether you favor an Italian-style mansion or modern music-inspired oasis, these artful spaces are as awe-inspiring as the natural landscapes that lie just beyond their front doors.

An artful common space at Troutbeck, as well as a private lounge area in one of the guest rooms. Photo: PAUL BARBERA. COURTESY OF TROUTBECK

1. Troutbeck, Amenia, NY

Beginning the first weekend of June, Troutbeck will be welcoming guests again to its 250-acre estate masterfully conceived by designer Alexandra Champalimaud. Led by chef Gabe McMackin, the on-site restaurant will offer an ever-changing curated menu, with a unique highlight being poolside picnics. Tennis, bicycles, and a heated outdoor pool are all available by reservation prior to your stay.

The colorful interiors of Hotel Tivoli reflect its artist owners, Brice and Helen Marden. Photo: Courtesy Hotel Tivoli

2. Hotel Tivoli, Tivoli, NY

Occupying a century-old building, the 11-key Hotel Tivoli is brimming with contemporary art. Owned by painters Brice and Helen Marden, the hotel and its accompanying farm-to-table restaurant, the Corner, mix clean design with vibrant, quirky furnishings, reflecting the minimalist-with-a-twist aesthetic seen in Brice’s own oeuvre. The hotel will slowly open in mid-June.

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Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club reflects the refined taste of its owner, 1stdibs founder Michael Bruno. Photo: Luxproductions. Courtesy Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club

3. Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club, Sloatsburg, NY

Starting the weekend of May 29, Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club will be offering “Shelter and Nature” stays. The hotel is owned by 1stdibs founder Michael Bruno, who has been slowly transforming the sleepy town into a chic getaway destination complete with a new art gallery and gourmet market. Bruno worked with New York–based interior designer Lisa Bowles on Valley Rock, which has four guesthouses, each offering three to five bedrooms, plus a private pool. Rooms come with assigned private dining tables in the rose garden and by the pool. Guests will also be able to access the 7,000-square-foot gym in private 90-minute time slots or head outside for hiking and kayaking.

Views of the Scribner’s Catskill Lodge’s library and a guest room. Photo: Read McKendree. Courtesy Scribner’s Catskill Lodge

4. Scribner’s Catskill Lodge, Hunter, NY

Built in 1966 on 20 serene mountainside acres, Scribner’s Catskill Lodge debuted a stylish renovation in 2017 courtesy of business partners Marc Chodock and Glennon Travis, a former Soho House hotel manager. There is no shortage of fireplaces and cozy corners, both of which make the hotel’s library especially inviting. Thanks to its “A New Way to Stay” precautions, guests can enjoy the property as soon as June 5.

Woodstock’s Hotel Dylan is full of musical touches and character, reflecting the city’s roots. Photo: Courtesy Hotel Dylan

5. Hotel Dylan, Woodstock, NY

Several hotels in the Woodstock area pay homage to the city’s musical roots, but none do it better than the Hotel Dylan. For the interior design, owner Paul Covello turned to Robert and Cortney Novogratz, who cite Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom as a source of inspiration, imbuing the hotel with a sense of play and artistic freedom. Each of the 22 rooms contains a record player handmade in the Hudson Valley, and portraits of famed rockers add color and character to the space. With increased precautions, Hotel Dylan is open and ready for business.

Glenmere Mansion transports guests to Tuscany with its gilded-age property and plush interiors. Photo: Courtesy Glenmere Mansion

6. Glenmere Mansion, Chester, NY

Once a gilded-age country retreat, Glenmere Mansion is an 18-room Relais & Châteaux property set on 150 acres. Leading architects Carrère and Hastings were commissioned to bring Tuscany to the Hudson Valley, and Beatrix Jones Farrand, America’s first major female landscape architect, designed the estate’s gardens. The result of their efforts is an absolutely transportive architectural feat with several opulent areas to keep guests entertained indoors. Glenmere Mansion will slowly reopen for overnight accommodations starting June 23.

The DeBruce’s interiors are cozy yet elegant, and its restaurant boasts picturesque mountain views. Photo: Lawrence Braun. Courtesy The DeBruce

7. The DeBruce, Livingston Manor, NY

Set to reopen June 12, The DeBruce is part hotel, part culinary experience. The property is comprised of 14 guest rooms, hundreds of acres of private land, water access, and a private pool, but the best amenity comes from the kitchen. Included with your room is a nine-course tasting menu by chef Aksel Theilkuhl that highlights local ingredients. Enjoy your meal in the on-site restaurant that boasts picturesque mountain views.

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Hasbrouck House features jewel-toned interiors and whimsical charms throughout the 18th-century mansion it occupies. Photo: Courtesy Hasbrouck House

8. Hasbrouck House, Stone Ridge, NY

Designed by Akiva Reich & Co., Hasbrouck House offers the type of irresistible charm that makes you feel like you’re in the living room of a well-traveled friend. Occupying an 18th-century Dutch Colonial stone mansion, the hotel features gem-colored furnishings and whimsical details, like hot-air-balloon wallpaper. Twenty-five rooms are spread across four buildings; there’s also a 100-year-old landmark pool as well as a private lake for guests to enjoy. The hotel aims for a mid-June reopening.

A brand-new farmhouse at Cedar Lakes Estate, as well as one of the property’s guest rooms. Photo: Courtesy Cedar Lakes Estate

9. Cedar Lakes Estate, Port Jervis, NY

Cedar Lakes Estate is a 500-acre private resort that was once a summer camp and elite athlete training center. In the past decade, sisters Lisa and Stephanie Karvellas, whose family owned the camp, transformed the property into a luxurious oasis where companies ranging from Google to Glossier have hosted retreats. This summer, its 18 cottages can be booked for a week or longer at an all-inclusive rate. In addition to curated meals and fun perks, guests can take advantage of Cedar Lakes’s “Work from Here” area—socially distanced desks set up in the on-site barn.

The new Maker Hotel offers several stunning dining options, and its equally elegant rooms will be available to book in late summer. Photo: Courtesy The Maker Hotel

10. The Maker, Hudson, NY

The team behind Ghent, New York, bakery Bartlett House is debuting a new hotel in the heart of historic downtown Hudson in late July/early August. The stunning brainchild of Fresh beauty founders Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, The Maker Hotel features work by artists like Agnes Martin and Gaston Lachaise, and celebrates both local artisans and global creatives whose eclectic styles are reflected in the space’s luxe-bohemian interiors. While the hotel, with its speakeasy-style lounge and verdant conservatory restaurant, is preparing to reopen, the in-hotel Bartlett House café is available for carryout dishes and pastries.