The Ranch Hudson Valley
Hikers’ delight
Lakeside Rockland County
The Ranch Hudson Valley is set to lasso you away from the city into its restorative, rural embrace. You’re only an hour from Manhattan, but everything runs on ‘Ranch time’ around these arcadian ends; which means phones are all but forgotten as you hike the Harriman trails, take stretch and strength classes in the 20th-century mansion’s restored ballroom, sample zero-kilometre cuisine and sauna at the solarium. This is one remedy we’re happy to be prescribed.
Facilities
Rooms
26, including nine suites.
Checkout
10am, but flexible, subject to availability. Check-in is at 1pm, and you’re asked to arrive as close to this time as possible, since group activities begin promptly.
More Details
Rates include all meals, drinks, snacks, guided hikes, fitness and yoga classes and a daily 50-minute massage, plus departure group transfers to Newark.
Also
One Junior Suite King Bed and one Double Deluxe Room Two Queen Beds are ADA compliant; there is also an elevator, and all of the pools (including the hot and cold plunge) have wheelchair access.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pet Friendly
Pool
Room Service
Spa
At the Hotel
200-acre forest, outdoor solarium, living areas and activity room. In rooms: free WiFi, climate control, free bottled water, hairdryer and bespoke, natural bath products.
Our Favourite Rooms
Sleep is the equal of stretching classes and sauna sessions when it comes to recovery, so interiors-expert Steven Gambrel designed rooms to be a calming, rest-inducing reflection of your rural surroundings. Views abound from all, but we’re particularly taken by the Deluxe Guest Room, 2 Queen Beds’ panoramas over the pond. For a stronger feel of the estate’s history, the Premier Junior Suite Hamilton still features original wood paneling and beamed ceilings.
Poolside
If you’ve still some residual energy, squeeze in a few laps between hikes and strength classes at the outdoor pool (open seasonally for the summer), or inside at the solarium. For anyone who’d rather ‘Wim Hof’ their healing, you’ll also find hot and cold plunges under its vaulted ceilings — a particularly scenic spot come the Valley’s first snowfall.
Spa
Wellness is a guiding principle at the Ranch, and everything you do inevitably rotates around it. Daily deep-tissue massages are scheduled into your afternoons in one of the hotel’s 10 treatment rooms. There’s an infrared sauna at the solarium, too; and for an additional charge, experts are on-hand for energy healing, hypnotherapy, reiki and appointments with in-house chiropractors. For those taking their health kick seriously, there’s also Bod Pod testing on-site.
Packing Tips
After your hiking gear, a willingness to trust the programme’s process is the most important thing.
Also
The Ranch Hudson Valley has a minimum three-night stay, with check-in and check-out only available on Mondays and Thursdays.
Children
Over-14s are welcome, but this wellness programme is likely too intense for anyone under 18.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Head-of-the-table seats by the orange trees are a sweetly scented pick.
Dress Code
Straight from the trails is just fine.
Hotel Restaurant
Given the Ranch’s ‘in it together’ ethos, it won’t come as a surprise that meals are savored in a group setting. You’ll find the central dining table under original beamed ceilings, fronted with views of the grounds and a duo of indoor orange trees. Plant-based menus follow a seasonal calendar and are impressively flavorful given their free-from approach, with perennial favorites such as cauliflower-crusted pizzas topped with cashew cheese and homemade zucchini ravioli.
Hotel Bar
This retreat is focused on healing, so there aren’t any spirited tipples to be found; but there are fresh juices, tea and coffee available throughout the day in the dining room.
Last Orders
Breakfast starts at 7am; lunch is from noon, and dinner is dished at 7pm.
Planes
Your closest international options are JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty — all between 50 to 75 minutes away by car. Private pick-ups from all three airports can be arranged for an additional charge, and there’s a shuttle service to Newark on departure days that leaves the Ranch at 10am. If your flight times don’t align, or you're leaving from a different hub, private transfers can be organised.
Trains
The Port Jervis Line runs from New York City’s Penn Station to Sloatsburg, with one change at Secaucus Junction. Once you pull into the village’s station, it’s a 10-minute drive to the hotel and private transfers are available.
Automobiles
You’re encouraged to stay on-site for the duration of your stay, to help fully immerse yourself in the ranch’s off-grid ethos, so a car won’t be necessary. If you’re driving to the retreat, there’s private valet parking.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Everything is organised for you at The Ranch Hudson Valley, with daily scheduling that means the only thing you’re set to decide is which snug sofa to take your morning coffee in. Tibetan chimes are your 5.30am alarm for the day’s first stretch class, and once you’ve limbered up, it’s out to Harriman or Ringwood State Park for a two- or four-hour hike along the trails.
Return to the Ranch and you’ll have an allotted nap hour, before strength training under the lofty ceilings of the estate’s former ballroom. Summer afternoons are spent kayaking on the lake, and during winter, swimsuits are replaced with snowshoes and sleds. There’s as much emphasis on relaxation and restoration as exercise, so expect prescribed deep-tissue massages, meditation and sound-bath sessions. Refine your personal hydrotherapy routine with dips between the hot and cold plunge pools, or keep your body temperature consistent with a healing stint in the infrared sauna. There are also elective nutrition and wellness talks hosted during the evenings.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
