A “Hidden Gem” Inn in Upstate New York Nonetheless Exists — Learn Our Editor’s Evaluation

Some cliches, it seems, nonetheless maintain a kernel of reality. So after I arrived at Deer Mountain Inn, the posh lodge in Tannersville, New York, on a spring afternoon, I laughed when a staffer advised me, “We’re only a hidden gem up right here.”

You see, the thought of an undiscovered hidden gem tucked away on a secluded mountainside has turn into a little bit of travel-writing patter, a say-nothing flip of phrase that’s been so overused that it has misplaced all that means.

And but, the Deer Mountain Inn actually is one thing singular. That’s partly because of the wealthy heritage of this Catskills property, which traces its historical past again to the Eighties. Lately, the Royce household owns the lodge — additionally they personal Rhode Island’s inimitable Ocean Home — who’ve just lately added to their six-room Catskills inn a group of 4 stand-alone cabins that really feel like non-public woodland properties.

Then there’s the over-the-top design of the place, a rebuke to the concept the one good lodge is one that appears as clean-lined as a Scandinavian practice station. Quite the opposite. Deer Mountain Inn proves that maximalism nonetheless performs, with an over-the-top look courtesy of inside designer Iliana Moore, whose imaginative and prescient “takes inspiration from Craftsman-style vintage furnishings and William Morris textiles, making a heat and welcoming ambiance,” as she places it.

My duplex cabin for a weekend keep this spring was actually heavy on the vibes, with a wood-paneled residing area stuffed to the first-floor ceiling with authentic vintage paintings and different decor, together with antlers, with window therapies created from up-cycled Pendleton blankets and Adirondack-inspired, rustic-log balusters and furnishings. The look echoes the unimaginable interiors of the principle lodge constructing, which spans three flooring and is equally stuffed with treasures.

“It’s my demented fantasy,” Moore advised me one morning as she confirmed me across the constructing, declaring chestnut paneling, an Egyptian lamp, and a console desk hewn from a wrought-iron gate she uncovered in Buenos Aires. “It’s a bit of treasure hunt for the friends,” she mentioned, describing the numerous one-of-a-kind items that taste the inn.

The lodge additionally advantages from the cooking of Chef Corwin Kave, who helms the kitchen at Deer Mountain Inn. The eating room, which works by the identical title, is open to friends and most people, with a full bar room and a collection of intimate eating rooms on the lodge’s first ground. The bold menu choices on my go to included steelhead trout with sunflower curry, cavatelli with ramps foraged on the property, and tempura soft-shell crab. I used to be significantly taken by a pleasant bundle of roasted asparagus, topped with trout roe and crème fraîche, and a transcendent hunk of crusty sourdough, flecked with salt and served with a dish of house-cultured butter topped with za’atar. In different phrases, the eating was as distinctive and pleasant because the design.

For all of the exuberance, Deer Mountain Inn felt calm, with loads of studying nooks, mountain climbing trails, and peaceable hideaways. One night, the employees organized sundowner cocktails at considered one of two rustic lean-tos on the property, a spot with a sweeping view of the mountains and a roaring campfire. The jaw-dropping charcuterie board they prepped would’ve been loads, however the group remembered the bug spray and even provided an Instax digital camera for some lo-fi selfies. Some issues by no means exit of favor.

Right here’s my evaluation of Deer Mountain Inn, the distinctive Catskills lodge in Tannersville, New York, a great year-round escape for anybody in search of a dose of nature.

The Rooms

Deer Mountain Inn has simply six rooms in the principle lodge constructing and 4 non-public cabins. As befits a historic constructing, every of the six visitor rooms is exclusive, with options corresponding to stone fireplaces, wealthy textiles, and vintage furnishings. Added in 2023 are 4 cabins, three of them equivalent, with a fourth constructed particularly to be accessible (see extra on that under).

I stayed in No. 3, named for Grace Gallatin Seton, the creator and suffragette, whereas others are named Burroughs, Dodge, and Dresser. My cabin spanned two ranges: a sitting space, moist bar, rest room, out of doors deck (with gasoline hearth pit) downstairs, and a sleeping loft with a writing desk upstairs. The decor is tastefully distinctive, although the toilet is a up to date reprieve with marble, tile, and stone. Some friends may discover the cabin too dimly lit, although I assumed it was appropriately moody.

Meals and Drink

My meals at Deer Mountain Inn had been implausible, with fabulous meals, terrific service, and a variety of cocktail, beer, and wine decisions (with non-alcoholic choices out there), all provided within the elegant first-floor eating room and fundamental lodge’s bar.

Dinner service, together with home sourdough and a menu heavy on regionally sourced and foraged substances, was a selected spotlight. How native? On the night time I visited, some oysters plucked from the waters close to Deer Mountain Inn’s sibling property in Rhode Island had been provided, topped with pickled spruce suggestions from the Catskills. The in depth wine checklist, which received a Wine Spectator award in 2023, runs for almost 60 pages and options quite a few rarities and “producer spotlights,” with a number of labels from a single vintner. Continental breakfast on the inn is included within the price and is artfully offered with bagels, spreads, fruits, and different buffet-style choices.

Actions and Facilities

Deer Mountain Inn appears like its personal world, with a community of mountain climbing trails throughout the property, a spacious deck, hearth pits, gardens, and a third-floor sitting room outfitted with an enormous TV (for film screenings or reside sports activities), a classic pool desk, an honor bar, and a library. Particular person cabins have well-provisioned minibars as properly. Two rustic lean-tos with sweeping mountain vistas are well worth the quick uphill hike (or, upon request, journey), significantly round sundown. One factor you received’t discover is a swimming pool — although there are a number of pure ponds and waterfalls inside a brief driving distance.

Household-friendly Choices

I didn’t see any children throughout my quick keep, however youthful friends are welcome, says the property’s occasions director, Maureen Tussing. “We’re family-friendly and have many video games and books out there for kids in our attic lounge,” she defined. “We additionally usually arrange s’mores for households to take pleasure in after dinner. Our entrance garden is a superb place for garden video games and to run round.”

Accessibility and Sustainability

One of many 4 new cabins at Deer Mountain Inn is totally ADA compliant, constructed throughout one ground relatively than two, as is the case for the opposite three cabins. “The principle lodge does have stairs and is sadly much less accessible because it was constructed within the Eighties,” Tussing advised Journey + Leisure. Deer Mountain Inn does have on its web site 3D excursions of the cabins, together with the ADA-compliant Burroughs cabin, which will help vacationers establish accessibility options (or obstacles) that could be of curiosity.

Location

The lodge is situated about 125 miles north of New York Metropolis, at almost 2,500 toes. It’s near year-round points of interest, together with Hunter Mountain and Kaaterskill Falls, quite a few state-managed wilderness areas, and cities corresponding to Kingston, Saugerties, and Woodstock. A automotive is crucial for getting round this stretch of New York.

Easy methods to Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

Deer Mountain Inn is an unbiased lodge, so it’s not a part of a serious factors program. (It is potential to order on the restaurant via Resy.) Room reservations open 90 days out; usually, mid-week stays are extra reasonably priced than in-demand weekends.