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

Some cliches, it seems, nonetheless maintain a kernel of fact. So after I arrived at Deer Mountain Inn, the posh lodge in Tannersville, New York, on a spring afternoon, I laughed when a staffer instructed 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 grow to be 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 due to the wealthy heritage of this Catskills property, which traces its historical past again to the Eighteen Eighties. Lately, the Royce household owns the resort — additionally they personal Rhode Island’s inimitable Ocean Home — who’ve just lately added to their six-room Catskills inn a set of 4 stand-alone cabins that really feel like personal woodland properties.

Then there’s the over-the-top design of the place, a rebuke to the concept the one good resort 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 dwelling house stuffed to the first-floor ceiling with authentic vintage paintings and different decor, together with antlers, with window remedies constructed from up-cycled Pendleton blankets and Adirondack-inspired, rustic-log balusters and furnishings. The look echoes the unimaginable interiors of the primary lodge constructing, which spans three flooring and is equally crammed with treasures.

“It’s my demented fantasy,” Moore instructed 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 company,” she mentioned, describing the various 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 company and most of the 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 notably 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, climbing trails, and peaceable hideaways. One night, the workers organized sundowner cocktails at certainly 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 lots, however the workforce remembered the bug spray and even provided an Instax digicam for some lo-fi selfies. Some issues by no means exit of fashion.

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

The Rooms

Deer Mountain Inn has simply six rooms in the primary lodge constructing and 4 personal cabins. As befits a historic constructing, every of the six visitor rooms is exclusive, with options comparable to stone fireplaces, wealthy textiles, and vintage furnishings. Added in 2023 are 4 cabins, three of them similar, 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, lavatory, 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 recent reprieve with marble, tile, and stone. Some company 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 improbable, with fabulous meals, terrific service, and a variety of cocktail, beer, and wine decisions (with non-alcoholic choices obtainable), all provided within the elegant first-floor eating room and principal lodge’s bar.

Dinner service, together with home sourdough and a menu heavy on domestically sourced and foraged substances, was a selected spotlight. How native? On the evening 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 intensive wine listing, which received a Wine Spectator award in 2023, runs for practically 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 fee 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 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 dwell sports activities), a classic pool desk, an honor bar, and a library. Particular person cabins have well-provisioned minibars as nicely. Two rustic lean-tos with sweeping mountain vistas are well worth the brief uphill hike (or, upon request, journey), notably 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 youngsters throughout my brief keep, however youthful company are welcome, says the property’s occasions director, Maureen Tussing. “We’re family-friendly and have many video games and books obtainable for kids in our attic lounge,” she defined. “We additionally typically arrange s’mores for households to get pleasure from 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 absolutely 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 Eighteen Eighties,” Tussing instructed Journey + Leisure. Deer Mountain Inn does have on its web site 3D excursions of the cabins, together with the ADA-compliant Burroughs cabin, which may also help vacationers establish accessibility options (or obstacles) which may be of curiosity.

Location

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

Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

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