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 luxurious lodge in Tannersville, New York, on a spring afternoon, I laughed when a staffer informed 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 change 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 Eighteen Eighties. Today, the Royce household owns the lodge — additionally they personal Rhode Island’s inimitable Ocean Home — who’ve not too long ago added to their six-room Catskills inn a set 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 that the one good lodge is one that appears as clean-lined as a Scandinavian prepare 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 definitely heavy on the vibes, with a wood-paneled residing house stuffed to the first-floor ceiling with unique vintage paintings and different decor, together with antlers, with window therapies comprised of up-cycled Pendleton blankets and Adirondack-inspired, rustic-log balusters and furnishings. The look echoes the unbelievable interiors of the principle lodge constructing, which spans three flooring and is equally crammed with treasures.

“It’s my demented fantasy,” Moore informed me one morning as she confirmed me across the constructing, stating chestnut paneling, an Egyptian lamp, and a console desk hewn from a wrought-iron gate she uncovered in Buenos Aires. “It’s just a little treasure hunt for the visitors,” she stated, 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 identify, is open to visitors and most of the people, with a full bar room and a collection of intimate eating rooms on the lodge’s first flooring. 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, mountaineering 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 supplied an Instax digital camera for some lo-fi selfies. Some issues by no means exit of fashion.

Right here’s my assessment of Deer Mountain Inn, the distinctive Catskills lodge in Tannersville, New York, a really perfect 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 resembling stone fireplaces, wealthy textiles, and vintage furnishings. Added in 2023 are 4 cabins, three of them an identical, 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 fireplace pit) downstairs, and a sleeping loft with a writing desk upstairs. The decor is tastefully distinctive, although the lavatory is a up to date reprieve with marble, tile, and stone. Some visitors may discover the cabin too dimly lit, although I believed it was appropriately moody.

Meals and Drink

My meals at Deer Mountain Inn have been implausible, with fabulous meals, terrific service, and a variety of cocktail, beer, and wine selections (with non-alcoholic choices obtainable), all supplied within the elegant first-floor eating room and important lodge’s bar.

Dinner service, together with home sourdough and a menu heavy on domestically sourced and foraged components, 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 have been supplied, topped with pickled spruce ideas from the Catskills. The in depth wine listing, 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 fee and is artfully introduced with bagels, spreads, fruits, and different buffet-style choices.

Actions and Facilities

Deer Mountain Inn appears like its personal world, with a community of mountaineering trails throughout the property, a spacious deck, fireplace 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 nicely. Two rustic lean-tos with sweeping mountain vistas are well worth the quick uphill hike (or, upon request, experience), 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 visitors 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 usually 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 flooring reasonably 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 informed Journey + Leisure. Deer Mountain Inn does have on its web site 3D excursions of the cabins, together with the ADA-compliant Burroughs cabin, which might help vacationers establish accessibility options (or obstacles) that could be of curiosity.

Location

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

Tips on how to Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

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