The Mohonk House, New Paltz

This next post is kind of an interesting one... Over Spring Break, my parents expressed interest in going to New Paltz to visit the Mohonk House.  If you've never heard of it, it's pretty amazing.  The Mohonk House is a hotel/spa getaway location on top of a mountain in New Paltz, NY.  The Mohonk House is huge-- like 3 well-sized hotels combined together (I mean, just look at the picture below).  The original building has quite a few add-ons, all keeping to a general theme but different and unique in their own way.  We happened to go because there are great hiking trails and views around the hotel.  At the highest point, a person can see 4 states.  Along the trails are little pavilions, where you can sit and gaze at the lake or view the landscape.

What the Mohonk House is really known for is it's hiking and lands.  The Mohonk House has 85 miles of hiking trails.  The area is very secluded from the town, so guests are able to enjoy nature and quiet time.  While the trails are fantastic and the inside of the Mohonk House elegant, the hotel is pretty pricey.  My parents had a friend that works there, so we got a free lunch in between exploring trails.  Lunch was a buffet style and was pretty good.  My mom looked up how much a meal would have been if we had to pay, and it was 64 dollars!  We also looked up the rates for the hotel and it's around 400 dollars a night.  Very classy place and quite popular, so I guess the expensive stay is worth it!  But most people visit for the trails.  I think I would have enjoyed my visit if it was a little warmer, so perhaps another visit is overdue in the summer.

I think places like the Mohonk House are really special; it's great that places like these can be so popular.  It's great that its hidden on top of a mountain in New Paltz--really a place that no one would think to look.  I also liked that it was about 2 miles away from civilization, just the woods and the hotel.  I feel like if I was a guest at the hotel, I would definitely get the ultimate escape from reality.  Most vacations are focused on going to the beach or going abroad, but staying in New York and going to a place like the Mohonk House where you get to experience nature and seclusion in a beautiful, huge hotel feels to me like a pretty fantastic vacation.  So if you're from near New Paltz or you're just looking for an adventure this summer, visit the trails around the Mohonk House.  Just maybe don't stay there (it would be awesome, but like me you probably couldn't afford it as a recent grad)!

                                     
                                           

(screenshots from @mohonkmountainhouse)