Mohonk Mountain House: The Perfect Mountain Retreat
My husband and I just returned from the vacation I didn’t know we needed, but am so thankful we had! He’s been wanting to go to Mohonk Mountain House for years – really decades. We used to visit New Paltz, NY for long weekends before we had kids, but never considered Mohonk Mountain House because it is super pricey. When other vacation plans were not going to move forward this summer, we decided now would be the time to try Mohonk. He booked the trip and planned all of the activities. Our child care fell through – twice – so between the expense, the child care arrangements, and the bitterness about not being able to take the family vacation we had hoped to, I wasn’t exactly excited for the trip. But literally the moment we arrived, I was transfixed.
The view is stunning, the grounds are well-maintained and take advantage of every square inch to offer loads of activities with ample room for privacy, and because everything is on-site, there is no time wasted driving to multiple destinations. My stress literally melted as soon as we arrived. We could have spent the entire stay on our balcony reading and soaking in the view, but there are so many activities to enjoy!
We highly recommend a short stay at Mohonk Mountain House of 2-3 nights and found it may not be as expensive as it seemed given the included meals and extensive activities. This is how we spent our getaway…
Day 1
Mohonk Mountain House is accessed through a long, narrow private road winding through the trees as you climb the mountain. You arrive at the top to see a majestic, sprawling inn with balconies lining the exterior. The valet empties your car and guides you inside for check-in, where you see a grand staircase and visitors milling about in active wear with cookies and tea.
Our room was on the 4th floor, mountainside. The room was small, but adequate with a king-sized bed, small desk, large closet, and a very nice shower. What made the room fabulous, was the balcony with two rocking chairs and the gorgeous view of the mountains. I’m sure there are many other rooms with better views, but our view was simply stunning.
It was difficult to leave that view, but we had exploring to do! We meandered around the inn a bit, but our main goal was to get outside to see the lake! There are trails everywhere. We walked along a path overlooking the lake and absorbed the fresh air and beautiful scenery. Then, we hopped on a rowboat, which my husband maneuvered like a pro. Next, time for dinner in the main dining room, where we were seated in an alcove by ourselves with a partial view of the lake. Dinner includes a starter, entrée, and dessert. We were both very pleased with our selections.
After dinner, we chose to participate in a night hike, which was really just a walk in the woods in complete darkness. A memorable experience. There is also nightly music on the dock, which you can enjoy from the covered porches or the many summerhouses (like gazebos) located around the lake.
Day 2
The next day we had a full day planned. A hike to the Skytop Tower, horseback riding, tomahawk throwing, archery, swimming, boating – and eating 3 full meals. We opted for breakfast in the main dining room because it provided a more complete meal and we needed the energy for all of our activities. There are several ways to access Skytop Tower. We took the fastest route along the wide, clear path up the mountain. We kept a brisk pace and got to the top in under 20 minutes, which gave us more time to enjoy the view. Then, we had to get back down to make it to our horseback riding reservation. The ride was nice, but it was short and an added expense, so we would skip this if we return. Afterwards, we had lunch in the main dining room as well. Lunch includes 3 courses, but we managed to skip the dessert. Tomahawk Throwing was intimidating, but ended up being great fun! Archery was also fun, but too large a group participating, so we ducked out after we had our first round turn because we wanted to be sure to have time to get to the lake to swim. We were disappointed that the full lake swim was canceled that day, so we had to settle for jumping in from the diving board and swimming to the various docks. We ran out of time for boating, but had done so much in one day, we were grateful for such an activity-filled day. We enjoyed dinner in the Granary, the outdoor venue that overlooks the lake. We had pre-ordered lobsters and all of the other food is buffet style BBQ, so there was plenty to eat. The dessert selection was impressive with a host of cakes, pies, and bars, plus ice cream, so you can mix and match to make your ultimate a la mode or sundae. Of course, there is lots of fruit too. That evening, we enjoyed the music from a lighted summerhouse. It was a beautiful evening.
Day 3
The next day, we were checking out, but we still had many activities planned. First, we had a more strenuous hike we wanted to try – the lemon squeeze. Actually, turns out it is called the Labyrinth and has a few different components. It is located right off the lake path and has a large sign warning of the difficulty. We found the trail to be well-labeled and challenging, which made it lots of fun! Knowing you crawled through tight spaces, climbed ladders, and scrambled up rocks, plus the incredible view at the end are fantastic rewards. Of course, we kept commenting to each other about how much our kids would love doing the Labyrinth. Afterwards, we had time to get back to the room to clean up and check out, which we did just by calling downstairs and asking them to store our bags. Then, we enjoyed lunch at the Granary and snagged the summerhouse with the view of the lake. We somehow managed to squeeze in time to paddle board before heading to the spa for massages. The spa is very nicely appointed with a steam room, sauna, many chairs for lounging prior to or after a treatment, and an outdoor heated mineral bath. We would have been able to stay in the spa until 6pm, but we had kids to get back to, so alas, we started our journey back home planning for our next visit to Mohonk Mountain House, perhaps as a multi-generational family retreat.
Insider info:
Book activities in advance.
No tvs in the room, so bring a book!
Snacks are not included. If you want food in between the 3 meals, including just a coffee, be prepared to pay extra.
Alcohol and after dinner drinks, including cappuccinos, are extra.
Show up early to meals to get the best seats in the Granary. Also, in the main dining room to have a more private dining experience.
We changed clothes A LOT. Bring many more clothes than you think. You get sweaty and dirty doing all of these activities.
Ask questions about activities when you arrive. Many ppl visit Mohonk Mountain House annually as a multi-generational family retreat and repeat activities year after year. Staff wasn’t as proactive as they should have been with new visitors in explaining activities and hikes. (May have been a staffing issue due to current conditions.) Dining staff did do a good job explaining options.
Please note the steam room and sauna are currently closed due to COVID-precautions.
Bring your bathing suit to the spa to take full advantage of the mineral spa.
