T+L’s Hotel Review of Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection, in New York’s Hudson Valley

My mother grew up in New York’s Catskill Mountains, and all through my childhood, I at all times appeared ahead to our summer season visits to see household. I recall the scenic panorama of the rolling hills, the fixed sounds of birds chirping, and the real smiles we obtained from neighbors whereas strolling on the town; a form of heat throughout that’s onerous to come back by in a significant metropolis, not to mention wherever else right now. 

In fact, the Catskills and Hudson Valley have modified drastically previously few a long time, gaining a classy repute that feels at odds with my childhood actuality. However nonetheless, after I made plans to spend an evening at Auberge Resort Assortment’s Wildflower Farms—one of many solely properties from a luxurious lodge operator set on this space—I used to be eager to see this space in a brand new mild.

My accomplice and I pulled as much as the sprawling 140-acre property in Gardiner, New York, on a Thursday night in June, after a straightforward two-hour drive north from New York Metropolis. It had been raining all week, and virtually as if for our arrival, the solar determined to indicate off by peeking out by the clouds. It was fairly the scene: The huge firepit of the aptly named Nice Porch was burning vivid, some friends in elevated loungewear peacefully learn books whereas others walked alongside the pebbled pathways within the distance, hotel-branded Mercedes Benzes had been pulling into the driveway behind us, and lovely cocktails continued to make their means out of Clay, the adjoining restaurant and main draw of the lodge. 

It felt as if we’d stepped into some type of alternate, curated universe, and in a means, we had. Whereas Wildflower is managed by Auberge Resorts Assortment, it’s owned by Gardiner residents Phillip and Kristin Rapoport, who had spent seven years growing the property earlier than it formally opened within the fall of 2022. 

What I spotted after simply 24 hours at Wildflower Farms is that all the pieces you see or expertise right here is totally intentional. The burnt orange and inexperienced colours of the Americana-inspired decor match the woodlands seen from the again decks of lots of the cabins. The best way by which the employees knew earlier than we did that we needed to finish our dinner outdoors of the restaurant and had a s’mores equipment prepared for us at one of many firepits. The welcome ritual that invitations you to wash away stressors from the week prior is centered round merchandise made immediately from botanicals grown on the 6-acre, on-site farm.

And it’s on the farm the place this spirit is most palpable. I had the pleasure of seeing it first hand from farm director Will Conway and government sous chef Kyle Chandler by the Forage the Farm expertise supplied at Wildflower. I spent nearly an hour or so within the fields with Conway, handpicking a number of the very first Spring produce of the season—Tuscan basil, pea flowers, and asparagus. I took in all of the information from Conway: About 80 totally different herbs, greens, and flowers are grown on web site; manufacturing occurs year-round; and maybe my favourite, “broccoli is a loser” in comparison with broccolini.

“My job is to nourish individuals, not simply put out fairly meals,” Chandler advised me, as he nonchalantly stirred inexperienced garlic, sending a vibrant scent all through the house. He was cooking the three of us an informal lunch of combined inexperienced salad and risotto, all created from the components I had simply picked—which after I give it some thought, is definitely not informal in any respect.

As I completed up my lunch, cooked by a chef born 10 minutes down the highway in New Paltz, New York, that heat feeling returned, and lingered for the remainder of my keep.

Learn on to see why T+L readers voted Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Assortment, the No. 1 resort in New York state within the 2025 World’s Best Awards.

The Rooms

The design of Wildflower is the product of the Rapoports’ imaginative and prescient. They labored with California architects Electrical Bowery and New York designers Ward & Grey to carry the pure parts of the panorama in, creating the precise proper mixture of minimalism and upholstered consolation.

The appear and feel of the 65 standalone cottages and cabins—some with floor-to-ceiling home windows and fireplaces, others with non-public decks or out of doors firepits—is crucial to the property. The angled, picket buildings will be seen from the second you step onto the Nice Porch to check-in, standing out within the flowing meadow and pebbled pathway. Others are extra tucked away inside the property’s woodlands. Cabin No. 32, the place my accomplice and I stayed, is without doubt one of the latter. After I stepped onto our non-public again deck to take a look at the setting, I might hear the burbling tune of Shawangunk Kill, a free-flowing stream that runs alongside the again of the property. (It is formally generally known as a Bower Cabin.)

From inside, the aesthetics continued. The partitions of the high-ceiling house are darkish inexperienced, paired effectively with leather-based and velvet accents of the identical colour, and burnt orange, too. However my favourite a part of the room was the little particulars sprinkled all through to reinforce the keep, just like the moveable steamer positioned in my closet, the additional quilts that not solely match the vibe but in addition the consolation stage of the house, and the binoculars and lantern, each of which my accomplice and I used a number of instances all through our brief keep. 

Meals and Drink

The culinary and beverage program at Wildflower, in addition to all Auberge accommodations, is vital to the keep. On the epicenter is Clay—named due to the excessive content material of clay discovered within the soil on the property—the place government chef Rob Lawson and government sous chef Kyle Chandler lean on the land’s produce to curate their inventive menu. The Nice Porch additionally has mild bites which are finest loved by the open flames, and there’s Dew Bar, the poolside restaurant opened seasonally.  

The vibe of Clay is buzzy, however impressively comfy. Once we sat round 7:30 p.m. that Thursday night, friends and locals alike had been beginning to fill in, whether or not to take a seat on the chef’s counter, at one of many tables alongside the again wall, or alongside the huge floor-to-ceiling home windows. 

However the meals is de facto the star of the present. The dinner menu varies from conventional nation milk bread served with an especially spectacular miso butter, to braised cabbage served with black rice, to Montuk tilefish paired with charred asparagus. My choose for the evening was the hanger steak served with tableside shiso chimichurri (which was very enjoyable to observe them make), bok choy, and opulent black-butter potatoes. My accomplice went for the Hudson steelhead trout paired with glazed purple carrots; I later realized from Chandler that this was a current addition to the menu for the season. 

The cooks right here work hand in hand with the farmers, like Will Conway, to make sure that they’re solely utilizing the freshest of components, so the menu usually adjustments. 

“No matter Will can throw at us, we give you one thing,” Chandler stated. “We acquired to put it to use.” They usually actually do put it to use: Each day, the workforce collects about 50 kilos of scraps from the kitchen and turns that into compost. “It actually comes full circle, we attempt our greatest day-after-day to don’t have any waste and convey it again to the farm,” Chandler stated. 

Then there’s the drinks. All through my keep, I sipped on freshly brewed iced tea, a customized alcohol-free cucumber beverage, bone broth, and a gin cocktail that had edible flower pedals in it (I later picked these colourful flowers myself on the farm). All had been beautiful, and good to take a look at, too. 

Actions and Experiences

There’s no scarcity of issues to do at Wildflower Farms. There’s a weekly schedule of occasions posted on the Nice Porch—a few of that are complementary, and others that require an additional payment. In a single day, that schedule can have a Vinyasa circulation, an animal-feeding session on the farm, a biscuit-baking class, and a botanical mixology course.

After I was there in June, my accomplice and I rose early to play tennis on the on-site courts, which require a stunning, brief nature stroll to get to. Then, later, I met up with Conway for a Forage the Farm expertise—the very first of the season, as this exercise is simply obtainable within the hotter months. Having unique time with two of the individuals chargeable for the harvesting, and menu ideation on the property was among the best issues I’ve ever had the privilege of doing throughout a lodge keep.  

The farm schooling heart, Maplehouse, can be a spotlight; weekly hands-on courses are hosted right here usually, in addition to non-public occasions.

The Spa

Auberge is thought for its phenomenal wellness packages, and Wildflower is not any exception. On the spa, Thistle, friends can reset on daybeds surrounded by gorgeous blue-green tiled partitions, dip into the indoor saltwater pool, or benefit from the saunas and steam room—all totally complementary along with your keep. 

On my second day, I acquired the 90-minute, Lymphatic Reset signature treatment, which is an anti-inflammatory expertise that’s meant to alleviate fatigue and stress. It began with a 30-minute compression boot session, and in these first 10 minutes, I instantly fell asleep. I wakened about an hour later feeling completely dazed, and virtually floated to the lounge space, the place a customized non-alcoholic cucumber drink was ready for me. I then sipped on the complimentary bone broth that was set subsequent to the saltwater pool and waded within the water. It was pure bliss. 

Wellness can be sprinkled all through the keep in different methods outdoors of Thistle, just like the welcome ritual and the nightly turndown service. As a part of the latter, every evening, there’s a new reward left on the nightstand, equivalent to a bit of eucalyptus or a printed card with a respiratory train on it. For our keep, it was a selfmade CBD chocolate, meant to naturally reset the circadian rhythm.

Household-friendly Choices

As talked about, there’s no scarcity of issues to do at Wildflower, and this consists of actions for kiddos. Each day actions just like the “Feed the Animals” session within the mornings, the cooking courses, or the portray courses can be nice for relations of all ages. Outdoors of the scheduled occasions, the land is really the playground right here, whether or not that’s within the meadows with the pebbled pathways, on the farm, or on the out of doors pool. The obtainable s’mores kits to get pleasure from by any of the three out of doors hearth pits are nice, too. 

As a result of excessive value level and setting, although, I’d say the property is finest match for a romantic getaway. Throughout my keep, the vast majority of friends on the property had been {couples}, or grownup pals and households.

Accessibility and Sustainability

The lodge may be very accessible, with public areas just like the well being membership and pool having accessible entrances and pathways. Plus, there are accessible areas within the parking space. Though, I’ll observe that the pebbled pathways to get to every room might trigger some issue, so I’d advocate getting a trip from a employees member, which is at all times an choice. 

As for the rooms, there are 4 accessible cabins and suites that fluctuate in measurement.

Location

Wildflower is about in Gardiner, New York—a quiet nook of the Catskills, nearly an hour and a half to 2 hours north of New York Metropolis. In Gardiner and close by New Paltz, strolling, mountaineering, and biking trails are simple to come back by, with the Shawangunk Mountains proper there. 

The property can be conveniently situated to a number of the space’s buzzing cities, like Kingston to the north with its nice classic retailers and new-to-the-scene eating choices, in addition to Woodstock a bit additional. Artwork-forward Beacon and New Windsor, each recognized for the museums Dia Beacon and Storm King respectively, are nice spots to hit in case you are driving south, or are simply curious about taking in a little bit of arts and tradition.  

E-book Now

Auberge Resorts Assortment doesn’t have a loyalty program. That stated, Wildflower Farms is bookable on Amex Journey for platinum card holders, with complimentary day by day breakfast and a $100 resort credit score.

Nightly charges at Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Assortment, begin from $1,000.

Each T+L lodge assessment is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed on the property, and every lodge chosen aligns with our core values.