Wildflower Farms Provides an Upscale Retreat for Nature-Longing New Yorkers

For decades, New Yorkers have sought refuge in the north during summer months to escape the city's sweltering heat. In the early 1900s, the likes of the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers built stunning vacation homes called Adirondack Great Camps in Upstate New York's pristine wilderness. By the 1960s, as the Jewish community in New York looked for getaways, the Catskills Mountain area became known as the Borscht Belt, boasting numerous resorts.

The onset of the pandemic in 2020 saw an influx of city dwellers craving easy access to nature, leading to a hotel boom in the Catskills and Hudson Valley. This surge had been building for years, fueled by local brands like Foster Supply Hospitality, which began revamping historic sites into boutique hotels back in 2014.

The opening of Wildflower Farms by Auberge Resorts Collection in September 2022 introduced luxury hotel brands to the Hudson Valley, reinforcing the region's shift from a seasonal destination to a year-round sanctuary for New Yorkers.

Nestled on a former tree farm covering 140 acres at the base of the Shawangunk Mountain Range in Gardiner, New York, Wildflower Farms is only a 90-minute drive from Manhattan yet feels utterly remote. It features 65 standalone cottages, Thistle, an Auberge Spa, three miles of hiking trails, and a working farm that supplies seasonal produce, eggs, and wildflowers to the on-site fine-dining restaurant, Clay. With top-tier service and amenities come premium prices; when the hotel debuted last fall, rates began at $1,000 per night, though winter stays can be more affordable for those facing sticker shock.

While other luxury hotel brands may have established themselves in New York City before expanding upstate, Wildflower Farms marks Auberge’s inaugural hotel in the state. The Hudson Valley was an obvious choice for this brand, renowned for its unique resorts in popular vacation destinations like Napa Valley and Telluride. The aesthetic of Wildflower Farms—crafted by West Coast architects Electric Bowery and New York-based design firm Ward and Gray—is pastoral, inspired by the soft color palette and style reminiscent of Eyvind Earle’s midcentury illustrations in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, blending seamlessly with the natural landscape.

Wildflower Farms stands apart from other Auberge Resorts Collection locations: It lacks the sharp angles and mountain-modern decor of the Lodge at Blue Sky in Park City, Utah, and you won't find the Provencal charm of Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley, California. However, like its fellow Auberge properties, Wildflower Farms provides an upscale getaway with exceptional service for urban dwellers in need of nature. Here, wellness transcends simple spa visits or yoga sessions; it offers a true immersion in nature, including forest bathing and even gathering fresh eggs from the chicken coop each morning.

Check-in details

I arrived at Wildflower Farms on a warm autumn afternoon in late October. Driving through Gardiner’s quaint downtown, passing signs for Tuthilltown Distillery, and turning toward the recently opened resort, I noted that the digital clock in my rental car read an unseasonably warm 70 degrees.

After navigating the long driveway, I parked at the valet stand on the Great Porch, an open-air lobby that connects the hotel’s restaurant, Clay, with the check-in desk and spa. As the valets tagged my luggage, I was captivated by the breathtaking view ahead. The barn-style roof of the Great Porch framed the Shawangunk Mountains—affectionately known as “the Gunks” by hikers and rock climbers. The foliage lingered longer than usual, and the mountain ridge glowed in shades of red, orange, and yellow. After soaking in the view, my gaze fell upon the impressive nearly 10-foot-wide firepit at the heart of the Great Porch, surrounded by plush velvet couches and tweed armchairs adorned with denim-patchwork throw pillows. I could already envision myself settling in around the firepit with a book and a cocktail during sunset that evening.

Once the valets took my car to the parking lot, I opted out of a golf cart ride to my accommodations, a 650-square-foot Meadow Cottage just a short walk downhill from the Great Porch. In addition to the Meadow Cottages, there are Ridge Cottages offering spectacular views of the Shawangunk Mountains, as well as 475-square-foot Bower Cabins nestled beneath the forest canopy at the southern end of the property. The main differences between the cottages and cabins, aside from size and location, lie in their aesthetics: cottages feature wooden structures with wood-clad ceilings, while cabins are rustic metal designs with textured-canvas walls reminiscent of camping tents. For family trips, you can also reserve a two-bedroom Meadow Cottage or a Ridge Suite, both providing over 1,000 square feet for ample space.

Every cottage and cabin features floor-to-ceiling windows that invite the outdoors inside, allowing you to connect with the natural beauty of the surroundings, whether you're enjoying the sunrise beneath a custom-made patchwork quilt or relaxing in a deep soaking tub after a hike. The raw edges of the stone countertops in the bathrooms reflect the horizontal quartz ridges of the nearby Shawangunk Mountains, a favorite among rock climbers for decades.

Each room category includes private patios furnished with various seating options like Adirondack chairs and daybeds. I quickly made myself comfortable on the daybed of my cottage’s back porch to catch up on emails, still shedding my NYC mindset. A brief rain shower cooled the air to a more seasonable temperature, but the pitched roof of the cottage kept me, my computer, and my glass of red wine dry while I let my thoughts wander from work to the sight of deer bounding through the meadow into the forest beyond.

Embracing nature is a central theme throughout the resort. In addition to the indoor saltwater pool, there are six treatment rooms, an herbal steam room, and a dry sauna at Thistle, an Auberge Spa, which also boasts two outdoor hot tubs available year-round and a spacious outdoor pool for warmer months overlooking the Gunks. When you indulge in a massage or facial, expect treatments infused with hand-harvested, small-batch oils and scrubs crafted from local medicinal plants and herbs. Additional wellness features include a 3,000-square-foot fitness center and a yoga studio offering complimentary movement classes each morning, such as mat pilates, yoga, and meditation.

For those eager to immerse themselves in nature, there are three miles of trails right on the property. Self-guided maps are provided at check-in for hiking through the woods and along the river that borders the resort, but I recommend participating in the guided Japanese-style forest bathing walks to engage your five senses and discover the aromatic benefits of local plants like Eastern hemlock. This half-mile experience takes about 45 minutes and is offered for free on Thursday mornings. In spring, guests can look forward to ramp foraging adventures in these woods. For those wanting to explore further, Wildflower Farms can assist in booking expert local guides for ice climbing trips in winter and hiking, biking, and rock climbing excursions in the warmer months.

Wildflower Farms is not just a name; it features a working farm complete with a greenhouse for tomatoes and various vegetable beds. They also cultivate wildflowers. However, when I visited in late October, Jax Hughes, one of the farmers, informed me that the last blooms had just fallen victim to the first frost of the season. In upcoming seasons, guests can anticipate the harvest from apple and pear orchards planted in 2022, along with a mushroom forest and berry bushes. Hughes and fellow farmer Brady Loux offer complimentary daily farm tours at 1 p.m. for any guests interested in the farming process.

The hotel’s restaurant, Clay, along with executive chef Rob Lawson, greatly benefits from the on-site farm. Each morning, guests are invited to the chicken coop at 8 a.m. to feed the hens and roosters, collect eggs, and return them to the restaurant for cooking. You can enjoy them in omelets, breakfast sandwiches, or however you prefer. (I highly recommend the breakfast sandwich—the chef spreads strawberry jam between the runny eggs and bacon for a delightful sweet-savory treat.) When I visited in October, the tomatoes were nearing the end of their season, and since they weren’t suitable for salads, the chefs transformed them into a milk bread served with miso butter and Maldon sea salt. I had that twice during my stay and still crave it.

During my farm tour, Hughes introduced me to the property’s four Berkshire pigs and allowed me to feed them some beets we had dug up earlier. In addition to their usual table scraps, the pigs contributed to the hotel’s sustainability by helping consume the contents of the walk-in fridge that failed before the hotel opened. (I heard they particularly enjoyed a fine wheel of cheese.) Staying true to the farm-to-table concept, these pigs eventually made their way from pasture to plate as Wildflower Farms Pork Chops, served with chicory, Anson Mills grits, and lardo during the winter months.

The commitment to hyperlocal cuisine is serious here, and Wildflower Farms will be participating in the brand’s Taste of Auberge culinary series; an upcoming weekend will feature cooking classes and meals hosted by Gramercy Tavern chef Michael Anthony, with other renowned chefs from New York and beyond slated for future events.

As I drove home after my two-night escape, I experienced that familiar pang of sadness that often accompanies the best trips. (I longed for another serving of tomato milk bread and already missed my morning walks in the forest.) Yet alongside that feeling of loss was a sense of contentment. I was well-fed, well-rested, and more relaxed than when I had arrived—the true mark of a vacation well spent.