It can be hard — when you’re stuck in the thick of New York City’s thrum — to find a little bit of peace and quiet. Early morning in Central Park? Sometimes, yes, you can have it all to yourself. Or first thing wandering the West Village? Perhaps. But really, for pure stillness, and countryside fresh air, you need to head out of town. Specifically, up to that stretch of soft folding hills where the Hudson River Valley meets the mountainous landscape of the Catskills in Upstate New York.
Here, tucked away in a beautiful pocket of acreage (140 to be exact), is Wildflower Farms. It’s top tier in terms of hospitality — and part of the Auberge group, who know exactly what they’re doing when it comes to good hotels with excellent service and smart design to boot — but while popular with urbanites and city flee-ers, it’s easy to carve out your own space, and with a slow pace to follow too.
About an hour and a half drive from Manhattan, on the western side of the Hudson River well up into New York State. Then down a windy track (past a cute red truck and the vegetable garden), far enough removed from any bigger roads with noisy cars. Speaking of cars, you do ideally need one. Once you’re there, you won’t want to leave but if you do fancy a bit of town hopping, art snooping and antique shopping – there are a handful of very charming spots nearby – so it helps to have one.
Read our guide to Upstate New York here. Wilflower Farms is focused on celebrating nature — blending into the beauty of the once-dairy farm and tree nursery and tuning into the seasons. So much so that owners Phillip and Kristin Rapoport (and former residents of nearby Gardiner) brought in interior design firm Ward and Gray and architects Electric Bowery to craft up a cluster of bucolic wood-clad structures to sprinkle across the estate.
