Hotels and restaurants

1. Piaule, Catskill, New York

Rent a cabin at Piaule in Catskill, New York, to enjoy the company of the surrounding trees, or an unadorned view of the sky. Positioned on stilts, the cabins float above the ground, enveloping you in an ever-evolving landscape. Inside, you’ll find bespoke touches such as handcrafted furniture, organic bed linens, and locally made bath products. Just a short hike away is a spa and communal-style restaurant.

2. Marram Montauk, New York

Montauk is a wonderfully windswept, 13-mile-long stretch of sand extending into the Atlantic. Nestled between rolling sand dunes overlooking the ocean, Marram offers peaceful and pared-back rooms with thoughtful details. A stay here invites you to slow down and focus on the simplest of pleasures.

3. The James Bradley, Bradley Beach, New Jersey

With its artfully curated spaces and generous hospitality, James Bradley prides itself on being ‘a boutique stay that feels like home’. Choose from 17 elegant guest rooms, a suite, or a private bungalow – located across three historic buildings. A locally sourced breakfast is on the house.

4. Stissing House

One of the oldest taverns in America, Stissing House is a beloved restaurant in Pine Plains that’s owned and operated by four-times James Beard nominated chef and writer Clare de Boer (check out her other restaurant, King, in the city). Guests can pull up a pew in the storied Ballroom, or feast by candlelight in the beamed Barn. Atmospheric and cosy with a stripped-back seasonal menu, this is the perfect place for an intimate dinner, or an all-out celebration.

5. Camptown Hotel

Camptown is located at the foot of the Catskill Mountains. Take your pick from 26 log cabins or 24 hotel rooms and should you want to venture out, you’ll find the region’s best hiking trails, ski spots, galleries, live music, restaurants and bars all within easy reach. The onsite restaurant, Casa Susanna, offers Chef Efrén Hernández’s take on Mexican cuisine combining his family history with the plentiful produce of the Hudson Valley.

Airbnbs

6. Mid-Century Oasis Hudson Valley

This beautiful mid-century modern retreat is located on seven acres of private land in the Hudson Valley. Guests will enjoy a pool, hot tub, open fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling windows in every room — offering 360 views of the surrounding forest. Nature and design enthusiasts will feel instantly at home here.

7. LivingUPstation

Less than 90 minutes by train from Grand Central Station, this sustainably imagined space is the outcome of a decade of tirelessly reclaiming materials from various NYC construction projects. The mid-century building has been transformed into a sanctuary with a sunken living room, 3-way open wood burning fireplace, and a Finnish sauna. Expect glorious sunsets, a soundtrack of birdsong, and the odd deer sighting.

8. Sea Roost

Located just steps from Montauk’s secluded Hither Hills Beach, Sea Roost comprises two of the last remaining original 1940s fisherman cottages in the area. Set on a lush, private knoll south of the highway, there’s mature landscaping to explore as well as the cosy and characterful interiors of the cottages which are filled with art and other curiosities.

Things to see

9. Storm King Art Center

Storm King Art Center is a 500-acre outdoor sculpture park and museum in the Hudson Valley that places monumental sculptures, the sky, and the surrounding landscape in dynamic conversation. Look out for large-scale works by artists including Alexander Calder, Zhang Huan, Barbara Hepworth, Louise Nevelson, Isamu Noguchi, and many more.

10. Dia Beacon

A trailblazer in supporting site-specific artworks, Dia Beacon presents an extraordinary collection of art from the 1960s to today, as well as special exhibitions, new commissions, and public programmes. This year, an additional eight acres of Dia’s 32-acre campus will open to the public, designed by landscape firm Studio Zewde.

11. MANITOGA / The Russel Wright Design Centre

MANITOGA is the family home, studio and woodland garden of pioneering industrial designer, Russel Wright (1904-1976) and his wife Mary Einstein Wright. Visitors are invited to experience the experimental home which Wright built on the rock ledge of an abandoned quarry as well as a series of remarkable outdoor rooms cultivated from the surrounding landscape of laurel, moss and waterfall. MANITOGA is only accessible by guided tour between mid-May and mid-November and reservations are required. Book a ticket here.

12. Martin House, Graycliff

Designed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Martin House is part of the Graycliff estate: an architectural jewel set high on a cliff with sweeping views over Lake Erie. Graycliff was created as a summer residence for Isabelle R. Martin and her husband, Darwin D. Martin. Constructed between 1926 and 1931, the estate comprises three unique buildings situated within eight and a half acres of rolling lawns and gardens on the outskirts of Buffalo, NY.

13. The Glass House, National Trust for Historic Preservation

Our last recommendation is slightly further afield but surely unmissable… Located in New Canaan, Connecticut, Philip Johnson’s Glass House serves as a transparent pavilion for viewing the landscape. Completed in 1949 and introducing the International Style into residential American architecture, this iconic house made innovative use of materials and integrated seamlessly with its surroundings. Glass lived here until his death in 2005 and the building and decor have not strayed from their original design.