WINTER UPSTATE: WHERE NEW YORK GOES TO REST
Contributor - Lindsey Friel | Lifestyle Consultant • 12/18/25
As winter settles over the city and the city’s pace begins to feel unrelenting, Upstate quietly becomes its most restorative antidote. Just a short drive north, the ease of escape makes it suited to last-minute departures as it is to thoughtfully planned retreats.
In recent years, the region has emerged as a true destination for wellness-minded travelers, defined by wood-clad cabins, open landscapes, and sweeping views. The region has no shortage of hideaways, each with its own distinct energy. Below, we highlight three of our favorite wellness-centered retreats ideal for a winter weekend escape. Each beautifully unique yet promising of rest when the days are all too short and that anticipated cold sets in.
INNESS
2.5-hour drive
Inness is a minimalist, contemporary retreat with Scandinavian influence in both its aesthetic and ethos. The grounds, which include an on-site 9-hole golf course, are designed for a holistic retreat. It’s lavish in its restraint which makes it a perfect reprieve from New York’s winter bustle.
Set across 220 acres, the property is expansive without being overwhelming. There are 28 cabins and a 12-room farmhouse, each with their signature understated design. Many open onto classic Hudson Valley vistas with sweeping mountain views – a nod to the inspiration of the retreat.
Wellness is the heart of the experience, anchored by a 7,000-square-foot spa that serves as the hotel’s center of pull. Five private treatment rooms, separate men’s and women’s locker rooms, an intimate relaxation nook, a fully equipped fitness studio and dojo, and a serene bathhouse—complete with a tranquility pool, dry sauna, steam room, and outdoor pool—create a space designed for genuine restoration. Offerings include tailored massages, customized facials, acupuncture, reiki, cupping, and curated wellness journeys shaped around individual needs.
A masterclass in understatement, Inness is the kind of escape that reminds you how good quiet can feel.
PIAULE CATSKILL
2.5-hour drive
Just a short drive from Hudson sits what feels like a sleeping giant tucked among the trees. Piaule is, at its core, a landscape hotel—one that leans fully into its natural surroundings. It carries a beautiful quietness that honors the holistic practice of nature’s nurture.
Spread across 50 untamed acres, the property features 24 standalone cabins, each oriented toward the vastness of the Hudson Valley: sweeping hills, mountains just in the distance, and a cacophony of forest greens. The design is intentionally minimal, leaving space for nature to be the primary artwork.
The spa mirrors this philosophy. A communal hot tub, mineral pool, sauna, and steam room set the tone, while treatments focus on rest and renewal. Alongside familiar offerings like massage, reiki, meditation, and yoga, they also feature unexpected practices that aim to push you: restorative forest bathing walks, impressive winter hikes, and recalibrating sound baths.
Piaule may be the quietest retreat—a sleeping giant, indeed. At its core it is an immersive experience that encourages conservation and contemplation, found in the stillness of its surroundings.
WILDFLOWER FARMS
2-hour drive
For a more maximalist nature retreat, Wildflower Farms balances design and wellbeing into something that feels intentionally playful. You are welcomed with sweeping views, layered patterns, and an innate sense of community. If Inness and Piaule are places for restraint and contemplation, Wildflower is intended for connection and togetherness.
Most distinctively, the hotel, spa, and restaurant are products of their on-site working farm.
A real testament to nature’s bounty. With 140 acres inspired by nature’s unkept flora, there is a sense of effortlessness that runs through the property. That same ease extends to the 65 standalone cabins, each sharing that refined, bohemian spirit that feels joyfully inspired by the surrounding landscape.
Their renowned spa, Thistle, follows the rhythm of the seasons, evolving its offerings to meet the body where it is. In winter, the focus turns inward with focus on rest, restoration, and honoring nature’s quieter moments. An indoor saltwater pool anchors the experience alongside lymphatic resets, facials, massages, yoga, Pilates, and sound baths. Beyond the spa, guests can engage in forest immersion, prana and plunge rituals, astrology readings, and healing services.
Wildflower Farms captures the joy of rest and relaxation, finding the rare balance between togetherness and retreat. A place where connection feels natural, yet solitude remains close at hand.
Contributor — Lindsey Friel | Lifestyle Consultant
Originally from Pennsylvania, studied hospitality at Boston University but learned the most by wandering through the nooks and crannies of the industry itself. I spent time writing for small publications, highlighting lifestyle and hospitality through storytelling — my favorite medium. Admittedly, my love of the field has grown into an insatiable curiosity: always chasing the newest and coolest, the biggest and smallest, the in-betweens and overlooked. Now based in New York City, I remain enamored with the endless ways people gather, connect, and create experiences that stay with you long after you leave.
