Mountain majesty
FAMILY GETAWAYS | History and scenery meet at N.Y. resort
NEW PALTZ, N.Y.-- "I shouldn't tell this story," said Rachel Smiley-Matteson, 83, as she led a small group of guests on a Saturday afternoon tour of Mohonk Mountain House, the historic resort that's been in her family since 1869.
"When we were much younger, my brother and I would climb the stairs to the sixth floor and lean over the railing," she said sheepishly. "As accurately as we could, we'd spit nicely and try to make it land on a certain mark." Pause. "I really shouldn't tell that story."
STAYING THERE: Rates start at $445 a night, double occupancy, and include breakfast, lunch and dinner and most recreational activities. Children under 4 are free; ages 4-12 pay $82; over 12, $146. A 15 percent gratuity gets added to the daily room rate, and most weekends require a two-night minimum stay. Call (800) 772-6646.
PLAYING THERE: If you don't spend the night, you can buy daily grounds passes that let you access Mohonk's trails. Call (845) 256-2197. You can also get grounds and mountain house privileges by purchasing a meal. Call (845) 256-2056.
As one of the country's last great 19th century mountain resorts, Mohonk Mountain House has accumulated more than its share of stories over the years. Presidents have stayed here, multiple generations of kids have played here. The plumbing and heating might be a lot better these days than 139 years ago, but Mohonk has managed to hang on to a bygone era. The past is always present in this National Historic Landmark, from the Victorian castle architecture to the giant stone archway where guests used to arrive by horse-drawn carriage.
"These ladies of stature would come in their dresses," Smiley-Matteson recalled. "We would watch and wait for them to help themselves to a drink. Little did they know, we'd poked pinholes in the cups." Another pause. "Oh my. I shouldn't tell that story, either."
If there were any young Smileys around during my visit last month to Mohonk, they were on their best behavior. I spent a January weekend here with my husband and 7-year-old stepson, Ben. Mohonk always has been a popular family vacation destination. That hasn't changed. You don't need roller coasters or rafting thrill rides when you're surrounded by 26,000 acres of the Appalachians' Shawangunk Mountains.
In summer, you can spend the day swimming or fishing in Lake Mohonk, hiking the resort's 85 miles of trails or rock climbing on spectacular cliffs.
In winter, you can ice skate by a huge fireplace in the outdoor pavilion, cross-country ski or snowshoe up to the stone tower called Sky Top, built in 1921 as a tribute to Albert Smiley, one of the twin Quaker brothers who founded Mohonk. From the zenith of this Rapunzel-like tower, you can see the rolling Catskills and the red, peaked roofs of the venerable hotel that's loomed over Lake Mohonk for well over a century. As you soak it all in, it's hard to believe you're a mere 90 miles north of New York City -- or that it's 2008.
That feeling of traveling back in time doesn't end once you're inside. Forget about finding a TV in one of the hotel's 265 guest rooms. Evening entertainment means dancing to a live band or playing board games in the parlor. Ancient photos of generations of Smileys and their esteemed guests line the walls. The ambience is equal parts elegant and rustic. The beautifully carved, ornate wood is highly polished, but these floors creek.
Tradition runs deep at Mohonk, and you can see it at dinner. (In yet another nod to the past, Mohonk is among a disappearing breed of resorts still on the American Plan, meaning the room rate includes three meals a day.) Each night, guests get dressed up for a four-course dinner in the Arts and Crafts dining room. Jackets are suggested "for gentlemen 12 and older." Ben was young enough to dodge the coat requirement, but he got a kick out of getting gussied up for our fancy meals -- so much so that he was inspired to try something new. Like veal sweetbreads.
"Mmmm, that sounds good," he said, after hearing me order this dish that's not a staple on children's menus.
"It's not bread," I warned him. "It's, um, meat."
"Mmmm," he said, acting like Homer Simpson daydreaming about beer. "Sweet meat."
He tried it. Even more surprisingly, he liked it.
He also liked tobogganing down the golf course and searching for animal tracks in the resort's Junior Naturalist Program, one of a long list of activities tailored to kids. This gives parents a little free time of their own, which this stepmom used to check out the only modern part of Mohonk: the spa. Carved into a glacier-formed stone bluff overlooking the lake, the 30,000-square-foot spa offers more than 50 treatments -- some making use of quartz quarried from the surrounding cliffs and medicinal herbs grown on the mountain.
A little spa time proved to be the perfect antidote for an afternoon of cross-country skiing, where guests can help themselves to skis, boots and poles at no extra charge. Same goes for the snowshoes and ice skates.
"We used to skate all over the lake," said Smiley-Matteson, at the end of her tour. "The ice was so clear. I could see the fish below. It wasn't until four years ago that I saw the effects of global warming. It's not safe to skate on the lake anymore."
The climate may be changing, but Mohonk Mountain House isn't.