This Cozy Resort in Upstate New York Feels Like an All-season Adult Camp — With Mountain Views, 'Goat Therapy,' and Bonfires

Hemlock Neversink just opened in Sullivan County, New York. T+L senior editor Samantha Falewée was among the first to check out the hotel, sampling facials, goat therapy, and fantastic meals at Bittersweet restaurant.

Courtesy of Hemlock Neversink Hemlock Neversink, in upstate New York.

One late Saturday afternoon in early November, I sat sipping a thick cappuccino as a fire crackled in the fireplace next to me. Outside, tall maple trees shed the last of their leaves. My skin was glowing from a recent facial — or from the hour-long hike I had just finished. My stay at the new Hemlock Neversink in Sullivan County, New York, was checking all the boxes of a cozy mountain-wellness retreat.

The 34-room property, named after a prolific local tree and the region’s reservoir, is the newest destination from the Foster Supply Hospitality, which specializes in upstate New York gems like the fine-dining DeBruce lodge and the lakeside Kenoza Hall hotel.

In its past life, the property was the New Age Health Spa, a wellness destination that Foster Supply co-founder Sims Foster says was ahead of its time. “They were on the tip of the spear; talking about juicing and health retreats back in the 1980s,” he told me one afternoon. But it maintained a strict prescriptivist attitude — and Hemlock Neversink is not that kind of place at all.

“When it existed, New Age Health Spa had a lot of rules, like no smoking, no partying, no drinking,” Maki Iwata, the resort’s general manager, told me in one of the hotel’s cozy common areas. “At Hemlock, there are no rules. You’re here to take care of yourself, and there’s no one way to do that. Everyone has their own way.”

Hemlock Neversink

• Wellness frames daily life at Hemlock Neversink; the spa offers everything from river-stone massages to acupressure sessions, plus restorative activities like flower-pressing workshops, paint pouring, and more. 
• The Bittersweet restaurant delivers dish after dish that is delicious and unexpected. Who knew a hot bowl of buckwheat with lion’s mane mushroom could be so insanely tasty? 
• Outdoor activities encourage guests to embrace the mountainous, 230-acre property, with six miles of hiking trails, outdoor tennis courts, a sundeck and sauna, and a barn and pasture for the resident herd of goats.
• The interior design takes a fresh, natural take on “Dirty Dancing”-era adult summer camps, from the custom Castropor wooden chandelier in the lobby to the cork dining placemats in the restaurant.

Lawrence Braun / Courtesy of Hemlock Neversink Inside a Grand Suite at Hemlock Neversink.

The Rooms 

The 34 rooms are divided up into five cabin-like buildings, and they range from six Solo-Traveler rooms with comfy queen-size beds to the Grand Suite, which includes a private treatment room along with a sunrise deck and a sunset deck.

I stayed in a Hemlock King Suite, with a king-size bed so comfortable I took a nap at 11:30 a.m. There was also a small sitting area with a desk and loveseat, and a spacious bathroom equipped with a dual shower.

Samantha Falewee/Travel + Leisure A feast for the senses: shots of breakfast and lunch at Bittersweet, the dining venue at Hemlock Neversink.

Food and Drink

My first night on the property, I sat down in the low-lit Bittersweet restaurant as muted beats purred in the background. Each four-course dinner starts with a surprise “snack from the kitchen” — mine was a playful take on your typical grilled skewer. The “skewer” in question was a dried millet branch that speared through hunks of juicy yellow plum and grilled maitake mushrooms. The unconventional mix of flavors was delicious.

For the following first and second courses, diners have two choices. “We aim to always have different options based on what your wellness goals are,” said Charlie Mercine, the chef de cuisine at Bittersweet. “And we always have a vegetarian option.” For someone wanting cold-weather comfort food, one night there was a potato pizza topped with blue cheese and rosemary; for a more traditional dish, there were options like baked salmon with lemongrass and herbs.

In the mornings, I had everything I wanted: eggs with crispy potatoes and frisée salad, croissants; a berry smoothie topped with mint leaves; yogurt with crunchy-sweet granola.

Did I mention the vegan, gluten-free cookies in the lobby area?

Experiences and Amenities

Two words: goat therapy.

I found myself one morning petting Sally the goat, much like the way I pet my dog. Sally is a sweet Nubian-breed goat with brown eyes — one of the newest rescues of Frederick Farm Goat Rescue and Sanctuary, which partners with Hemlock Neversink to offer what’s becoming a standout wellness activity. (It’s really a crowd-pleaser: the spa sells a t-shirt with one of the goat’s faces on it.) Meagan Frederick, the sanctuary’s founder, partnered with Neversink to manage a herd of nine goats in a small barn next to the tennis courts. Every morning, she leads guests on walks of the property, the goats following along like puppies. We stopped in a cluster of apple trees, the remnants of an old orchard from the property’s previous life. As Frederick showed me how to feed apples to the herd, I felt a pressure against my leg, and looked down. Sally was standing next to me, waiting for a pet.

“This is the best part of my day,” Frederick told me.

The property also has creative activities, like terrarium workshops with director of gardens Scott Woods, paint pouring, evening bonfires, and other one-off events focused on soothing activities like floral pressing and candle making.

“We are fully committed to lots of real programs around real people,” Foster said. “You can build a terrarium with anyone, but this is Scott’s work, this is Scott’s world. He loves this place already — and to be able to interact with someone who is skilled and passionate makes all the difference.”

Courtesy of Hemlock Neversink One of Hemlock Neversink’s spa treatment rooms.

The Spa

At other hotels, my 8 a.m. Stretch class followed by a hour and a half of “goat therapy” might be described as activities, but at Hemlock Neversink it’s all part of a comprehensive approach to making you feel better than when you walked in. A white-clapboard New England-style building houses the spa, which includes a reception area that sells products from local small businesses, like Catskill Botanical’s carrot-seed eye cream, three locker rooms (women, men, and non-gendered), treatment rooms, and a spacious relaxation room with large windows that look out onto the lawn and trees. After a treatment, I went there to relax with a cup of lemon balm tea — and ended up staying more than an hour, doodling with the colored pencils and watching the chilly wind blow outside. There’s also a pool, hot tub, steam room, outdoor sauna room, and a gym.

The Location 

Hemlock Neversink is located in the beautiful Catskills Mountains, about a two-hour drive from New York City. While you need a car to get here, once you’re on the property there’s no reason to leave — especially when you remember the food is fantastic and the property has six miles of hiking trails.

Finding the Best Value

As my own stay can attest, coming here in the shoulder season is a great way to get a wellness boost at lower prices. Starting room rates drop to $349 in the off-season from $399 in peak travel time.

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.