luv2travel5

Hi - I am hoping to spend some time in a week or two (long weekend) in the Hudson River Valley area. Can someone advise - where is there more to do - upper, middle, or lower? Any hotel recommendations? Restaurants? It's intended to be a romantic weekend. DH and I prefer luxury type hotels, stores to shop in, good restaurants. Thanks! I noted that there are the CIA restaurants in the area, but my guess is reservations must be made well in advance?

Scarlett

Hi - Do you know anything about the area already? Where will you be coming from?

There are so many places to stay, things to do and places to eat, do you have any ideas of your own yet?


We always stayed at the Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck or the Delameter House ..

www.beekmandelamaterinn.com
I loved the restaurant across the street, Le Petit Bistro.

www.lepetitbistro.com
There are more luxury type B&Bs than hotels , I am blank on any names right now.

Stores we went to were mostly antique - there are shops in Rhinebeck..but I never went to shop .. it just happened naturally

Yes, book ahead for the CIA.

HowardR

If you want real luxury, then book the Castle in Tarrytown. It also houses Equus, an elegant restaurant.
Sites in this lower Hudson area include Kykuit (the Rockefeller estate), Lyndhurst (the Jay Gould estate), the church in Pocantico Hills featuring Chagall windows, etc., etc., etc.
As for shopping, the Hudson Valley area isn't particularly noted as a shopping mecca, though there many opportunities if you're into antiques. (Of course, Woodbury Common, one of the nation's largest outlet malls is somewhat in the area.)

usroadman

Sometimes you can still get lucky with the CIA so it may be worth a try (if they get a cancellation). They do have their summer break coming up in a few weeks though when they close the restaurants. A couple of other good restaurant possibilities are "Le Petit Bistro" in Rhinebeck, and "The Artist's Palate" in Poughkeepsie. Le Petit Bistro is a small restaurant with usually about half of the menu being specials. They're billed as French, but they typically offer many other dishes. Rhinebeck is also a nice town for a stroll after dinner. The Artist's Palate changes their menu every couple of weeks. It's in a more transitional neighborhood (it's a lot better than it used to be), but the food, service, and atmosphere inside were excellent.

J62

Really not a lot to add over what the others have posted.

As for CIA, I have good luck getting a table for 2-4 on a weekday with little notice. Weekend's we book well ahead, and so never try for last min tables.

Thanks for the tip about Artist's Palate, usroadman. I'll give it a try some time.

If you stay in Rhinebeck, you could also take a (relatively) short drive east to Millbrook. Lots of small, antique shops. There's also the Millbrook winery in the area. It's not Napa or Tuscany, but it's fun to stop in for some wine tasting and talk to the folks there.

Even if you're not in the mood to tour one of the historic mansions it's nice to take a stroll through the grounds/woods along the Hudson River. Mills Mansion (Staatsburg) has easy access right down to the river & some easy trails. FDR is cut off from the river by RR tracks. Vanderbilt also has some very nice grounds.

J62

Artist's Palate in POK is definitely in 'transitional area'. Perfectly fine, but not the nicest appearance if you go a few blocks away. I looked it up and it's right next to a popular new coffee shop called the Muddy Cup. It's a popular place for creative artists, with open mic sessions. They have a couple of stores including New Paltz, and the POK location I think is the newest. I know of a local HS poetry group that goes there once a mo to read their poetry.

www.muddycup.com/poughkeepsie/index.html

ethylene

My husband and I spent a nice romantic weekend in Rhinebeck last fall. We didn't plan far enough in advance to have dinner at the CIA, but we were able to get a reservation there for lunch. It was less expensive than dinner and still delightful. We enjoyed walking around the grounds and peeking into the glass-enclosed kitchens where the students practiced their skills.

Scarlett

If you do go to Millbrook, you can go to a few small fun antique shops, on Saturdays there is a charming Farmers Mkt across from the diner..Staying on Rt 44, you can go to a great restaurant called Allen's .. fabulous views, wonderful food and located next to a Stallion Farm..
From there you can go to Cascade Winery or the Millbrook Vineyards.

sighing with homesickness lol
This is how we spent so many weekends and vacations.