5 Best Hotels in Hudson Valley, New York

The rambling Victorian-era hotel—a jumble of towers, chimneys, porches, and turrets—sits at the edge of a mountaintop lake. The resort's 1,200 acres encompass private woodland and elaborate gardens and overflow with options for recreation, including 85 miles of hiking trails. Antiques fill the guest rooms, which are luxurious and spacious. The on-site spa includes an indoor heated pool with mountain views, a solarium with a fireplace, a fitness center, and full-service salon. Choice accommodations in the towers have original Victorian woodwork, wood-burning fireplaces, and balconies. Your room rate includes three meals daily, plus afternoon tea and cookies, and most resort activities. Breakfast and lunch are buffet-style; dinner is a formal affair (men may want to wear jackets). Four self-catering cottages, which sleep four to six people, are also available and include full kitchens.

Adjacent to the park, the LEGOLAND Hotel has 250-themed rooms---Pirate, Kingdom, LEGO Friends, LEGO NINJAGO---that have separate sleeping areas for kids with a bunk bed and entertainment center. The onsite Bricks Family Restaurant is a good option for breakfast and dinner, but reservations are required and there can be a wait. An added bonus for the kids: daily in-room scavenger hunts with LEGO prizes.

On a quiet tree-lined street 3 mi from Rhinebeck center, this inn has a resident ghost who reportedly appears with some regularity in the Spirited Dove room. Edith Thomas tends to her guests, telling them the fascinating history of this house, built by German settlers. Much of the original detail in this circa-1745 inn has been beautifully preserved. The country decor mixes rustic pieces with some finer furnishings.

Seven miles southeast of New Paltz, this all-inclusive dude ranch is loaded with activities for all seasons, including a children's zoo and the Big Splash Waterpark with the 250-foot long Gold Rush Flume Ride. Summer fun includes kayaking, water-skiing, and boat rides, while during the winter you can enjoy skiing, snow-tubing, ice-skating, and horse-drawn sleigh rides. All instruction and equipment is included with your stay. Accommodations include rooms in the main lodge, where the lobby is hung with wagon wheels, and motel-style buildings.

A wonderful example of the revitalization of the city, the Roundhouse at Beacon Falls is a boutique hotel and spa housed in an red brick building, adjacent to Beacon Falls. Penthouse suites have private roof decks.