What We Like
The on-site restaurant, Matilda, is helmed by chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske Valtierra, who source their produce, meat, and dairy from farmers in and around the Catskills.
Dark wood, terracotta-colored quilts, and a perfectly curated coffee table book selection are just a few of the design elements that make The Henson so inviting.
The Henson is a five-minute drive from Windham Mountain Club, the recently renovated ski resort.
In the warmer months, the back garden is full of blooming flowers and picnic tables.
My mom and I checked into The Henson last winter after a long day of skiing at nearby Windham Mountain. It’s among the coziest places I’ve ever traipsed into after a cold day on the slopes.
In every shared space, the lighting is perfectly soft. The coffee table in the living room is covered by a curated selection of books, including “How to Grow Roses,” which I browsed. And if you visit in the winter, like we did, I guarantee you will find the fireplace dancing and guests scattered across various lounge chairs and couches nursing glasses of wine from the self-service “honor bar.”
The Henson opened in May 2024, joining the flurry of chic new hotels in this small area of the eastern Catskill Mountains, where my mom grew up. It’s the passion project of four hospitality gurus: chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske Valtierra, and interior designers Ely and Danielle Franko of The Hunter Houses. The group took the bones of a longstanding property—likely built in the early 1900s, judging from an old postcard they found of it as a hotel in 1918—and remodeled. The result is a serene, 16-room escape less than a three-hour drive from Manhattan.
My mom and I spent just 36 hours at The Henson, and that was enough to convince me that this is one of the best places to stay if you’re planning a trip to upstate New York. Read on to find out why.
The Rooms
The Henson has 16 rooms spread across its three floors, and each feels like a bedroom I wish were in my own home. There are five types of rooms, the largest being the “Garden Suites,” which have large windows to let light in and observe the mountains in the distance. Each room has a king-size bed topped with a Casper mattress, a Frame TV, a Marshall speaker, and Grown Alchemist products in the bathroom.
Our room for the night—room 15—looked as if it had been plucked out of an Anthropologie ad, with a maroon color palette, floral quilt, and boucle statement chair. My favorite touch, though, was the excellent use of mood lighting; there are no harsh overhead lights, only sconces and a standing lamp.
In addition to the cozy guest rooms, there are several communal spaces in the inn for guests to enjoy. During our stay, I planted myself in the living room for a long while to read “The Diaries of Franz Kafka,” borrowed from the adjacent library. I also spent some time in the dining room, taking in each piece of the gallery wall as another guest quietly journaled at the long wooden table.
Food and Drink
Matilda, the on-site restaurant that’s also open to the public, is truly the star of the show at The Henson. There are wooden banquettes with dark green cushions and a peek-in kitchen where you can see the chefs hard at work. That kitchen is run by co-owners Fabián Von Hauske Valtierra and Jeremiah Stone—the duo behind several restaurants in New York City, including the award-winning Bar Contra and Wildair, both in the Lower East Side. At Matilda, the pair leans on produce, meat, and dairy grown directly by farmers in the area.
On the snowy night my mom and I ate at the restaurant, we were sat right next to the wood-burning fireplace. “If there’s something on the menu that seems strange to you, order it,” said our waiter. We started with the 36-month-aged comté cheese paired with simple and delectable radishes, and then I opted for the tuna belly with nasturtium (a flowering plant, I soon learned) and the hay-aged duck. All three were exquisite and complex—dishes that I never expected to find in this part of New York, where I have been coming for more than 25 years.
In the morning, inn guests are treated to a serve-yourself breakfast set out in the dining room. During our stay, there was a spread of feta cheese, homemade bread and jams, fresh chicken sausage sprinkled with chives, and a yogurt parfait.
Activities and Experiences
For those looking for a true reset, The Henson is a great backdrop. On warmer days, the gardens bloom with flowers and plants, the creek in the back of the property is ideal for swimming, and the rooftop is a nice space to sit and read. In the colder months, I recommend grabbing a book from the communal library and settling into one of the many seats in the living room, or playing a game of chess. The fireplace is always crackling.
The Henson is also available for full buyouts and private events, like a wedding, company retreat, or private dinner party.
The Spa
While there is no spa at The Henson, there is a wellness room on the top floor of the inn. Here, guests will find an infrared sauna with views of the adjacent hillside, as well as a stretching area equipped with yoga mats, medicine balls, and free weights. Guests can pop down to the front desk and reserve time in this space, should they want privacy.
Family-friendly Offerings
The Henson is definitely a quiet property, but I could see the appeal for bringing along small children or infants. During our stay, the majority of the guests we met were young couples coming in from the city, or locals having a drink at Matilda’s bar.
Location
The Henson is about a three-hour drive from New York City, and I definitely recommend driving your own car or renting a vehicle to journey to this part of the Catskills. Upon check-in, guests receive a hand-drawn “Incomplete Guide to the Catskills,” that includes highlights of walkable restaurants, as well as antique shops or hiking trails to drive over to.
It’s also just a five-minute drive from Windham Mountain Club—an upscale, semi-private resort and members’ club that was once Windham Mountain, where I learned to ski. You can still purchase day or season passes to ski here, or if you visit in the warmer months, there are nearby hiking trails and golf courses.
Hensonville itself, where the property is located, has a population of just under 400 people and truly is a quaint mountain hamlet.
Accessibility and Sustainability
The rooms and amenities at The Henson are not ADA accessible, and there are several staircases on the property that make it a less-than-ideal choice for the mobility impaired.
Book Now
Nightly rates at The Henson start from $309, and the hotel is not part of a loyalty program.
Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.
Read the original article on Travel & Leisure