Minnewaska Lodge

This is our third trip to the Minnewaska Lodge but will not be our last. The hotel grounds are beautiful. Relaxing by the fire pits with a breath taking view of the mountains is a great way to relax after hiking this beautiful area. Make sure you hike to the waterfall! Juan at the front desk is the best. He will help you with anything you need. Very warm and service oriented. The fresh cookies every afternoon are sure to make you smile.

We stated at the Minnewaska Lodge for two nights. The facility was clean without being austere. It had a definitive cozy feel, but it was run very much like a corporate hotel. Our favorite part of the stay was the outdoor space. The first night we sat by the gas fire pit in Adirondack chairs, and we traded stories with another couple we met. The second night we sat alone on our private patio, and we just listened to the sounds. It was a great experience. This could be a five star review, but we found most of the staff to be a little cold. The young man who checked us in was warm and friendly. He gave us tips on local eateries.

We loved it here!!! The views are gorgeous, the staff is fantastic and makes you feel right at home, and you are surrounded by trails to hike! At night, there are fire pits to relax by and in the morning fresh breakfast to take in the views with. Fresh cookies every day! The staff was also helpful in advising in things to do during the day. We will absolutely be back!

Clean cozy and cute with great views. A nice hotel, much better than a chain or a too homely bed and breakfast. The girl at the front desk was extremely nice. We had a really great stay. I loved this place. The little breakfast set up is really nice too.

I recommended this property for friends out of town — and couldn’t of been happier! The lodge is beautiful– my friends were raving about the service and staff. For people out of town it is perfect! The location is stellar.

Went here for our 1^st Anniversary in Nov (2013). This is the cutest place! I loved our room (cliff view w/​deck), and the fire pits outside were a nice touch. Breakfast is in the Great Room where coffee, tea & cocoa is available possibly 24hrs. don’t remember. Also, cookies! At all times :)
Room was clean & tidy, WIFI is free and the shower curtain was colorful & plaid. No fridge in the room, but I have a feeling you could ask the desk to put something in the kitchen fridge. They also have wine glasses, should you want to have some wine while sitting outside at the fire-​pit (which they turn off at 10, but let us stay until 10:30).
We are SO glad we went here instead of Mohonk Mountain House-​who can afford that place! It is close to Mohonk Preserve hiking, lake Minnewaska State Park & across the street from Mountain Brauhaus (you MUST eat there).

There is no denying Minnewaska Lodge has a spectacular location. The views of the Shawangunk Ridge cliffs from the large deck or through the wall of windows in the living room are fantastic.
As opposed to the views and location, the accommodations are meh. While the furnishing evoke the «park lodge» vibe, the overall feel of the rooms and public areas is that of «church retreat» or Holiday Inn Express.
As other reviewers have noted, a major drawback is the lack of sound proofing. It seems as if there is little to no insulation in the walls, floors/​ceilings, thus you can hear pretty much everything going on next door or above you (conversations, TV, foot steps across the floor).
I’d describe the service class as DIY. On the upside the staff is very friendly.

The Minnewaska Lodge is the perfect weekend getaway if you’re looking for peace and quiet and tranquility. The rooms are tidy and spacious. The staff is friendly and helpful. The location is pristine and quiet. And there are good hikes and some nice dining options nearby.

The lodge itself is nice and the staff was informative and pleasant (try the Tuthill House for dinner). The room was clean and a little larger than mid size with a small balcony and a nice view of the cliff. Breakfast was better than a standard continental and mostly made in house. Especially with an empty house it was a nice stay.

I reserved their best room for New Year’s Eve and was very impressed. The cliff view was spectacular, the balcony was a good size for two people, service was good, everything was very clean. Really couldn’t be happier. I’m sure this place is a much better value than Mohonk Mountain House a few miles away, which has rooms that start at about double this hotel’s best option.
New Paltz is also only a few miles away, where my date and I had an awesome sushi dinner. Lots of places to eat in New Paltz, really nice having it so close by, yet able to escape it all in Minnewaska.
The day of arrival we hiked around Minnewaska Lake (highly recommended!) and the following day to the Skytop at Mohonk, also very nice. Overall a great trip.

3.5 stars.
Starting with the good: the setting, at the base of the Shawangunks, with stunning views of the cliffs, was beautiful, as were the grounds. Even in rainy, crummy weather, as we had for our entire stay, the scenery was just what we needed on a getaway from the city. The room was no-​frills, but that is what we wanted. It was clean and well-​appointed. The balcony was also a nice size and perfect for being outside but still protected from the rain. The free coffee all day and night and the jar of fresh-​baked chocolate chip cookies gave the place the feeling of a home-​away-​from-​home. The staff was also very helpful and kind. The very first thing they did when we arrived was present our 2 year-​old daughter with a plastic Slinky toy. The location is also great — a few miles from New Paltz, and right across the street from the wonderful Mountain Brauhaus restaurant.
The no-​so-​good: there was absolutely no sound-​proofing between us and the guests upstairs. We could hear everything — talking in normal voices, walking around, getting on and off the bed. Fortunately, they went to sleep early, but as long as they were awake, it was impossible for us to get to sleep. Even our daughter’s white noise machine, which we brought as a precaution, could not drown out the noise from upstairs — which was caused by the upstairs guests simply going about their normal business. They were not rude or loud guests in the least. So I can only imagine what the noise would be like with a couple of unruly teenagers in the room above.
Given the noise situation, I am still not sure how I feel about this place or whether we will be back. If we do, we will need earplugs in addition to the white noise machine. It would be better if they would put in some really thick carpet to try to address the noise issue.

This is a nice, no-​frills place to stay that’s reasonably priced. It’s charming, clean, has a nice view, and a great continental breakfast. The coffee isn’t that good, but that won’t stop me from coming back.

Pulling up to the Minnewaska Lodge, I was immediately struck by its charm. Maybe because it was January 1^st and the lodge’s Christmas decorations were shining sweetly in the snow-​covered landscape. Maybe because it’s based on a random road not in the dead center of town.
While the rooms and interior weren’t as rustic and charming as the outside, I still think this is a great place to stay if you happen to be visiting the area. Although I imagine there is much more to see and do during the summertime.
The free continental breakfast is GREAT and we made ample use of their boardgames in the main room (although weren’t allowed to BYOB).
Just 6 miles down the road from New Paltz, we were able to drive down there for some decent evening meals.
We also got some great information from the ladies behind the front desk about local trails and a whiskey distillery that gives tours.
There are far worse places to start a new year!

We came here because it’s one of the only places that allows children but isn’t flowery and frilly. The rooms are a good size, and it’s comfortable and attractive. You can choose between a kind bed or two doubles. They will provide a pack and play if you need one.
The cliff views are amazing, and the balconies are big enough for two people to sit comfortably. It’s buggy, but then, it’s nature!
The breakfast provided is very nice, and it’s simple. Yoghurt, hard-​boiled eggs, toast, cereal, different fruit, cinnamon rolls, juices… you get the idea. It’s replenished often, so you don’t have to be there when it first starts. There are chocolate chip (sometimes with peanut butter, I think) cookies in the afternoon, and there is always water and coffee and tea available.
There is a small fitness center with a couple of treadmills, some weights, and towels. There’s also a water cooler in the fitness center.
My only complaint is that the sound-​proofing between floors seems lacking. We heard our upstairs neighbors snoring, walking, talking. So, I’m sure they heard our baby wake up hungry at 3 AM. But he only cried for a minute; the other guy snored all night long.
The staff is very friendly, especially in the morning. The evening staff doesn’t have much to do, so you’ll find them usually checking out Unilocal on their computers. Either that or probably funny animal photos, right? ;)
My one suggestion would be to have a pool, but that wouldn’t go along with the environmental philosophy of the lodge. There is the county pool about five minutes away, and it looked really nice. It’s $ 7 to get in, even if you don’t live in Ulster County. I think that’s really nice. I’d go back, but my husband was more annoyed with the noise than I was. So maybe we’ll be there again, and maybe we won’t. I suggest a stay.