Some like it hot, some like it cold

Courtesy of Mohonk Mountain House

VIEW TO A CATSKILL A summerhouse at Mohonk Mountain House.

Courtesy of Mohonk Mountain House

The summerhouses are perfect any time of year—in the summer, sure, but in the fall, too, when the leaves do their turning; in the winter, when a light snow can come out of nowhere and add a dusting to the drifts that soften the mountains that mark the landscape as far as you can see; in the spring, when the snow starts to melt and slate becomes your favorite color.

The Mohonk summerhouses are proud, rustic members of the gazebo family, with benches big enough for two or three grown-ups and roofs to keep out a hot sun or a pouring rain; each is perched at just the right vantage point to showcase a spectacular vista and an abundance of solitude.

A day or a weekend or a week at the Mohonk Mountain House, in the Shawangunk Mountains near New Paltz, New York, has many attractions and activities, most of which are memorable. But the sensation that lasts, the one that every member of the family takes home, is the quiet. You can pick it up in the 15 minutes you spend in a summerhouse at Eagle Cliff on a blustery day, or on a no-hurry, winding hike up to the Skytop Tower, or on your way to an outdoor lunch at the Granary on a golden afternoon.

What twins Alfred and Albert Smiley envisioned when they opened Mohonk in the late 1800s is what Mohonk is today: a haven. One with more than 250 rooms, but a haven nonetheless.

There are several television sets at Mohonk, but you pretty much have to search them out. You can get a nice bottle of wine at dinner, but there is no bar (no minibar either). There is no swimming pool now, but next summer a new wing will include a fitness center, a spa and an indoor swimming pool.

Here's what you do when you're here: Take a long hike with staff naturalist Ann Guenther. Feed the fish in Lake Mohonk. Ice-skate in the pavilion late in the afternoon and then warm up in front of the massive stone fireplace. Sit on the porch and read a book while your children are hunting for fossils or making candles in Mohonk's extensive kids' program. Do one of Mohonk's famous rock scrambles, in which you go under, over, around and seemingly through rocks, boulders, ledges, crevices and cliffs to reach a destination that offers panoramic views and a genuine sense of accomplishment (the Lemon Squeeze is our family's scramble of choice). Try an after-dinner square dance in the Lake Lounge. Go cross-country skiing without fear of snowmobilers.

At Mohonk, the meals are major; you'll promise yourself that you'll stick to a breakfast of fruit and cottage cheese after your four-course indulgence of the night before. But then you'll fall hard for the waffles and the mushroom-and-Swiss omelette. You'll have one more sausage and tell yourself that you'll hike it off.

And you will.—Steven Reddicliffe

THE DETAILS

Getting there by car Mohonk Mountain House is a 90-minute drive from NYC, six miles west of the NYS Thruway off Exit 18.
Getting there by bus Adirondack Trailways (800-776-7548) makes several daily trips to New Paltz. Call the hotel to arrange free transportation to and from the station.
Mohonk Mountain House Lake Mohonk, New Paltz, NY (800-772-6646; www.mohonk.com). Rates: Double occupancy from $379; includes meals and most activities.