WHEN DiD MOHONK MOUNTAiN HOUSE GET SO GREAT?

Hudson Valley’s legendary castle transforms into the region’s crown jewel. Seriously.

BY MARCO MEDRANO

You’ll come for the spa and rebook for the fun. For those who may have experienced Mohonk Mountain House in a di erent era, the newly updated property with its now excellent farm-totable cuisine and impressive full-bar availability willneedarevisit and reassessmentofthis particularly gorgeous corner of the planet. The scaleof the spa,itsservices,stellarproduct selection and on-top-of-it management are all Manhattan/world-class worthy. Without. The. Attitude. Period.

Mohonk Mountain House is undeniably one of the most iconic wellness resorts in America. And when you think about the grandeur of this Victorian castle being constructed atop a mountain range in 1869, that level of awe is compounded. The enormous amount of stone and the carved roads that were made to approach this architectural, SwissAlps-typemarvelisutterlymind-bo ling.ThinkWindsor Castle on steroids. Think Julie Andrews after discovering the hills are indeed alive with the sound of music. Think…big.

Arriving at the grand porte-cochère, it’s easy to envision footmen, carriages and steamer trunks full of wardrobes—evoking a time when people travelled with a full sta . You then turn around and realize how majestic this castle and its views are and how privileged you are for finding a few days to revel in its vistas. Stare at the view, as far as the eye can see—is that the next state over?—it’s impossibly breathtaking.

Thisfundamental,foundationaldevelopmentofexcellenceis importantforlongevity, and whyMohonkMountainHousehas sustained as a must-go destination resort. And the fact that a singular family has maintained this standard is even more rare. As a family of hospitality operators, the Smileys have evolved Mohonk into an all-inclusive resort that boasts some amazing activities and unique on-site, seasonal excursions. And more recently, the overall property’s design, services and overall vibe has been elevated to reflect a more seasoned traveler. Both country and elegant, this summer camp for the lucky is indeed the perfect getaway.

While it was the coldest day of the year on my February visit (30 below zero windchill), I decided not to cancel on the property’s tour guide. What I discovered were the most exquisite views dynamically showcasing what the Hudson Valley is all about. While terms like hiking, snowshoeing and mountain excursions might sound more outdoors-y than one would visit a spa resort for, know this: The location of Mohonk Mountain House is such that within a ten-minute graded hill hike (gently tiered) you’re positioned very well to see all the eyepopping lookout points, “crow’s nest” destinations and Shawangunk Ridge photo opps (Instagram!) without risking safety. This holds true for all age groups and fitness levels. (Expert-level vertical terrain hikes and rock climbing are available as well.) The mountainous walkways have safety features and bar-code audible description guides along the paths while still respecting the ominous nature vibe of it all. Don’t ignore a Mohonk hike as it’ll rebalance and recenter even the toughest of souls—it’s great for morning sun with your breathexercises andthe heavenlyviewswill impact your perspective. Trust me.

Whilethere’ssomuch to doatMohonk Mountain House, they’re perfectly set up for you to do absolutely nothing—in the most curative way. In fact, I sat on the porch in a rocking chair and read a book in full winter gear, with a view of the frozen lake. Nirvana.

The resort’s chef’s cuisine is excellent and embraces most culinary tastes. While I really enjoyedtheirsemi-formalbu etstylefor breakfast and lunch in the main dining room, there’s a separate venue for the quick and casual morning rush of baked goods (Lakeview Breakfast), yogurt, berries, wa es, beverages and more. The dinner’s more of an elegant service menu experience and showcases some fine fare and gorgeous wine listpairings and exquisite desserts. It’s fine diningin the mountains—not a given here, or anywhere near here— for decades. Those days are, thankfully, over.

Mindyourtime and punctuality. The property isfullof“pop-up”wellness events and little indulgences includingCampfirewith S’mores,AfternoonTea & Cookies, Drink of the Month (in the lovelyCarriage Lounge) where the first round is free, and more. The outdoor ice-skatingrinkisprofessionalgrade and comes with a roaring fireplace and sta , while snow tubing is a must for a few short runs and isn’t just for the kids. Yes, I did that, too.

The SpaatMohonkMountainHouse is, in a word, terrific. The sheer scale of the facility isn’t only spacious, but well equipped, whether you’re working out and enjoying a steam and sauna or going all in with yoga, meditation, Pilates and Tai Chi. I did all of the above and added Singing Bowl Meditation, Qi Gong and Stretch and Relax in the Spa

Motion Room. The OM4Men (Organic Male skincare) regimen’s numbered in order and makes for an indulgent finale when leaving the fancy locker rooms.

Ialso love that the Smileyfamily and spa management team share a deep-rooted wellnessethos,bringingglobaltreatment trendslocal.Theyknowwhat’swhat. So, when I read the best-selling book, The Three MinuteMeditator,whichisco-written by NinaSmiley,PhD, and DavidHarp,M.A., I knew I was in good hands. Its narrative teaches the reader “to reduce stress, control fear and diminish anger in almost no time at all. Anywhere. Anytime.” Sounds cool to me. While I’m a work in progress, the book reflects much of Mohonk Mountain House’s DNA.Itbreaksup and helpsde-mystify meditation into little bite-sized pops of cando confidence that help us react (or not) in positive,productivewaysviamindfulness, a type ofmeditationinwhich you focus onbeingintenselyawareofwhatyou’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretationorjudgment.Practicing mindfulnessinvolvesbreathing methods, guided imagery and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress. Get a copy in the gift shop. #gamechanger

High and Tight: My first spa treatment was the “LuxeLiftFacial”whichincludesgentle, enzymaticdoubleexfoliationfollowed by lengthy hands-on facesculpting which infuses collagen and botanicals to providefacial contouringfordays.Ilefttransformedwith plump, lifted and glowing skin which is part of Swiss Line’s branded “Cell Shock Luxe-Lift” protocol. I used their Face Lifting Complex II serum and the Swiss Cure Day/Night Ampoules under the Luxe-Lift Cream. Amazing!

The second day at the resort I decided to show my body and soul some love with a Contrast HydrotherapyMassagewhichincorporates a high-yield steam followed immediately by ice-cold rapid shower. This glacial/thermal shock therapy isn’tonly a detoxifyingimmune-stimulating reset, the body is primed to accept therapeutic plant extracts infused with CBD healing during the customized massage process. I chose to focus on legs, calves and joints to relieve sti ness. The room for this service is terrific. Another must-try is the party-sized outdoor mineral hot tub which is adjacent to the glassed-in meditation lounges hostingbeautifulteas, chaises and amazing views. The salon is a well-equipped pied-à-terre o ering one of the best selections of haircare and skincare rejuvenation retail.

Honestly,if I enjoyed mylongfour-night stay during the coldest winter week, you’ll love Mohonk Mountain House even more in warmer weather. With tennis, golf, horseback riding, art showings, lake activities, boating and so much more available, I really can’t wait to return to this crown jewel of the Hudson Valley. There’s a reason why New Yorkers find this the best staycation ever. Because it is. Now, back to the views…

ExpertTip:Theirimpressiveonlinedaily activitiescalendarisdownloadableintoyour phone/digitalcalendar,syncedperfectlywith the booked days you’re visiting. I printed mine beforeleaving home.Ihighlyrecommend starting with the inclusive amenities (no charge) and fun events throughout the property before bookingspaservices and excursions,so you don’tmissout. The maindining room has specific hours not unlike cruise ship seating, as does the spa, lake, mineral hot tub and indoor pool—soyou’llwanttohaveascheduleof events soyou’re not runningor coordinating on the fly. Review, download and book before your arrival, knowing you must eat and sleep at some point. The website is highly organized to further showcase all the resort’s o erings in extraordinarily helpful detail.

LENOX, MASS.

New England Premiere KEN LUDWIG’S DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE

May 26 – July 30

THE CONTENTION: HENRY VI, PART II by William Shakespeare

June 17 – July 15

AUGUST WILSON’S FENCES

July 22 – August 27

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM by William Shakespeare

August 1 – September 10

GOLDA’S BALCONY by William Gibson

August 5 – 20

A Staged Reading HAMLET by William Shakespeare

September 1 – 3

World Premiere LUNAR ECLIPSE by Donald Margulies

September 15 – October 22 aking the Eurostar for a recent two-month stay in Paris from my four months in London, I was thinking about all those trips I took on Amtrak from Hudson, New York, to Manhattan and back over the five years I lived Upstate and the geographic love a airsI have had with all four places over the past 48 years since I first moved to New York City as a 19-year-old Mississippi boy to attend Juilliard’s Drama Division. I soon detoured from acting to a magazine career as a writer and editor and now, still writing and working on my third memoir, Beside Myself, I, having shed almost all my possessions, am living life as a pilgrim on a pilgrimage trying finally to love myself without vanity but with fairness. of artful desire manifested as realism. Martin von Haselberg, a multidisciplined artist himself who’s a former commodity’s broker, once playfully (that word again) described for Elle Decor the pool house he designed on their estate as its “mullet—all business in the front, party in the back,” which is rather the inverse of movie stardom, especially his wife’s version which was mothered by a wanton wit and a singing voice that incongruously waved a wand of woeful beguilement over itall and conjuredOscarnominationsfor her performancesin The Rose and For The Boys as well as filled the corporate co ers at Disney with her string of grown-up comedies before she and her husband and lovely, talented daughter, Sophie, returned east to New York where she saved so many of New York City’s derelict parks and helped spruce up the joint because the Divine Miss M always had a determined desire herself to be a doyenne who does good.

Duringthatmagazinecareer,I interviewedseveralactors who have homes Upstatewiththeir wivesorhusbands, the kindof thespians unafraid of the need for a spring thaw even as they froze fame in its place to make the move when they, on kinds of pilgrimages oftheirown,mindfullydecided they no longer had that other need for the star-making machinery of Hollywood and those who hover there to grease the machinery— amongthem are BetteMidler andher husbandMartin von Haselberg,ClaireDanes and her husbandHughDancy,Alan Cumming and his husband Grant Sha er, Daniel Craig and his wife Rachel Weisz.

LOVE IN THE MOUNTAiNS

Love is confounding and magical. Still.

In1991,IinterviewedBette Midlerforacover storyin Vanity Fair She and Martin have plantedthemselvesUpstateon abeautifullydesignedestate where she cangardenamidst the architecturallyimagined landscape that enhances the wilder warrensabouttheirproperty withoutshowingit up, much like she and others of her highly recognizedsubsetenhance the region itself without diminishing what has always been quaintly, quietly charming about it before their arrivals. When Midler described to me how her love for her husband deeply took root instead of arriving thrillingly like a vulgarly beautiful bouquet thrust into her life waiting to die on its stems no matter how expensive the vase she could find to put it in, she could have been explaining the ru edregality of New York’s mountain region, the pleasing playfulness of its light that does not come to play but has been inspiring artists since the mid-19th century when another kind of subset discovered this swath of real estate, where a determined kind

Martin von Haselbergwas, longago,knownas“Harry Kipper,” a member of the avantgarde performance duo called the Kipper Kids, whose act consisted ofscatological goodhumor and whosecostumeswerenothing more than fake noses and chins, jockstraps and shavedheads. Indeed, when I interviewed Midler for Vanity Fair more than 30 years ago, von Haselberg was still shaving his head from time to time, though Midler found it quite unappealing. “It’ssosad,”sheconfessed.“It breaks my heart. I know it’s going to be another six months before I see his beautiful hair again. But he does it because he loves it—he doesn’t give a shit what I like. This is our relationship: I can’t put him in a corner, I can’t put him in a box.” Midler met von Haselberg in 1981 at a Los Angeles club called The Roxy, where they went with mutualfriends to seeaconcert by King Crimson. Two years later, they ran into each other again at the LhasaClubin Los Angeles and that time she gave him her home telephone number. One year later, he worked up the nerve to call her and they attended an Eric Bogosian performance. Six weeks after that, they were married by a part-time Elvis impersonator in a Las Vegas wedding chapel to the accompaniment of the soundtrack to Fellini’s Julietof the Spirits For the next two months, they lived in separate houses. “I hardly knew him!” is how Midler explains such a conjugal curiosity. When I met him, I was 38 years old,” she told me. “I wasn’t getting any younger. What else is there? Are men really that di erent after you’ve met so many men? After you’ve known so many?

BY KEVIN SESSUMS

LOVE IN THE MOUNTAiNS

WiTH BETTE MiDLER AND MARTiN VONHASELBERG (AND SEARCHiNG FOR LOVE–AND CATHERiNE DENEUVE –IN PARiS)

How di erent can they be? I married the bestperson who wanted to marry me. We are the perfectcoupleeventhough we go at it hammer and tongs. We’re solid together. When we were first married, he didn’t know how to fight. He spent his whole life with these Bohemian parents. People just didn’t raise their voice to each other in his world. And I only raise my voice—sometimes I astonish myself. He was not ready for that. We had a lot of trouble the first couple of years. We had a tremendous amount of trouble. He couldn’t understand why I would get so upset by things, and he couldn’t retaliate. But it’s allkindofevenedout now. I’ve alwayssaidwegotmarried because there was nothing on TV. Maybe deep down we were serious, but superficially we never said that this is forever, this is the ticket, we are committed to each other for life. I still ask him for a divorce every day. It clears the air.”

“Even though I didn’t know her at all,” von Haselberg told me during a lunch the three of us were having, “I remember consciously making the decision that no matter what happens I’m going to keep working at this to make it work. Even if it turns out that she’s not the person I think she might be, I’m just going to keep going through it and making it work.” I asked von Haselberg, the person who has known Bette Midler most intimately for decades now, if her distinctive brassiness was something she could put on like a piece of armor, or a pair of Loro Piana pajamas from the armoire. “What do you mean, ‘put on’?” he asked, surprised at the question. “That’s her! She’s just got a very big range, which makes it pretty exciting to live with. It keeps me on my toes all the time. This is not a languid life that I lead with her, believe me. It’s like being on a roller coaster I cannot get o .”

Midler chimed in, “Sometimes he accuses me of not being…uh…uh… comforting. That’s something I’ve had to learn. If I fail him in any way, that’s how I fail him. I shouldn’t be telling you this—this is so out-ofschool—but the whole commodities thing began to take a terrible toll on him. He started to turn gray overnight. He was saying, ‘I can’t, I can’t, I have to quit!’ Meanwhile, I was saying, ‘When I married him, he had a job!’ I only sort of heard him with half an ear. Finally, he was so upset that I had to stop and pay attention. Sometimes you really have to turn the headlights of your life on... I learned a big lesson. We did this—got married—as a lark, but this is really, really serious. People’s lives are serious. People have needs. I was so caught up in my own…I don’t want to say neurosis, because I don’t like that word, really, but I was caught up in whatever my thing was. My career, my this, my that. Mine, mine, mine! Artists are selfish people, and I had to learn not to be quite so selfish. And I think it helps everything. It helps one’s art, because it brings balance to it and it brings perspective and it makes one quieter and able to judge in a less hysterical fashion.”

Perspective. Quieter. Less hysterical. When I went back and read this section of that cover story it dawned on me—moved me actually— that Bette and Martin are having the languid life in the tranquility of Upstate New York that they so diligently were determined to have together. I find it deeply romantic in the way the romance poets artfully tethered themselves to the sublime, to nature and, most importantly, to emotional balance. As Wordsworth wrote in the preface to Lyrical Ballads, a collection of his poems and those of Coleridge that marked the beginning of the Romantic movement, “I have said that Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity: the emotion is contemplated till by a species of reaction the tranquillity graduallydisappears, and anemotion, kindred to thatwhichwasbefore the subjectofcontemplation,is gradually produced, and does itself actually exist in the mind.”

As the Eurostar pulled into Gare du Nord and I made my way to my little writer’s garret in the 8th Arrondissement where I now write this very sentence, I was thinking of an earlier visit to Paris when I was still executive editor of Andy Warhol’s Interview and my looking up Catherine Deneuve, whom I had interviewed for the magazine. We had instantly bonded over some childhood memories that involved our mothers’ illnesses and she continued her emotional seduction by giving me an address in Paris where I could visit her and a phone number she told me to call when I arrived. We had met on that once-upon-a-time New York afternoon in her room at the Hotel Plaza Athénée and I had started our conversation by asking her about her happiest and saddest childhood memories. “My happiest concerns my mother,” she told me. “My mother got very ill with tuberculosis when I was quite young. She had to go to the mountains for a year. I suppose my happiest memory is when she came back from the mountains because we really thought it was terrible. They didn’t manage very well to prepare us for my mother’s departure. It was done at night. Hiding. So that was my worst memory, my saddest.”

“So the worst is her going to the mountains but the best is her coming back?” I asked.

“Yes. The worst because they didn’t prepare us, my sister and me. She didn’t say anything. She just said she was going away for the night. But I saw everybody in the corridor crying. And I saw the lu age downstairs waiting by the car. And I shouted. I screamed. It is something I will never forget. But she got cured by going to the snow, going to the mountains. She had to be there for a year. We did go to see her once in the mountains on Easter, my sisters and me. I was seven.”

“Are you afraid of being abandoned now? Of being left?” I asked.

“I am afraid of being surprised. So I protect myself. I do avoid certain things and avoiding is a way of losing…”

“Spontaneity?”

“No, no, no. But trying to avoid situations in which I could be hurt, you know, is protecting yourself in a way that also protects you from the possibility of surprises, or good surprises.”

As I was making my way to my Parisian garret the other day on this part of my pilgrimage, I grinned at the memory of my own surprise when I arrived in Paris all those years ago with the address and phone number Deneuve had deigned to write in her own hand on a piece of Plaza Athénée stationery when she told me to make sure to contact her. The address turned out to be an o ce building and the phone number was a non-working one.

WhenpeopleaskmewhatIhavelearnedabout love inall my travels and all my interviews and all my now 67 years of living, I tell them love to me is a lie told to me by Catherine Deneuve I am still longing to believe. Maybe that is why I am even back in Paris for these two months and why I am on the pilgrimage I am now on.Butlove isalso—justlookat the deeplyrootedsort between Bette Midler and Martin von Haselberg—a kind of spring thaw, the need for it, the fearless need.

HELSiNKi LETS THE LiGHT IN