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Getting There
Mohonk is easily accessible by car and is about 90 miles from New York City (which New Yorkers will tell you can take a couple of hours or twice as long depending on city traffic).
Mohonk Mountain House is 25 miles from Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, 70 miles from Albany Airport and less than 100 miles from New York City area airports.
Adirondack Trailways goes to New Paltz from New York City (about $40 round/trip, with weekday discounts) and other points in New York.
The nearest Amtrak station is in Poughkeepsie, about 45 minutes away from Mohonk.
From New Paltz, you can get a taxi up to Mohonk for about $15 (New Paltz Taxi, 845-255-1550 or Joey's Taxi & Transportation Company: 845-255-8294)
The Mohonk Transportation Department can help with transportation arrangements to the Poughkeepsie Train Station or New Paltz Bus Station; inquire at 845-256-2016.
Pricing
Mohonk's room rates have gone up quite a bit from the early days when a night's stay cost $3. Prices start at around $250 per person for a standard room on a weekday; add $165 for kids age 12 or older and $94 for 5 to 12 year olds (kids under five stay free). A 15 percent gratuity is added to the bill though staff won't refuse additional cash tips.
Around Mohonk
The Mohonk resort is a vast and immersive experience and once you are on the compound there's not much reason to leave, especially when they feed you so well. But the college town of New Paltz, with its State University of New York (SUNY) campus, provides some alternative eating and shopping options. It's worth a drive down historic Huguenot Street, a former center of Dutch immigrant community dating to the 17th Century.
All about the Extras
Family Reunions
Mohonk is a popular place for family reunions and provides special services and packages including reunion games and souvenirs.
Gift Shop
A homey gift shop -- first floor, can't miss it -- will fit the bill for souvenirs for the kids: wearables, comestibles and toys, many with a nature theme or an old fashioned feel. A corner of the shop is fashioned after a soda fountain, and the homemade milkshakes and fizzy drink concoctions sound tasty, if only anybody had room for them after all the big meals (see Dining).
Gym
There is a modern gym in the Spa Wing with state of the art equipment. It's very nice, as far as gyms go, but on a nice day, why not stay off the conveyer belts and go climb the mountain.
Parents' Time Out
For parents wanting some kid-free time, the hotel maintains a babysitter referral list with mini bios that summarizes their experience and interests. Many of them are hotel employees or former employees who "moonlight" as sitters. (They are not operating as hotel employees when they baby-sit.)
The Art of Smart Timing
Mohonk is open year-round. The greatest range of outdoor activities clusters around summer and winter months, but spring and fall can be great times to go for hikes amid fall foliage and spring buds (and less crowding). Its New York location means Mohonk gets all of the seasons: cold winters, hot summers.
Since Mohonk is a popular family destination, school break periods and holidays can be heavily booked. Prime summer weeks can be sold out months ahead.
Mohonk offers a host of theme weekends -- murder mysteries, cooking, gardening, dance, meditation, arts, fifties music. The theme programming is an added attraction but don't avoid booking if your dates happen to coincide with a theme that doesn't appeal to your interests. The programs add value for some, but otherwise can be ignored. Crowds for the thematic programs vary, but it's unlikely the place will be taken over by swing dancers or dieters.
Watch Mohonk's website or join the email list to stay in-the-know about special offers, including mid-week rates, holiday specials or "Kids Stay Free" or "Kids Stay Half Price" weeks. Mohonk also offers "Moms stay free" month during May, and "Dads stay Free in June."
Day Tripping
If you can't swing an overnight but want to explore Mohonk, there are also day-rates that include at least one meal (lunch) and allow access to the grounds and many activities.
Downsides
It has been many years since guests traveled to Mohonk via horse-drawn carriages, yet Mohonk's egress hasn't adapted all that well to the advent of the automobile. The valet service at checkout time can get backed up. Notices in the elevator say as much, and reportedly improvements to the driveway are in the planning stages. But, for now, if you're in a hurry to leave, you may do better to park in the self-park lot and take a DIY approach to loading your car. Or -- better still -- consider checking your luggage at the front desk for storage and spending a few more hours enjoying yourself.
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