Wildflower Farms – a working farm with Two MICHELIN Keys in the Hudson Valley

Wildflower Farms sits on 140 acres of orchard, meadow and woodland in Gardiner, New York, below the cliffs of the Shawangunk Ridge, on ground that was once a fallow tree nursery before Auberge Collection turned it, in 2022, into its first Hudson Valley resort. The resort comprises 65 bespoke cabins, cottages and suites, alongside Thistle spa, the Maplehouse cooking school and signature restaurant Clay. The MICHELIN Guide recognises the property with Two Keys, an unusual distinction for a resort built from scratch rather than restored from an older house. Owners Phillip Rapoport and his wife Kristin spent seven years shaping the project after falling for Gardiner on an earlier visit; the result reads less like a hotel than a working farm with rooms attached, ninety minutes north of Manhattan and close enough to the cliffs of the Mohonk Preserve that climbers and guests share the same country lane.

01The house

Architects Electric Bowery, working with interior designers Ward and Gray, shaped the main lodge as a cluster of barn-form volumes under one continuous roofline, its peaks echoing the ridge beyond and its floor-to-ceiling glass keeping the Gunks in view from almost every seat. A central fireplace, wrapped in textiles that tell stories of the surrounding community, anchors a conversation pit of curved sofas. Warm wood, handblown glass fixtures and fabric prints in sage, goldenrod and aubergine carry the palette from the lobby out to the cabins, and vintage furniture was sourced throughout as part of the project's sustainable-design brief.

02Rooms and suites

The 65 accommodations fall into three types scattered through the grounds: 28 Bower Cabins beneath white pine along the Shawangunk Kill, 32 Meadow and Ridge Cottages set within the wildflower fields, and five Ridge Suites with uninterrupted views toward The Gunks. The smallest cabins start at around 475 square feet, while a two-bedroom Meadow Cottage reaches roughly 1,500 square feet, with its own garden, two terraces and skylit bathrooms with radiant-heated floors and deep soaking tubs. Suites add a second fireplace, indoor and outdoor showers and a private cedar hot tub on their terraces, with wall-to-wall glass doors opening the bedrooms straight onto the meadow.

Insider tip

Pet-friendly, family-friendly, with a working farm, spa and three miles of hiking trails on site.

03Where to eat

Clay is the hub of the experience, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner from an open kitchen built around a New American repertoire. Produce comes from the resort's own six-acre organic farm, feeding a menu of seasonal vegetables and well-sourced proteins built around the bounty of the Hudson Valley, with dishes such as black Angus tartare with shiso and burnt sourdough. The wine list was curated by sommelier and author Vanessa Price, built around sustainable growers across the Old and New Worlds.

Beyond Clay, the open-air Great Porch moves from morning coffee and pastries into shareable afternoon plates and fireside cocktails as the Shawangunk Ridge catches the evening light, while the seasonal Dew Bar serves drinks and light bites beside the pool between Memorial Day and the end of September. The on-site Maplehouse cooking school, housed in a wood-joinery barn, runs hands-on classes from foraging to botanical baking.

04The bar

Clay's own upholstered bar anchors the main building, opening onto the Green Room below for smaller private gatherings and events. Evenings tend to migrate outdoors to the Great Porch, where bar snacks and a fire pull guests out even once the pool has closed for the season, the mountains fading from gold to blue-black as the temperature drops.

05Spa and wellbeing

Thistle, an Auberge Spa, builds personalised, seasonal treatment menus around old natural remedies and therapeutic bodywork, set within six treatment rooms, outdoor hot tubs and an indoor saltwater pool. In October 2026 the spa's facilities were listed as open daily from 8:30am to 7:30pm, with two outdoor meadow hot tubs, a dry sauna and an indoor saltwater relaxation pool, alongside a roughly 3,000-square-foot fitness and movement studio offering daily classes. Three miles of on-site trails extend the spa's reach into the surrounding woods and meadows, and guests can also book time on The Courts, a pair of tennis and pickleball courts tucked among the trees.

06The neighbourhood

Wildflower Farms is approximately 30 minutes from Stewart International Airport and roughly 90 minutes to two hours by car from New York City's major airports. The Shawangunk Ridge, known locally as The Gunks, rises just beyond the farm boundary, home to the Mohonk Preserve's quartz-conglomerate cliffs and some of the East Coast's best traditional rock climbing. The nearby town of New Paltz supplies orchards, cideries and trailheads that drew visitors to this stretch of the mid-Hudson Valley long before the resort arrived; two centuries earlier, the same light and cliffs had drawn the 19th-century Hudson River School painters north from Manhattan.

07Making the most of a stay

Guests can spend mornings feeding farm animals, gathering eggs, hiking the three miles of on-site trails, joining guided nature walks or trying workshops in floral design and botanical baking. Daily yoga and meditation classes run in the movement studio at no extra charge. Families are well catered for too: the Sprouts Natural Playground and programmes such as cookie decorating keep younger guests occupied, and dogs are welcome throughout the resort for a fee, with amenities provided. The farm's rhythm changes with the seasons, so it is worth asking reception what is ready to pick, press or ferment before booking a workshop.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.