As much as I try to talk myself into camping, it hasn't happened yet. That is, so-called "real" camping, where you have basically a tent that you put up yourself and maybe there's bathrooms and showers somewhere on the site but probably not. Look, even when I went camping as a child with the girl scouts, we were in the Hamptons in platform tents (I slept with one eye open after I saw all the spiders in the tent) and once, a house. That ain't embracing nature. Really. This is much more my speed. And I know people hate the word "glamping," but I feel it was created for city types like yours, truly. Those of us who love the idea of the great outdoors, but need some of the comforts of home. Like running water, private toilets and heat! I'm getting there. Baby steps. These tents are no joke. They are super thick and zip tightly. It was so cold the night we stayed and our tent stayed toasty warm thanks to a space heater and the wood stove (don't worry, they help you with instructions or they will light it for you). I truly loved my experience here. It was a gift for my prenuptial celebration weekend. Yes, it's extremely expensive, but I think it's worth it. Look at it this way: you are getting the treatment of being in a lux hotel in a gloriously bucolic setting. You're out of the city. Put aside those expectations and just embrace your time here. My advice is to take advantage of things like drinking a glass of wine by the bonfire and under the stars. You can't put a price on that. And I know you aren't doing that in Williamsburg. We did pass on the arranged dinners and I can't vouch for how good they are or aren't, but the vegan version didn't seem all that appealing to me for the price. The lovely town of Hudson is minutes away with a plethora of dining options. What I loved: the hospitable staff, wine + bonfire, the sumptuous bed loaded with comfy linens and blankets, the wood burning stove making everything smell divine... pure hygge bliss (and finally, I've used that word in a review!) read more

Giving this 3 stars because while the accommodations are nice, it's is way overpriced. My friend and I spent almost $600 each for the tent which did not include anything in the price except the room! No activities included at all, no food except a light continental breakfast on the days we were there. But the biggest and most egregious thing was the farm to table dinner. Cost is $150 per person and was mostly vegetable-based...it also did not include any wine pairings and truthfully wasn't delicious! Plus an administration fee of $64 tacked on at the end! Buyer beware! The staff is nice and gives lots of suggestions...I would say stay one or two nights and go into town for dinner! read more

Let me first say I had high hopes for this place due to the comments and reviews about the other locations. I also know this is camping even though there is a "glamorous" aspect to it. Now that's stated I will tell you my + vs -. + the people are GREAT. Everyone is very friendly and knowledgeable about the location and stuff to do around the area. The food was FANTASTIC. Thats about it... - the site looks like an underdeveloped construction site. There could have been something in the middle of the land to make it nicer/better to be there. - How can I pay approx $750 and have dead bugs all over my bed? I get that there are going to be bugs but there could and should have been some sort of measure to keep them out of my tent. Tiki torches? ANY kind of bug repellant? - S'mores....come on guys. If you tell me that we are going to have smores from this time to this time then BE THERE. I come to the fire and nobody's there. I walk up to the main tent and say hello and all I got was a lack luster hi... All in all I think there could have been measures taken to make this experience WAY better. Nightly activities together as guests, S'MORES TOGETHER as a group perhaps? Get some kind of bug repellant to keep them at least away from the inside of my tent or at least my bed. Again I say...the people are VERY nice and courteous, but for the money that I paid it was definitely not worth the stay. read more

My visit to the Collective Retreat at Hudson Valley was my first experience with "glamping" and I must say I left impressed, and am already preparing to schedule my next visit. As a traveler who logs more than 200 nights a year in hotel rooms, my idea of a getaway with my significant other does not include stays in traditional hotels as it seems to much like work. I was pleasantly surprised to get a text message the Sunday morning of our planned arrival from the assistant manager letting me know they were looking forward to our arrival and to let them know when we were close to the location so they could have someone meet us in the parking area to assist with our bags. Through text, they were nice enough to answer a few questions for me and confirm our farm to table dinner reservation, which was one of the things I was really looking forward to. We arrived at the parking area at around 4:30 pm, where they had someone waiting to grab our bags and drive us up to the main lodge building to get checked in. After an extremely quick check-in process, we were driven down to our "tent". Which I was pleased to find look exactly like the photos on the website. For those who don't travel a lot this is actually pretty rare. Normally the photos are taken when the rooms are brand new and look absolutely perfect when you arrive you get a beat-up version of the photo. This was not the case at all, in fact, I found the photos don't do the "tents" justice and the real thing is far better than the photos could ever show. After we settled into our "tent" took a short walk and checked out the sheep we had saw on the way in. I couldn't help but immediately wonder what would be for dinner. Perhaps lamb, there was a bunch of yummy looking ones running around! After our walk, we headed back up to the main lodge for happy hour to enjoy a pre-dinner drink and relax in the hammocks and play some yard games. It is worth noting at this point that they do have a limited selection of liquor on site. Which based on some other reviews out there, I guess this is a new thing. We found ourselves playing giant Jenga for over an hour and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. The farm to table dinner is simply a wonderful experience, considering the size of the kitchen they are working with every course we were served was absolutely wonderful. I had the dinner with the wine pairing. Couple notes on the farm to table dinner, first off you do need to reserve it in advance. Second is while the website shows a sample menu of seven-course, that is a sample menu only and the dinner may or may not actually be seven courses. I believe ours was five (six if you count the homemade bread and spread). Everything about the meal was great and I would certainly order it again especially after learning the menu changes weekly if not even daily. I do have to say personally on my next trip I will in all likelihood pass on the wine pairing, not because it isn't a great option but because my taste is wine is simply different than that of the sommelier and for that matter the vast majority of people. The Sommelier as a note is absolutely amazing, super knowledgable, and an absolute joy to spend time talking to. Her ability to do a pairing when the menu is constantly changing is a joy. One of the great things about the sommelier is she is also an experienced​ bartender​ which works well because some dishes actually pair better with a mixed drink than with wine that is available. Another note here regarding wine and spirits while you can bring your own beverages to the resort you can not bring it to the lodge, this is a bit of a disappointment for me as I would love to be able to enjoy the farm to table meal with my own bottle from home. After our dinner, we enjoyed some time by the campfire before heading back to our "tent". When we arrived back to our "tent" I was pleasantly surprised to find that the location performs turn down service and not only was there a lovely handwritten note for us but also a pair of homemade cookies. After a shower (yes the "tents" have showers, running water, and flushing toilets) we turned in for the night. A quick note here the hot water is actually hot, although it does take a few seconds to get that way, also the bath products are awesome. The beds are great, and easily compare to those is a five-star hotel. It wasn't until after I was in bed that I noticed one of those minor details that even my wife managed to miss. Everyone has different preferences in pillows, be it firm or soft; either the location is mindful of this or I just got lucky. Of my two pillows one was firm and one soft. If this detail was intentional and I expect it was, then this locations attention to detail exceeds some of the nicest hotels out there. Pros: Absolutely Everything read more

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I must say I was pretty disappointed. It was cool being up in the area away from the city, the tents were nice but insanely overpriced. We went Thursday & Friday. We did farm to table on Thursday. We wanted to get the full experience. My husband and I were laughing our asses off at the plates that were given to us. First course was mini carrots and a piece of garlic. The rest to follow was nothing special. It was $150 a person not including drinks. We decided to order a few drinks from the bar. All together we had about 7 drinks combined, both of us weren't even buzzed. $20 a drink with No alcohol !! We wound up going back to the tent to grab the bud lights we bought and drink a few of those. Friday we decided to do our own thing. We went to bash bash water fall and went into the town of Hudson for food and drink. All in all we had a good trip until it was time to check out. Our bill was $1600!!! For two nights. I paid the hotel bill previously ($991) and had a remaining balance of about $650. It blew my mind because the only thing extra we did was farm to table one night. So when I first booked, I was ok with paying the $991 for the tent, expecting a very luxurious Trip, which it was not. When I looked up pricing for farm to table, I Booked reservation because I thought wow, a 5 star chef and a 7 course meal must be fancy. I was wrong. If you are dying to make this trip, I'd recommend going during the week (it's about $300 a night before fees---still overpriced) rather than the Friday price of $615 a night (not sure how much Saturday or Sunday is).... and if you go do not do any of the meals they offer. It is scam. I'd recommend looking into any other glamping options read more

We had a very disappointing experience. Highlights: breakfast, and a small number of staff members (Abby in particular). Lowlights: other staff members who were condescending and rude, total mis representation of amenities in advertising, bad directions , faulty tents, constantly changing "rules." We were so disappointed in our stay we didnt even check out - we just left. Obviously we were incredibly upset (as the manager clearly knew) and no one ever contacted me to make it right. I would have rather been camping than staying at this dismal property - total rip off. read more

Truly a 5 star experience. We stayed for 2 nights in August 2017. At first I thought I might be overpaying for a camping trip, but it actually turned out to be great value, considering the quality of the tent, camping grounds, staff helpfulness, etc. There are 5 tents on site for now, although they will likely add a few tents and microhomes for next year. The staff of 6 is just the best. Starting with the Genera Manager Jeffrey to Chef Wendy and Jaime, Martha, and Vince (we did not meet sous chef Zach), they were very friendly, knowledgeable, professional, and genuinely welcoming. They truly made you feel like you were at home away from home...in a tent. Made-to-order breakfast is included. We had lemon soufflé pancakes and scrambled eggs with vegetables over ciabatta bread with farm-fresh bacon and sausage. Kind of breakfast that would cost $30/person at a fancy hotel, but with extra fresh ingredients. We had BBQ box for dinner (about $30/person): porkchops one night and burger the next); portions were generous and tasted, again, very fresh and healthy. We were also lucky to get to try some delicious gazpacho and apple crisp for dessert on the house. The food is very good--definitely not something you would expect from regular camping. After dinner, there is a campfire with s'mores. On the last night, we got to brand a gift wooden box signed by the staff. Collective Retreat already has sites in Vail, Colorado and Yellowstone Park, but will be expanding in November to Texas and Sonoma Beach, California and eventually to Nashville, Alaska, and Greenland! I'm looking forward to trying them all. read more

My husband and I are staying here now and I have to say, I am overwhelmed with the high quality of service we have received here as well as the comfort, beauty and enchantment that comes with our entire tent. I have read some past reviews and I'm truly perplexed because this has been nothing short of magical for me and my husband. Everything is spotless, no bugs at all in our tent (but even if there were this IS camping), the 'bathroom' is so comfortable and it's nice that it is in it's own tent--we have stayed at the Under Canvas campgrounds where the bathroom is in the main tent and I much prefer this kind of privacy. The moment we checked in we were greeted and escorted to our tent via golf cart. We went out to dinner in Hudson at a fantastic restaurant that was recommended by the staff-- Helsinki. Go there! When we returned, we noticed turn down service and a box of fresh baked cookies in a box on our night stand. The little touches really impress me. I told my husband I want to come back here every year for our anniversary and make it a tradition. The bed is also very comfortable and the linens are very high quality. 5 stars! read more

We had a reservation here for two nights, hoping for some peace and quiet in a cozy environment but we disliked the experience after one night so much that we left first thing in the morning without even checking out. :( Unfortunately, while this place has lots of potential, the lower reviews here are all true in this case and we should have listened. The tent is poorly designed and allows bugs to get in easily both through the floor boards and around the tent itself. I'm not just talking a few flies or gnats here and there or even spiders, but nasty stink bugs and moths and even ticks. Part of the problem is that you have to keep opening and closing your tent all night if you want to go to the bathroom because the bathroom, while private for your use only, is NOT connected to the main part of the tent so you have to open your tent, close it, be outside for a minute, then open the bathroom tent, then close that. Not to mention, the bathroom, while it has a real toilet and running water is still VERY barebones and has absolutely no heat. The wood in the bathroom on the walls and floor looked moldy as well. Worst of all, we had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night in 30 degree temps last night. I know this is the outdoors, but it is also supposed to be glamping! Provide an electric space heater for the bathroom, it shouldn't be too much to ask for the prices charged here! They really shouldn't be open for the season when temps go into the 30s at night. We didn't realize it would be so cold when we booked this originally but as the date approached, we were assured there was a wood burning fire, electric blankets, and electric heater. The fire burned out eventually and so we spent all night either sweating under the electric blanket or freezing with our teeth chattering if we removed the blanket. It was just constant extreme hot and cold all night. Neither my husband nor I could sleep a wink and at 4 am we just both silently and instantly agreed we would leave the first chance we got the next day. Another thing that really bothered me was the location itself. We heard cars passing on a nearby road or highway the entire night. It was not peaceful or idyllic. I've had airnbnbs in Hudson Valley provide better sense of peace for much less money and more comfort. The golf cart the staff uses to get around the grounds also made a lot of noise all throughout the night. I was also disappointed by the grounds themselves. It's not by the water, it's not even in the woods... it's just a bunch of tents arranged around a plowed field and some gravel. It just really wasn't what we expected. Not to mention, any real activities you can do there require driving for at least 15 min. There's nothing to do on or around the property itself unless you want to do a farm tour first thing in the morning. We have done tent glamping experiences like this before in both the US and Thailand and Africa and so we were excited to try this out in an area of NY I have loved my whole life, as I spent many summers of my childhood in the catskills. The execution of this idea just falls seriously short however. They should look to what some of the tent lodges in Africa are doing. For one, they have tents that fully close, lock, and keep bugs out and tarp the ground!!! They also have the bathrooms connect to the room directly. We are not expecting central air or heat in this tent. Of course not...but a lot of the basic comforts that should be accounted for when glamping are very much overlooked at this property. The place has potential but I think they need to seriously rethink their tents entirely as well as the experience they want to give their customers. read more