Piaule Catskill is the kind of boutique escape that encourages guests to slow down and stay awhile. Set in the Catskills, the 24-cabin property was created by founders Nolan McHugh and Trevor Briggs, who first launched Piaule as a homeware brand before opening the hotel five years ago. Their goal was to build a place that felt both spacious and intimate, while letting the surrounding landscape shape the experience.
That approach shows up in the architecture and interiors, which were handled in-house, with exteriors developed alongside Garrison Architects. The main building uses local and natural materials, including an untreated white oak ceiling and a west-facing wall of windows that frames the mountains. Its sloping roof mirrors the contours of the skyline, and the gravel paths throughout the property all lead back to this central structure, which houses both the restaurant and the spa.
The restaurant follows the same local-minded philosophy. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it focuses on hyper-seasonal ingredients sourced from around the Hudson Valley. Dinner service offers four choices per course, with plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options, making it easy for guests to return on consecutive nights without repeating a meal. Among the dishes mentioned in the report were lamb sausage with braised fennel, yogurt, and herbs; Hudson Valley steelhead trout; wagyu hangar steak; golden hen; forbidden rice; and desserts such as campfire semifreddo, blueberry sorbet, and a cheese plate. Supplemental items included caviar with potato chips, crème fraîche, and chives, plus raw and roasted oysters.
Breakfast is complimentary and includes local yogurt and pastries, with eggs available to order. A lunch menu of sandwiches, soups, and salads is also offered, though the report suggests midday is a good time to head out and explore the Catskills. Between meals, guests can use a Piaule pour-over coffee kit and mugs, which are also sold in the gift shop, and rooms come stocked with local snacks such as BjornQorn. With the spa, saltwater pool, sauna, and restaurant all tied to the same calm setting, Piaule Catskill is presented as a place where the food is part of a larger feeling of escape.
Source: bonappetit.com
