Hotel Love: The Old Rhinebeck Inn
There’s a certain charm to upstate New York’s Dutchess County in spring and it’s encapsulated in The Old Rhinebeck Inn. Tucked away on a country road in Rhinebeck, NY and lined with horses, sheep, a pond and neighbors who actually wave as you drive by, this bed & breakfast is a quiet reprieve from the boisterous hustle of New York City.
Originally built in 1738, the Inn began as a home to the farming family of Johann Michael Pultz. He and his wife had 10 children and built the house up room by room as they grew. Today, the friends Jonna Paolella and Cindy Curnan run The Rhinebeck Inn together. In the shadow of its history, the space is cozy as you walk from the entrance into the sitting room, which is filled with fluffy seats, a fireplace, a piano and books on the Roosevelt family—FDR’s Presidential Library, Hyde Park and Eleanor’s Val-Kill home are just a short drive away.
Just beyond the sitting area is the inviting dining room and a sunken kitchen where Jonna and her husband Dave prepared a tasty breakfast each morning with fresh herbs and vegetables from their garden and left a fresh juice concoction for new guests. When Shannon and I arrived on a rainy Friday afternoon for our weekend stay, she served us a crisp homemade citrus spritzer. After dinner at the Terrapin restaurant in town, she showed us the tea, coffee and hot chocolate table just outside of our room, right on time for a bedtime cup or a middle of the night sip. I had the maple apple cider tea, which now that I’m home, I’m trying to order more of on Amazon. It’s lovely.
For breakfast on Saturday, Jonna served warm scones, chilled Swiss alpine oatmeal topped with fresh fruit, a baked French pear and raspberry pancake and sides of sausage and roasted sweet potatoes. The meal was peppered with good conversation from our fellow Inn guests as we all ate together. Jonna poked her head in to share a story now and then, one was about how co-owner Cindy is related to some folks who worked for Eleanor Roosevelt and lived at Val-Kill with the late First Lady.
In our room called the Ryefield Suite, we had two beds, one king and one single, both of which have to be some of the most comfortable mattresses I’ve ever snored on. I laid down and passed out like a light. The rooms were warm and well stocked with extra quilted blankets in case we got cold in spring’s unseasonable chill. To boot, a cozy fleece-lined bathrobe was waiting in the closet to wrap myself in as I watched Netflix on our room’s TV. I did this as Shannon got in her morning jog past those aforementioned horses and sheep and she found plenty of room to stretch on the floor once she finished. In all, though the suite was perfect for our girlfriend’s weekend away, we also saw how a couple who are bringing an adolescent plus one or want extra space would love it.
Ultimately, if you’re looking for accomodations in Dutchess County, The Old Rhinebeck Inn is a great choice if you want to check into a place where you’re well taken care of and can feel at home away from home versus a more impersonal hotel. I have a feeling that if I were to stay there often, Jonna would have a stash of whatever she noticed that I liked—that maple cider tea, honestly—waiting for me upon arrival. She’s thoughtful like that.
Pros & Cons:
Cons:
The Rhinebeck Inn isn’t in town, so you’ll have to rent a car or uber to reach it along with the area’s main tourist destinations.
Depending on the room, prices run from $275-350 per night, which can be a bit more than an airbnb in the area.
Pros:
The location may not be in town but it’s a short drive to most of the key tourist destinations. If you rent a car, you’ll be able to get around fine.
The Rhinebeck Inn’s coziness makes it a great getaway if you literally want to do nothing but decompress in quiet. But there’s solid wifi if you don’t want to totally disconnect and show out on Instagram. There's plenty to Instagram, lol.
Since there are only four suites, it’s pretty much impossible for the Inn to feel overly crowded so there’s always space for you to chill by the pond out back or relax and read about how badass Eleanor was in the sitting room.
The Old Rhinebeck Inn
340 Wurtemburg Rd,Rhinebeck, NY 12572