It’s the time of year for s’mores and snuggling by a fire, and at these five cozy escapes — four new, and one pulling out the stops for its 200th anniversary — you can make the most of the season. Wander snowy trails and savor hearty cuisine at a boutique hotel in the Catskills, taste wine and play board games at a stylish ranch by Yosemite National Park, even learn the arka of yodeling at a hideaway in the Austrian Alps. From a handsome room for two at a Victorian hotel in Irelandto a contemporary mountain home for the whole family in Montana, you just might find yourself wishing for winter to last.
The Catskills, New York
The Henson
This 16 room-and-suite boutique hotel, about two and a half hours north of Manhattan in Hensonville, N.Y., beckons with wood-burning fireplaces and views of the Black Dome valley and nearby Windham Mountain, where you can ski, whiz down a slope in a snow tube, and try “snowga” snowshoe and yoga trekking. (Winter sports also abound at Hunter Mountain, about 10 minutes away.) The building was being used as a hotel as early as 1918, and woodwork, antiques and candlelight make spaces like the library and communal living roomfeel as if you’re in a private home. Linger by the fire with a book, board game or glass of wine. Warm up in the infrared sauna. On a clear day, take in the surrounding hills and peaks from the rooftop deck where there’s a heater above the large sofa.
Begin with breakfast at the hotel’s Restaurant Matilda, where a seasonal menu has dishes like smoked steelhead trout and locally sourced cured meats and cheeses. In the evenings, try wood-grilled oysters with bone marrow, pumpkin seed oil and purple sorrel, served with thick cuts of bacon. Beginning in January a rotating après-ski menu at the bar inside Restaurant Matilda will offer temptations such as smoked eel takoyaki and cassoulet. The chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske Valtierra, of Wildair and Contra in New York (and also among the owners of the Henson), have another restaurant a two-minute walk from the hotel called the Day June Luncheonette, for diner-style breakfast and lunch. At the end of the day, buy a s’mores kit at the hotel and head to the fire pit. Whichever room you’re staying in will have warm hues, Frette linens and Marshall speakers. Some also have outdoor space. Prices from $279 a night.
Groveland, Calif.
Firefall Ranch
