Holy Cross Monastery — Local services in Town of Esopus

I just returned from my 6th or 7th visit. True, this is not technically a hotel but it's a phenomenal place with great hospitality. It's a guesthouse and it is part of a Benedictine order of Episcopal (Anglican) monks. The Benedictines are renowned for their hospitality. There are towels and wash cloths and wonderful bathroom facilities. There are single rooms with comfortable beds with sheets and pillows and blankets; no dorms with multiple beds. Rooms are spartan but decorative and functional and many have full views of the river and the sloped hill leading down to it. There are no TVs and no air-conditioning (there are fans in each room), however there is air-conditioning in the dining hall and in most of the meeting rooms. There is complete silence from 8:30 p.m. (after Compline--a type of religious service) to 8:30 a.m. (after breakfast, which, other than on Sundays, is simple with cereal, yogurt, juice, bread, oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, and sometimes quiche). Dinner at 12:30 is the big gourmet meal and then at 6 p.m. there is a lighter supper.||||You are never pressured to attend services, and you can come and go at your leisure. There is no curfew and all are welcome. There is a suggested per night donation, but you may pay as you wish. The grounds are gorgeous any time of year with many nature trails within a short, vigorous walk. It is remote (Poughkeepsie is a $20 taxi ride away), but it is incredibly restful and attracts very kind and interesting people with whom you may converse with a little, a lot, or not at all. There are a few restaurants within walking distance, but you will not need them. The Monastery chef is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America just across the Hudson River and to the south. Gourmet meals of shrimp and skirt steak and creamy polenta and garlic mashed potatoes. There is a fantastic hot breakfast on Sunday mornings. Breakfasts are taken in silence which can be a beautiful experience with the sun rising across the Hudson. Sometimes there are silen retreats there all week, so if the prospect of being quiet at all times freaks you out, ask prior to booking if there is a silent retreat planned for when you will be there. If you have a car, there are many wonders to explore all over the place on both sides of the Hudson. You have the Vanderbilt Hyde Park mansion and FDR's Hyde Park compound on the east side of the river (the Vanderbilt place is within view of many of the rooms at Holy Cross as well as from the dining hall, or refectory). You can drive to New Paltz (only 6 miles away) or up the east side of the Hudson to Rhinebeck or the Livingston-Mills Mansion. For those without a car, like me, take Metro-North from Grand Central to Poughkeepsie (a lovely ride; make sure to sit on the left--west-facing--side of the train) and then get a taxi to the Monastery. Pay no more that $20 with a $2 tip. Some of the guys will try to rip you off so caveat emptor: it's $20 for the first person and $2 for each additional person. On the way back from the Monastery, if you make friends and collect a group of 4 pp going to the train, it's only $25 for the 4 of you (not including tip) with JFK taxi.||||The terrace facing the river off the main gathering room (where there is always a jigsaw puzzle in the works) is a great place to sit in a rocker with a cup of coffee or a piece of fruit (available all day for free or a donation just outside the refectory) and stare out at the passing ships. In the hot weather don't be shy about walking down to the river and jumping in. ||||It's a great place to do absolutely nothing or work or read a book or just listen to what the universe or, if you are so inclined, the Lord is telling you. The services are very relaxing with chant and some more elaborate services and eucharist. All they ask is that you be respectful, be contemplative, and...

I just returned from my 6th or 7th visit. True, this is not technically a hotel but it's a phenomenal place with great hospitality. It's a guesthouse and it is part of a Benedictine order of Episcopal (Anglican) monks. The Benedictines are renowned for their hospitality. There are towels and wash cloths and wonderful bathroom facilities. There are single rooms with comfortable beds with sheets and pillows and blankets; no dorms with multiple beds. Rooms are spartan but decorative and functional and many have full views of the river and the sloped hill leading down to it. There are no TVs and no air-conditioning (there are fans in each room), however there is air-conditioning in the dining hall and in most of the meeting rooms. There is complete silence from 8:30 p.m. (after Compline--a type of religious service) to 8:30 a.m. (after breakfast, which, other than on Sundays, is simple with cereal, yogurt, juice, bread, oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, and sometimes quiche). Dinner at 12:30 is the big gourmet meal and then at 6 p.m. there is a lighter supper.||||You are never pressured to attend services, and you can come and go at your leisure. There is no curfew and all are welcome. There is a suggested per night donation, but you may pay as you wish. The grounds are gorgeous any time of year with many nature trails within a short, vigorous walk. It is remote (Poughkeepsie is a $20 taxi ride away), but it is incredibly restful and attracts very kind and interesting people with whom you may converse with a little, a lot, or not at all. There are a few restaurants within walking distance, but you will not need them. The Monastery chef is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America just across the Hudson River and to the south. Gourmet meals of shrimp and skirt steak and creamy polenta and garlic mashed potatoes. There is a fantastic hot breakfast on Sunday mornings. Breakfasts are taken in silence which can be a beautiful experience with the sun rising across the Hudson. Sometimes there are silen retreats there all week, so if the prospect of being quiet at all times freaks you out, ask prior to booking if there is a silent retreat planned for when you will be there. If you have a car, there are many wonders to explore all over the place on both sides of the Hudson. You have the Vanderbilt Hyde Park mansion and FDR's Hyde Park compound on the east side of the river (the Vanderbilt place is within view of many of the rooms at Holy Cross as well as from the dining hall, or refectory). You can drive to New Paltz (only 6 miles away) or up the east side of the Hudson to Rhinebeck or the Livingston-Mills Mansion. For those without a car, like me, take Metro-North from Grand Central to Poughkeepsie (a lovely ride; make sure to sit on the left--west-facing--side of the train) and then get a taxi to the Monastery. Pay no more that $20 with a $2 tip. Some of the guys will try to rip you off so caveat emptor: it's $20 for the first person and $2 for each additional person. On the way back from the Monastery, if you make friends and collect a group of 4 pp going to the train, it's only $25 for the 4 of you (not including tip) with JFK taxi.||||The terrace facing the river off the main gathering room (where there is always a jigsaw puzzle in the works) is a great place to sit in a rocker with a cup of coffee or a piece of fruit (available all day for free or a donation just outside the refectory) and stare out at the passing ships. In the hot weather don't be shy about walking down to the river and jumping in. ||||It's a great place to do absolutely nothing or work or read a book or just listen to what the universe or, if you are so inclined, the Lord is telling you. The services are very relaxing with chant and some more elaborate services and eucharist. All they ask is that you be respectful, be contemplative, and...

This place is a Benedictine monastery in the Episcopal tradition with a guest house that hosts group and individual retreats. I went there as part of my church's Men's Group retreat this past fall and it was the most peaceful and relaxing weekend I had experienced in a very long time. This will definitely be a place I will visit at least once a year. It is typically open from Tuesday through lunch on Sunday and most retreats seem to run from Friday afternoon through Sunday lunch.||||The rooms are simple and functional, bed, desk and chair and comfy lounge type chair, couple of lamps and a clock, simple dresser and small closet. There is heat but no a/c, something to keep in mind for summer visits. The bathrooms are communal in the sense that there are several in the center of the guesthouse but each is private. There are several communal rooms, a large library for reading and relaxing, a round dining hall with a great view of the river and of course, the chapel, and all are connected so one never has to step foot outside if one does not wish. The grounds are worth a walk though. The food is mostly simple but very tasty as their chef is a graduate of the Culinary institute of America and there's always coffee/tea/water available.||||The brothers are as diverse as society, some more outgoing, others more reserved, all are friendly. It was a joy to watch all of their services but one is not required to attend any of them. They do observe the "greater silence" from 8:30pm to 8:30am and ask that guests do the same. It was rather refreshing to eat breakfast in silence. One's purpose to stay there doesn't even have to be particularly religious. We shared our weekend with a ball room dancing retreat!||||This place is a great getaway from everyday life, simple,...