If you’ve been looking for an excuse to make a weekend trip to Beacon, this is it. This spring, the Dutchess County city—beloved for its thriving art scene, ample recreational opportunities, and must-try bars and restaurants—will welcome a state-of-the-art inn and spa. And you might recognize the name behind it.
While Mirbeau Companies celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, the name Mirbeau really came onto Capital Regionites’ radar in 2017, when Spa Mirbeau opened in Crossgates Mall. While the Albany day spa has quickly become a wellness destination for spa-lovers from around the 518, it’s Mirbeau’s other locations—resorts in Skaneateles, Rhinebeck, and Plymouth, MA—that more closely mirror what’s in store for Beacon.
Mirbeau’s largest and most ambitious project yet, Mirbeau Inn & Spa Beacon represents the culmination of Mirbeau founders Linda and Gary Dower’s vision of a luxurious retreat that blends the conveniences of modern life with all the charm of a romantic French manor. Set on 64 acres and surrounded by ponds and gardens à la Claude Monet’s Giverny, the manor itself is an upgraded 72-room Gothic-style 19th century mansion that was once the home of Civil War general and New York State Treasurer Joseph Howland and his wife, Eliza. The Howlands named the home Tioronda, a Native American word meaning “meeting place of the waters.” After Joseph’s death, Tioronda become Craig House, a psychiatric hospital for the rich and famous.
Now, the mansion will once again become a place of healing. When its renovation is completed, the inn will house guestrooms and multiple common spaces, including a grand music room with a pipe organ named after Richard Morris Hunt, the architect who designed it as an addition to the main mansion. The Mirbeau team is also constructing a new chateau that will house the spa on the first floor and additional rooms on the second, third, and fourth, as well as a 3,000-square-foot meeting and events space and tented outdoor space for weddings.
The top draw, as at every Mirbeau property, is the elegant spa, a 25,000- square-foot oasis with 21 treatment rooms offering everything from rejuvenating facials to mineral bath soaks (known as Kurs) for body and mind renewal. Add in eucalyptus-scented steam rooms, relaxing saunas, a solarium with floor-to-ceiling windows, a reflection room for decompressing post-treatment, an Aqua Terrace with a hot spa whirlpool and outdoor bar, and three fitness spaces, and you’ll never want to leave. And then there’s the Bistro & Wine Bar.
When they aren’t wandering the gorgeous grounds, relaxing in the spa, or resting in their sumptuous rooms (which are equipped with fireplaces, soaking tubs, and double sinks) guests can indulge in a meal at the Bistro & Wine Bar, Mirbeau Beacon’s onsite restaurant that overlooks the gardens. The menu, also inspired by the cuisine of France, will showcase the bounty of the Hudson Valley, with local and seasonally sourced produce and ingredients from the farms, artisans, and drinks producers that have enriched life in the region for centuries. In addition to the Bistro, the resort will also boast a Champagne Terrace serving cocktails, bubbles, and light fare right off the Hunt Music Room, and the Aqua Terrace will be stocked with ready-to-go meals and a variety of libations.
I’m heading to France for the weekend, minus the hassle of international travel. You in?
While in Beacon…
5 things to do beyond the Mirbeau Inn & Spa gates
Visit Dia Beacon, one of the largest exhibition spaces in the country for contemporary art
Tour Pollepel Island, home to Bannerman Castle, an abandoned military surplus warehouse
Explore Mount Beacon, whose summit reaches 1,500 feet and boasts panoramic views of Downtown and the Hudson River
Eat at The Wild Kitchen & Bar, a gluten-free and vegetarian hotspot serving lunch every day and dinner Monday–Saturday
Drink specialty coffee drinks at Beacon Coffee Co. & Mercantile—and pick up a souvenir from your trip to town while you’re there
