Announcing Our Next Upstate New York Retreat

Wander Women Wednesdays are back! This mid-week feature is all about highlighting an upcoming Wander Women Retreat, or a new aspect of our retreat business we’re excited about. 

What’s that? A fresh edition of our most waitlisted domestic retreat ever?

Sure is! A new fall-foliage based Upstate New York Wander Women Retreat is officially live for this October! Don’t miss Wander Women Catskills, a long weekend of leaf peeping, boutique accommodation, foliage-inspired yoga, foraged fall cocktails, an iconic New York hike, local libations, sauna and firepit giggles with new friends, and more — all at a gorgeous location conveniently located between my two New York loves of Brooklyn and Albany.

Since the explosively popular first edition of this retreat, I’ve been itching to get back Upstate for the most magical of rainbow-hued seasons. When joyful personal circumstances took international travel off the table this fall — I’ll be welcoming a new family member, courtesy of my sister and brother-in-law! — I knew exactly where the universe was pointing me. 

After much musing at Wander Women HQ, and reflection on the constant feedback that the battle against PTO is a never-ending one, we decided to try something new and exciting — our first ever three day, two night retreat (with plenty of opportunities to extend!) This sneaky little getaway is actually  perfect for those who are low on time but high on desire for a Wander Women adventure before the year is out. Our shorter domestic retreats like this are a really cool blend of beloved Wander Women alumni and new friends curious to dip their toes in the shallow end before diving all in on Wander Women — which, I’m proud to say, they largely do shortly thereafter.

I spent a lot of last year observing my rhythms of life bouncing between Brooklyn and Bali, and one thing I noticed was a huge craving to spend more of the month of October in nature and particularly back in my original backyard of Upstate New York, taking in the change of seasons.

Another deeply personal aspect of this retreat — our donation recipient. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and as always, Wander Women makes a donation to a local charity to give back to each community we host a retreat in. For this retreat, our donation will be to the The Kathryn Allen Center for Domestic Violence Services, named after my angel mom, in my home community of the Capital Region. 

I’ve spent a lot of this year so deep in gratitude for how warm and wonderful it is to return to a safe and comfortable home after a trip; the privilege of which is never lost on me. 

For our third seasonal retreat Upstate, we’ll be returning to the gorgeous Scandi-style Eastwind Hotels, this time exploring their Oliviera Valley property, a hidden gem tucked away in the Catskills State Park. Think quaint towns bursting with local charm, that I can’t wait to explore — Phoenicia’s artsy vibe, Woodstock’s iconic music history, and Big Indian’s breathtaking natural beauty.

I have a little wishlist of Upstate hotels and retreat centers, and needless to say this is at the top of it. We’re checking into the Scandi-style cabins where we’ll share — boozy, if you wish! — spiked apple cider happy hours around the cozy firepit, dine on farm-to-table meals, and run giggling between two onsite saunas. There’s both fall glamping and cozy mid-century modern retreat room options available. This is my dream Upstate weekend, the perfect blend of nature and being nurtured.

Read on for all the magical details — I’m pretty proud of them.

The Details

The retreat will be held from October 18-20th, 2024. The cost, including all of the premium experiences below, starts at $1,500 per person for three days.

What’s Included

• Two nights at the lush Eastwind Oliverea Valley
• Two breakfasts, one lunch, and one dinner
• A foraged fall cocktail class + guided foraging walk
• Daily yoga + meditation + a sound bath experience
• Hiking Giant Ledge trail
• A custom welcome bag
• Professional photos of the trip
• A heartfelt local charity donation

What’s Not Included

• Alcohol and meals not included in the itinerary
• Other activities or meals not outlined in the itinerary
• Local transportation (we will help coordinate groups of women who have cars, or are renting, or want to share Ubers or Lyfts)
• Mandatory travel insurance

The Itinerary

Subject to change, but you’re going to have a magical time — here’s the general idea!

Day 1: Say hello to the Catskills! Today you can make your way into Oliverea Valley at your leisure, and we’ll share some recommended lunch stops and sightseeing on the way in. I recommend arriving around 1:30pm as we kick things off with an intention setting yoga class on the lawn before settling into our accommodation, a highly sought after boutique hotel that beautifully blends nature and design. After, we’ll enjoy a foraged fall cocktail walk and workshop with a female local mixologist (pine-infused spirits, anyone?), gathering ingredients from a local trail and turning them into hand-crafted tipples, before a farm-to-table feast onsite at Dandelion Restaurant. We’ll close the night out with fireside chats and gourmet s’mores!

Day 2: We’ll start the day with breakfast baskets made from local produce to fuel up for our hike ahead. Today we’re stretching our legs and lungs on a four mile walk through the wilderness to Giant Ledge, one of the best effort-to-payoff ratio viewpoint hikes in the area! Multiple overlooks offer swoon-worthy views over the kaleidoscope of fall colors in the valley below. Afterwards, we’ll head into the nearby town of Phoenicia to a famed female owned local diner for lunch, and then enjoy a stroll through this adorable upstate town. Next we’re off to a local brewery to test out some fresh brews while we stretch out our post-hike muscles with a fun flow. We’ll cap the night off with a dinner at Woodstock Brewing Co. before heading back for another night of campfire stargazing.

Day 3: Enjoy your final day basking in Wander Women glow! Rise early to grab a complimentary bicycle for a morning spin, make one last saunter to the sauna, or take it slow from your balcony in the crisp mountain air. Either way we’ll gather for breakfast before checking out and heading to a local yoga studio with a sweeping view of the valley. I will lead you in a soothing yin massage class followed by a sound bath meditation to seal in your weekend of nature and new friendships! Before we hug goodbye, we’ll enjoy a family feast on the deck. For those looking for an afternoon activity, we’ll send you off with recommendations for fun and quirky local sites and museums no matter what direction you’re driving in.

Optional self-guided extension: Follow me to my hometown of Albany for a night, join me for sunset from the New York State Plaza, and take a class at Wander Women regular co-host Jessica Lubin’s very own Good Karma Studio! We’ll recommend our favorite local accommodation.