While we didn’t stay in the Hilton Westchester for business travel, we think its a great choice given its vicinity to New York City but for those who want to be away from the urban noise and close to and among nature. There’s free wifi, a fitness center (bravo) and a complimentary local shuttle service which is great if you don’t have a car.
The property is situated on 37 acres of beautiful woodland, and in addition to offering a retreat-like experience, it also offers activities on-site, like tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a hot tub and jogging and walking trails, making it a great family travel stay as well.
Hilton Westchester Rooms
They have 445 newly refreshed guest rooms and suites which depending on where your room is, will have beautiful views of lush gardens around the property.
Refreshed standard guest rooms include free standard WiFi and offer the largest accommodations in the Westchester area — all rooms feature large desks with ergonomic desk chairs, hence the great choice for business, 42-inch LCD flat-screen TVs, comfortable chairs with ottomans, and MP3 docking stations.
Above indoor room photos, courtesy of Hilton Westchester.
We tried room service while we were there as we were heading to a morning graduation the same day so was pressed for time. Go for one of their omelets — you can build your own which is great for those with food sensitivities.
Note that there’s plenty to do in area, arts and cultural activities as well as nearby farms.
The Interior
Inside the lobby has some lovely upscale, artistic and historical touches throughout including statues, plants, gorgeous throw rugs and an antique car.
The Outdoor Pool
The outside pool was the perfect choice when we were there in late June — there were plenty of towels and the gardens and grounds surrounding the pool are absolutely lovely. Note that the indoor pool is home to the hot tub which is open until 10 pm — we experienced it after dinner one night and it was the perfect way to wind down before a late night cuppa tea.
Farm-to-Table Dining at härth
härth Restaurant and its wood-burning oven is the anchor of the public area of the hotel. härth’s menu includes American comfort food as well as fabulous fish and chicken dishes. We happened to be there on the same day as a wine tasting so sampled one of their picks that evening from Brotherhood, which has been around since 1839, known to be America’s oldest winery.
While we had dinner here, it’s also a great choice for lunch — I’d definitely recommend sitting outside if passing through during a warmer month.
Above two shots, credit: Hilton Westchester
We tried to keep things healthy so went with a couple of their lighter salads — they have a variety of both salads and sandwiches to choose from, including a Baby Spinach salad, tomato and Arugula with Coach Farm goat cheese, and a Crispy Fried Kale and Romaine salad with caesar dressing.
We also tried the Charred Octopus, Arugula and Fennel salad with a lemon oregano drizzle. It’s hard to pass up anything with fennel in it when I see it on a menu.
For mains, we went with the Miso Glazed Atlantic Cod which they serve with Squash n oodles and white wine risotto and the Seared Wild Striped Bass, with Beluga Lentils and charred lemon — oh so delish! We moved from the Brotherhood Chardonnay to the Beringer Private Reserve and Chalk Hill with our fish dishes although the former was lovely.
Steak lovers will appreciate that they offer 8, 10, 12 and 18 ounce steaks and there’s also Angus beef burgers on the menu if you want something a little lighter or are traveling with kids. There’s truffled Mac and Cheese with crunchy Prosciutto, a Garganelli Pasta, a Organic Ancient Grains Tomato Risotto and a pork chop from Berkshire Farm.
They also offer a variety of flatbread pizza as well which is also available on a gluten free crust. And as for dessert? Simply divine!
Two thumbs up! We’d definitely stay here again and can’t say that about all hotel chains we’ve experienced over the years. The Westchester Hilton is a cut above others we’ve stayed in similar categories.
For even more luxury, consider the Ritz Carlton in White Plains nearby which also has an amazing spa or head to the Cloisters to escape Manhattan’s noise.
See some of our NYC foodie picks although we’ve covered a number of restaurants in New York State, as well as New York City, so be sure to see our Food Guides, Food/Wine section and our Restaurant Reviews. Also check out our other hotel reviews — there’s a Marriott in Westchester as well and we did a piece on some family travel stays in New Jersey. If you have time, consider a drive up to historical Tarrytown which is closeby.
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Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
