.webp)
.jpg)
Late Checkout is TQE’s travel vertical. Whether you’re seeking an Eat Pray Love moment of your own, or a wholesome family sojourn, we hope you embark on an adventure requisite of a late checkout below.
Our team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the web’s best products. If you purchase through our links, we may receive a commission. Our editorial team is independent and only endorses products we believe in.
We like
We don't like
"Four score and seven years ago," I had just moved back to LA from New York—now referred to as my “Rehabilitation Era.” I was endlessly scrolling on #DeepWellness influencer accounts, telling me what powders to include in my daily smoothies, what oils to avoid, and about their journeys as Manifesting-Generators on the Human Design scale. One thing kept popping up: The Ranch Malibu.
Beloved by internally aligned celebrities like Jessica Alba and Gwyneth Paltrow, The Ranch was an upper echelon retreat that boasted daily two-to-four-hour hikes, plant-based nutrition, a rigorous fitness / detox / recovery regimen, and spiritual connectedness—all against the backdrop of LA’s magnificent mountain-meets-oceanscape. I saw it, clocked it, and determined it was forever out of my price range (with one week costing roughly $10,000). Wellness would just have to wait…until this past spring when my dreams finally came true.
The Ranch Hudson Valley officially opened in April 2024 after piloting a pop up at the globally renowned medical spa Palazzo Fiuggi back in 2022. Located in Sloatsburg, New York, their latest location has become the ideal hop-skip wellness destination for frantic New Yorkers (and Midwest / East Coasters alike).
I was invited to experience their four-night program at the former Table Rock Estate (which had once been inhabited by the J.P. Morgan himself), and I—on one hand—had no idea what I was getting into, and—on the other hand—am so glad I didn’t because it was one of the best surprises of 2025 so far.
Get With the Program
When I began my foray into wellness retreats in 2023, I assumed all of these programs were pretty much the same. They all had the word “wellness” after all. However, as I’ve advanced in my retreat journey, I’ve discovered that—while most programs include some form of nutrition, exercise, recovery, and/or detox component—how they execute these pillars is extremely unique and distinct from one another. In The Ranch’s case, hiking is at its core.
The Ranch Hudson Valley offers 3 or 4-night stays, but it’s not unusual for converted Ranchers to opt to stay a week (or two!) even. That’s thanks to their incredibly therapeutic, thoughtful, and structured programming.
Every day’s activities and itineraries are meant to support the rigorous hike of the day. Like any good musical performance crescendo, the hikes progressively get mic-droppingly more challenging over the course of your stay with a continued emphasis on recovery and mindfulness (we’ll talk about the cold plunging shortly). Whether you choose the two or four-hour hike option, you’re repeatedly told “you’re hiking for time, not distance,” continuing to emphasize the point that you’re not meant to push yourself over the limit (or over the mountaintop, rather)...just to your own peak.
From the day’s start to finish, all physical movement is sandwiched between restorative and strengthening movement like a pre-hike morning stretch, an optional post-hike strength training or yoga class, hot-cold therapy with a lifechanging sauna / cold plunge back-and-forth, and daily athletic massages.
For those looking to add in more mindfulness, wellness-centric activities into their stay, you might find yourself leaning into hypnotherapy, receiving a body composition consultation (in a literal alien pod), joining a journaling workshop, indulging in reiki, or detoxing with a colon hydrotherapy session.
Getting Ready to Ranch
About a month before I arrived at The Ranch, I received a PDF that provided a highly detailed protocol to build up my physical and mental endurance as a part of pre-arrival prep. Included in this document was a packing list (that I, admittedly, looked at a little too late) and nutritional, exercise, and lifestyle recommendations that advanced over a four-week period.
As someone who was already working out five days a week with LA hikes inserted in between, I felt I was already on my endurance journey, but understood later on why this protocol was so important.
Come Prepared
You know how you have those friends who seemingly know what a CamelBak is and like camping? I’m not that girl. You say “hiking boot” to me and I immediately dissociate—not totally dissimilar to when my parents moved me into my freshman year dorm and wanted me to scan bedding and towels at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
With that said, don’t expect to show up at The Ranch with a pair of Converse and yoga pants (which I almost did!!). Their packing list suggestions aren’t overthought or hyperbolic, but rather functional recommendations that will ensure your stay is optimized to be productive, comfortable, and suitable for whatever season you’re (literally) walking into.
The Hudson Valley Must-Haves I had in my bag…
As mentioned above, I have never worn hiking shoes in my entire life. Especially given the state of LA hiking, a typical pair of supportive gym sneakers has never failed my ability to tackle an incline. However, these hiking ~sneakers~ were insanely impactful and supportive during my Ranch experience.
I had—and I kid you not—sprained my ankle mere days before amidst trying to eat an energy bar while descending stairs (update: the energy bar was eaten!). I was really nervous about my ankle health, given I was about to dive into four days of actual hiking, and my Merrells kept my feet totally secure, provided durability and non-slippability during inclement, upstate weather conditions, and didn’t require arch support for my tragic flat feet.
The best part? They’re stylish enough to be included in my current daily cosmopolitan athleisure looks (and compliments have been given!).
We like
We don't like
Two words: game. changer. Everyone, including the staff, at The Ranch, had something nice to say about my very official hiking backpack. “Woah, you fancy,” was one comment that stuck in mind, given I had absolutely no idea that there was such a thing as hiking cache.
This backpack held three liters of water, which lasted me more than my four-hour hikes, and made space for everything I needed in the most comfortable fashion possible. The pack itself was lightweight, which also ensured that I didn’t have to do any adjusting (or readjusting) throughout my treacherous mountain climbs, and found it—instead—to be a pretty stabilizing resource. I also got to do the whole “drink out of the straw” thing that real hikers do, which made me feel like hiking was maybe my new personality.
We like
We don't like
As an LA girlie, the idea of a windbreaker has always been confusing to me (even with the several years I spent back east). The first (and last) place I visited to find what I needed was North Face.
The Tek Approach Jacket was super lightweight, but also insulated enough to keep me warm amidst consistently changing spring East Coast weather. If it was raining or windy, I was protected and could layer seamlessly; if it was sunny, I didn’t feel overly warm.
We like
We don't like
One thing The Ranch prioritizes throughout one’s stay is foot care. There is heightened awareness that, given the amount that you’re going to be walking, the chances of blisters or irritation is a high possibility, so mitigation is key.
I was advised to give toe socks a try, and by the end of my four nights, other patrons treated me like I was somehow an expert in all things hiking accessories. The Injinji Crew Toe Sock prevented any form of toe chafing, promoting natural “toe splay.” I also had—and I repeat—zero blisters throughout my stay since my socks provided insane ventilation (and therefore no sweating or rubbing). I’ve continued to wear them when I’m feeling my most sassy and they honestly feel like a life hack!
We like
We don't like
Good Morning, Ranchers
The first thing that was said to me after I rolled up in front of the expansive 40,000 sq ft estate was, “Forget whatever is going on out there. You’re on Ranch Time now.”
Very quickly, I was given my itinerary for the days ahead and swiftly shepherded to my stunning suite (one of 26 on the property), which felt like a private bedroom in a home that I’d like to think I inhabited in a past life. Almost immediately, myself and ~35-40 of my fellow Ranchers were brought together in the gym (which was once the mansion’s ballroom) for a pre-intro hike yoga session. “Who are these people? What is happening? Will I need walking sticks?” I wondered while in shavasana.
I soon learned that the rituals being practiced upon our arrival would be rituals and routines that we would all cling to as a part of our daily enmeshment into our new hiking portal. Every hike began with a meditation or motivational quote of some sort, all pressure of pace was removed, and taking in the beauty of our surroundings was paramount. Most importantly (as heard on all of our personal walkie talkies), “water, water, water.”
I found The Ranch’s program uniquely interesting because—almost in a boarding school type-of-way—we were given start-and-stops for our day: first, get woken up at 6:00a by someone clinking wind chimes and whispering, “Good morning, Annie,” followed by a precisely timed morning stretch, breakfast, and then BAM, we were off to the paces. Even though we were all there by our own free will, there was an immediate sense of obligation to one another, our own goals, and allowing The Ranch’s mission to “work its magic.”
Our meals, snack time, recovery, and wellness also lived within defined timelines that I amazingly never found stressful. Maybe it had something to do with this idea of “Ranch Time,” where we were encouraged to put our phones to bed, trusting the staff to tell us what time it was over our respective walkie talkies (it explains why I don’t have as many photos of this trip as I would have thought!).
And if you’re still wondering about the lore of the actual hikes, let me get into it. Although living with a swollen, sprained ankle at the time, I opted into the four-hour hikes at every turn with reassurance that there was no speed I needed to keep up with.
Very quickly, I saw the magic in the hiking as “a thing we were all doing.” We’d all start together, only to energetically spread out into smaller cohorts of shared pace, endurance, and intention. Every day was varied, which allowed for everyone to wade between solitary peace and deep, profound conversation with perfect strangers, which made the four hours blow by.
Most importantly, there was a real unity around the impact that nature had on all of us. Trite to say in modern-day times, where “getting back to nature” feels obvious, but there really was this exhilarating energy that came from deprioritizing our phones and computers, choosing to breathe fresh air, connect with real people, and eat fresh food.
The Ranch Recovery System
Recovery and physical self-care were greatly emphasized during my time at The Ranch.
After every hike, there was “foot care” that involved everyone ripping off their socks and hurriedly filling large silver bowls with lavender essential oils, ice, and hot water, going back and forth between hot and cold to cut any immediate inflammation.
Then, almost as if we were a small army of walking warriors, Ranchers would gather around a white board that would list out any of our daily (included) massage timings, fitness classes, mindfulness activities, or wellness consults, so we could engage with our free time accordingly.
While some filled the time with further activities, many of us found ourselves in The Ranch’s serene spa, that included a large pool, jacuzzi, cold plunge, and one of the most beautiful infrared saunas I’ve ever seen. At one point, we even had a Cold Plunge Coach (I’ll call her) come into the sauna and guide us through breathing exercises, followed by militant cold plunging. I’ll never be the same in the best way possible (did you know you’re supposed to dunk your whole head?).
Food as Fuel
There is absolutely no way to talk about my time at The Ranch without talking about the insanely flavorful food.
Chef Michael Narciso managed to deliver thoughtful, completely plant-based cuisine day and night that leveraged local ingredients (some even from The Ranch’s own farm!), and there wasn’t a moment I asked “Where’s the beef?”
All of the nutritionally dense, seasonal, organic menus are designed to support wellness and detoxification while also delivering all of the essential nutrients and caloric energy one would need in order to fulfill hiking promises.
As someone who is not plant-based in her day-to-day life, I was very impressed by the diversity of food, flavor, and nutrition. The Ranch also works with you if you have any food modifications to ensure that your digestion and dietary needs stay on track throughout your time. Side note: I also have to scream about the tahini quinoa snack balls that I still make at home to this day because they live rent free in my mind (and stomach).
Water, Water, Water
During my four nights at The Ranch, I feel like so much happened in a way that makes it almost impossible to synthesize properly. It was like stepping into a vortex where you have to keep asking yourself if you really are where you are (and I still am not sure I wasn’t just astral projecting!).
So many of the people I met during my time are people I am still in touch with, and I attribute much of that to how The Ranch curated our programming. I also found it interesting that so many Ranchers were—yes—people who were coming in from the City or other East Coast enclaves in search of a respite—but there were also other Ranch die-hards, who had been to the Malibu outpost, and were so motivated by the programming and long-lasting benefits, that they flew from all over just to make it to the Hudson Valley location.
I felt taken care of, considered, challenged, and connected, and would happily lose my current surroundings to find myself back at The Ranch.
Book your upstate escape at The Ranch Hudson Valley.
.jpg)
.jpg)
