What does all-inclusive actually mean at an upstate New York resort?

Usually three meals a day plus the grounds and the standard activities, which is the old American Plan rather than the Caribbean model. Rocking Horse Ranch is the clearest example, naming lodging, meals from arrival dinner to departure lunch, horseback riding and its indoor water park in its own package terms. Mohonk runs a full American Plan with three meals and afternoon tea, and uniquely includes gratuities. Winter Clove, Pine Lake Manor and Baumann's Brookside all build three meals into every per-person rate. What is nearly always outside the rate is alcohol, which no resort here includes, along with spa treatments, and a short list of asterisked activities that carry a nominal fee. At Mohonk the exclusions are the famous bits: rock climbing, the Via Ferrata and horseback riding are all charged separately.

How far are these resorts from New York City?

Between about ninety miles and four hours' drive, and the resorts themselves are inconsistent about publishing it. Mohonk Mountain House states roughly ninety miles north of New York City on its own site. Ridin-Hy Ranch describes itself as positioned four hours north. Woodloch publishes a drive time from the George Washington Bridge, which is the honest way to quote it since it is in Pennsylvania. The rest publish nothing at all about the drive, which is worth knowing when you are planning arrival day around small children. As a rule of thumb, the Hudson Valley properties are the ones you can reach in a morning, the Catskills resorts add an hour, and the Adirondack camps are a genuine day's drive.

Which upstate resorts have an indoor water park?

Two, and only one of them is in New York. Rocking Horse Ranch has Big Splash, an indoor water park included in its package and open year round, at Highland in the Hudson Valley. Woodloch also runs an indoor water park year round, but it is in Pennsylvania. Villa Roma publishes indoor and outdoor pools rather than a water park. Everything else on this page is outdoor water: Mohonk swims in its own lake, Timberlock in Indian Lake, and the Catskills resorts have seasonal pools. That makes the indoor-water question the single most useful filter for a winter or early-spring booking, because it reduces nine resorts to two.

Family resortsUnited StatesRates checked August 2026

New York All Inclusive Family Resorts, and What the Per-Person Rate Leaves Out

Q: Are there all inclusive family resorts in New York?

Yes, but not in New York City, and the distinction matters because that is what most people searching this actually picture. All of them are upstate: in the Catskills, the Hudson Valley or the Adirondacks. Mohonk Mountain House publishes itself as roughly ninety miles north of the city, and Ridin-Hy Ranch describes itself as about four hours north. Woodloch, which appears near the top of most lists for this search, is in Hawley, Pennsylvania, not New York State at all. Of the nine checked here, seven include three meals a day in the quoted rate. What almost none of them include is alcohol, and several exclude the 8 percent state sales tax and gratuities from the figure they advertise.

Best all round: Rocking Horse Ranch Resort

Photo: Cornflower123 · CC0

Nine resorts answering this search were checked against their own published rate sheets in August 2026. Seven genuinely include three meals a day in the price. One is in Pennsylvania rather than New York. And one calls itself an all-inclusive resort in New York on its own homepage while selling breakfast and dinner as separate prepaid credits. None of them is in New York City, and the nearest is ninety miles away.

Emma - Hotels and neighbourhoods

Published August 23, 2026

Updated 23 August 2026Facts rechecked by March 2027

In Brief

Are there all-inclusive family resorts in New York?

Yes, but none of them is in New York City and the nearest is about ninety miles north of it. Seven of the nine resorts here include three meals a day in the quoted rate, which is the old Catskills American Plan rather than the Caribbean version: food and activities are in, alcohol almost never is. Rocking Horse Ranch is the strongest all-round pick, with lodging, three meals, horseback riding and an indoor water park in the package. Winter Clove Inn is the value answer at a published 150 dollars per person per night with three meals.

Seven of nine include three meals daily. Alcohol is excluded at every single one of them
Mandatory add-ons vary widely: 15 percent at Rocking Horse Ranch, 18 at Woodloch, 12 at Timberlock
Woodloch is in Pennsylvania, not New York, despite dominating this search
Villa Roma markets itself as an all-inclusive resort and sells meals as separate prepaid credits

What the rate covers, and what it does not

Every line below comes from the resort's own rate sheet, terms page or FAQ, checked in August 2026. Not offered means the resort publishes that the item is not in the rate. Unverified means it publishes nothing either way. The pattern in upstate New York is the opposite of the Caribbean one: meals and activities are usually genuinely included, and the money leaks out through tax, gratuities and a short list of asterisked activities. Read the bottom of the rate sheet rather than the top, because that is where the 8 percent state sales tax and the mandatory percentage live, and at three of these resorts the quoted per-person figure excludes both.

Rocking Horse Ranch Resort

All-inclusive package

Three meals dailyIncludedIncluded in the rateFrom dinner on arrival to lunch on departure
Horseback ridingIncludedIncluded in the rateNamed in the package terms, which is rare
Indoor water parkIncludedIncluded in the rateBig Splash, open year round
Alcohol and bar purchasesNot offeredNot offeredThe Silverado Saloon is charged separately
Arcade, arts and crafts, mining campExtraCharged on top
Resort feeExtraCharged on topA mandatory 15 percent, which the resort states is not a gratuity

Winter Clove Inn

All-inclusive, three meals daily

Three meals dailyIncludedIncluded in the rateBuilt into every quoted per-person rate
Grounds activities and poolsIncludedIncluded in the rate
New York State sales taxExtraCharged on top8 percent, explicitly excluded from quoted rates
GratuityExtraCharged on topExcluded, with no percentage published
Bowling in the antique alleyExtraCharged on top
AlcoholNot offeredNot offeredBar purchases are charged

Mohonk Mountain House

Full American Plan

Three meals daily plus afternoon teaIncludedIncluded in the rate
GratuitiesIncludedIncluded in the rateThe only resort in this set to include them
Hiking, the lake and the groundsIncludedIncluded in the rate
Spa treatmentsExtraCharged on topBooked and paid separately
Via Ferrata, rock climbing and Pinnacle Ledge toursExtraCharged on top
Horseback and carriage ridesExtraCharged on top
Room service and Chef's Table diningExtraCharged on top

Pine Lake Manor

All-inclusive, three meals daily

Three meals dailyIncludedIncluded in the rateFamily style on a fixed menu, breakfast 8:00 to 9:00
All sports and recreation facilitiesIncludedIncluded in the rate
EntertainmentIncludedIncluded in the rate
New York State sales taxExtraCharged on top8 percent, explicitly excluded from quoted rates
Gratuities for wait staff and chambermaidExtraCharged on topExcluded and paid directly, with no percentage published
Snack bar food and drinksExtraCharged on top

Woodloch Pines

American Plan, two or three meals daily by choice

Two or three meals dailyIncludedIncluded in the rateGuest's choice of plan, in the Main Dining Room
Indoor water park and Kids ClubIncludedIncluded in the rateBoth run year round
AlcoholNot offeredNot offered
Asterisked activitiesExtraCharged on topMarked with an asterisk on the daily sheet and charged a nominal fee
Rifle range, batting cages, mini bowlingExtraCharged on top
Service chargeExtraCharged on topA mandatory 18 percent added to American Plan rates

Baumann's Brookside Resort

All-inclusive, three meals daily

Three meals dailyIncludedIncluded in the rateFamily style, breakfast made to order 8:00 to 9:00
Most on-site activities and entertainmentIncludedIncluded in the rate
New York State sales taxExtraCharged on top8 percent, explicitly excluded from per-person rates
GratuitiesExtraCharged on topExcluded, with no percentage published
Horse races, bingo, airbrush tattoosExtraCharged on topListed as small fee activities

Ridin-Hy Ranch Resort

American Plan

All-you-can-eat diningIncludedIncluded in the rateBuffet-style selections plus table service
Guided trail ridingIncludedIncluded in the rate
Standard riding lessonIncludedIncluded in the rate
AlcoholNot offeredNot offeredNot listed among inclusions, and the resort does not itemise bar prices
Private and specialty lessonsExtraCharged on top
Gratuity policyNot publishedNot publishedNothing published anywhere on the resort's own site

Timberlock

All-inclusive camp rate

Three meals dailyIncludedIncluded in the ratePlus coffee and tea at any time
Non-motorised activitiesIncludedIncluded in the rateCanoeing, sailing, hiking and tennis
Service chargeExtraCharged on topA mandatory 12 percent, which replaces individual tipping
WaterskiingExtraCharged on top150 dollars an hour, any day except Sunday
Horseback ridingExtraCharged on top35 dollars a trail ride, or 30 when booking five or more
Woodshop materials and cocktail cruisesExtraCharged on top

Villa Roma Resort & Conference Center

Varies by package. No standard plan is defined

A defined all-inclusive meal planNot offeredNot offeredThe operator publishes none despite the homepage wording
Breakfast and dinnerExtraCharged on topTypically sold as separate prepaid Breakfast Pack and Dinner Pack credits per person
Dinner and breakfast for twoExtraCharged on topPublished as a 250 dollar per night upgrade
GratuityExtraCharged on topThe FAQ says a minimal gratuity is added to the bill, with no percentage given

Compare family resorts in Upstate New YorkLive rates for your dates

Which resort suits which family

Family resorts in Upstate New York matched to the trip they suit
If this is you	Book	Why
Wanting the fullest package, in any season	Rocking Horse Ranch Resort	Lodging, three meals, horseback riding and an indoor water park are all named in the package terms, and it runs year round.
Watching every dollar	Winter Clove Inn, or Pine Lake Manor for a full week	Winter Clove publishes 150 dollars per person per night with three meals. Pine Lake publishes a motel room for four at 660 per person per week.
Tired of being asked to tip	Mohonk Mountain House	It is the only resort here that includes gratuities in the overnight rate, though its adventure activities are all extra.
A party of seven or eight	Baumann's Brookside Resort	Its largest unit is published at up to eight people, the biggest single unit in this set, though the season ends on 31 August.
Wanting your children off screens	Timberlock	An unplugged Adirondack camp with no electricity in the cabins, three meals daily and non-motorised activities included.
Coming outside the summer	Rocking Horse Ranch, Mohonk, Villa Roma or Winter Clove	These four run year round. Pine Lake Manor, Baumann's Brookside and Timberlock are summer-only and closed most of the year.

Flights to Upstate New YorkCompare airlines and dates

What the bands mean

This is the rare corner of travel where resorts still publish their prices, and several of them do it as a per-person weekly figure rather than a nightly room rate. Pine Lake Manor lists a motel room for four at 660 dollars per person per week. Winter Clove Inn publishes 150 dollars per person per night midweek from January to May with three meals included. Timberlock publishes 1,883 dollars per adult per week. What those quoted figures leave out is the thing to watch. New York State sales tax of 8 percent is excluded from the per-person rates at Pine Lake Manor, Baumann's Brookside and Winter Clove, and all three say so plainly. Then come the mandatory add-ons, which vary more than the room rates do: Rocking Horse Ranch adds a compulsory 15 percent resort fee and states specifically that it is not a gratuity, Woodloch adds an 18 percent service charge to its American Plan rates, and Timberlock adds 12 percent that replaces tipping altogether. Mohonk Mountain House is the only resort here that includes gratuities in the overnight rate.

€: Family-run Catskills houses with three meals in the rate
€€: Mid-size ranch and lake resorts with activities included
€€€: Large activity resorts with indoor water parks
€€€€: The historic mountain house on the American Plan

The 9 resorts, and the plan to book at each

Hudson Valley
Rocking Horse Ranch Resort
€€€Best all round
A Hudson Valley ranch resort that runs year-round, and the most complete all-inclusive package in this set. Its own terms state that packages include lodging, meals from dinner on the arrival day through lunch on departure, horseback riding and the Big Splash indoor water park. Three meals a day, plus a dessert bar and coffee around the clock.
Room to book
Book this room: A family room sleeping up to six
Pools and slides
Big Splash indoor water park: Year round · heated
Children eating
Not published. Children are priced into the package
Restaurant reservations
Not published
Right for
A family who want riding and an indoor water park in one price, in any month of the year.
Wrong for
Wrong for: Anyone who reads a quoted rate as the final number.
The catch
The catch: The mandatory 15 percent resort fee is added on top of the quoted rate, and the resort states explicitly that it is not a gratuity, so tipping sits on top of that again. It also publishes no flat rate at all, using a live booking engine instead, which makes it the hardest resort here to price before you commit.
Check dates and rates at Rocking Horse Ranch ResortOpens the live rate for your dates
Catskills
Winter Clove Inn
€Best value
A family-run Catskills inn that has been doing this for generations and says so plainly: being an all-inclusive resort means all your meals are included. Three meals a day are built into every quoted per-person rate, and the rates themselves are published by season on its own site.
Room to book
Book this room: A family room sleeping four
Pools and slides
Pools (outdoor): Seasonal
Children eating
Not published
Restaurant reservations
Not published
Right for
A family who want the old-fashioned version of this at the lowest published price on the page.
Wrong for
Wrong for: Anyone who wants a water park or a spa.
The catch
The catch: The published figure is not the figure you pay. The rate page states plainly that rates do not include the 8 percent New York State sales tax or gratuity, and it publishes no gratuity percentage at all, so you are budgeting for an unknown on top of a known. The antique bowling alley, one of the things the inn is known for, is also charged separately.
Check dates and rates at Winter Clove InnOpens the live rate for your dates
Hudson Valley, New Paltz
Mohonk Mountain House
€€€€
The 1869 Victorian mountain house above its own lake on the Shawangunk Ridge, roughly ninety miles north of New York City by its own reckoning. It runs a full American Plan: three meals a day from dinner on arrival through lunch or brunch on departure, plus afternoon tea. It is the only resort here that includes gratuities in the rate.
Room to book
Book this room: A family room sleeping four
Pools and slides
Mohonk Lake swimming (outdoor): Summer · unheated
Children eating
Not published
Restaurant reservations
Wine pairing dinners and the Chef's Table are separate bookings
Right for
A family who want the grand version, and who value not being asked to tip at every turn.
Wrong for
Wrong for: Anyone who wants the adventure activities in the price.
The catch
The catch: The activities the resort is famous for are the ones that cost extra. Rock climbing instruction, the Via Ferrata, the Pinnacle Ledge tour and horseback riding are all outside the American Plan, so a family that came for the Shawangunks pays again for the reason they came. No nightly rate is published either, only percentage-off specials.
Check dates and rates at Mohonk Mountain HouseOpens the live rate for your dates
Catskills
Pine Lake Manor
€
A family-run Catskills resort on 275 acres that publishes a full rate schedule as a PDF, per person per week, with three meals daily and use of all sports and recreation included. Meals are family style on a fixed daily menu, which is either the charm or the problem depending on your children.
Room to book
Book this room: A motel room for four, published at 660 dollars per person per week
Pools and slides
Lake and pool (outdoor): Summer season
Children eating
Not published. Rates are per person, including children
Restaurant reservations
Not published
Right for
A family who want a full week at the lowest per-person price published anywhere on this page.
Wrong for
Wrong for: Fussy eaters, and anyone who wants to come outside the summer.
The catch
The catch: It is seasonal and short. The resort opens for Memorial Day weekend and closes at the end of the summer, so it is unavailable for two thirds of the year including every school holiday outside summer. Meals are a fixed daily menu served in a narrow window, with breakfast running only 8:00 to 9:00.
Check dates and rates at Pine Lake ManorOpens the live rate for your dates
Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania
Woodloch Pines
€€€
The resort that dominates this search and is not in New York. Woodloch is in Hawley, Pennsylvania, in the Poconos, close enough to the state line that it appears in every New York all-inclusive list. Guests choose a dining plan of two or three meals a day, and the activity programme is the reason people return.
Room to book
Book this room: A family unit sleeping up to six
Pools and slides
Indoor water park: Year round · heated
Children eating
Not published
Restaurant reservations
Not published
Right for
A family who want the fullest activity programme in the region and do not mind crossing a state line for it.
Wrong for
Wrong for: Anyone who specifically wants to be in New York State.
The catch
The catch: Two things. It is in Pennsylvania rather than New York, which matters if you are choosing on location rather than on drive time, and the mandatory service charge is 18 percent on top of the American Plan rate, the highest compulsory add-on in this set. A long list of activities also carries an asterisk and a nominal fee, so the daily sheet is worth reading before the children pick.
Check dates and rates at Woodloch PinesOpens the live rate for your dates
Northern Catskills
Baumann's Brookside Resort
€
A northern Catskills resort that has been in the same family since 1921, publishing a 2026 rate sheet that states rates include three meals daily, free wifi and most on-site activities. Its largest unit sleeps eight, the biggest in this set.
Room to book
Book this room: The largest family unit, published at up to eight people
Pools and slides
Pools (outdoor): 22 May to 31 August 2026
Children eating
Not published. Rates are per person on double occupancy
Restaurant reservations
Not published
Right for
A large family or two families travelling together who need eight places under one roof.
Wrong for
Wrong for: Anyone travelling outside the summer.
The catch
The catch: The 2026 season runs only from 22 May to 31 August, so it is closed for two thirds of the year and unavailable for every holiday except the summer one. Summer stays are also sold as three-night packages rather than by the night, and the quoted per-person rates exclude both the 8 percent state sales tax and gratuities.
Check dates and rates at Baumann's Brookside ResortOpens the live rate for your dates
Adirondacks
Ridin-Hy Ranch Resort
€€
A genuine Adirondack dude ranch about four hours north of New York City by its own description, running an American Plan with all-you-can-eat dining and guided trail riding included. It publishes distinct spring, summer, autumn and holiday seasons and runs all year.
Room to book
Book this room: Ask directly, since the resort publishes no occupancy figures in readable text
Pools and slides
Private lake and pool (outdoor): Seasonal
Children eating
Not published
Restaurant reservations
Not published
Right for
A family who want riding included rather than charged, in the Adirondacks rather than the Catskills.
Wrong for
Wrong for: Anyone who needs to know the room size and the total before booking.
The catch
The catch: It publishes the least of any resort here. The seasonal rate sheets are not in readable text, no room occupancy figures are published, and there is no gratuity policy on the site at all, so both the price and the party size have to be established by telephone. It is also four hours from New York City, the furthest on this page.
Check dates and rates at Ridin-Hy Ranch ResortOpens the live rate for your dates
Adirondacks, Indian Lake
Timberlock
€€
An unplugged rustic family camp on Indian Lake in the Adirondacks, with no electricity in the cabins and a deliberate absence of screens. Three meals a day are included along with a long list of non-motorised activities, and it publishes its rates openly at 1,883 dollars per adult per week.
Room to book
Book this room: A cabin with a private bathroom, published at 1,883 dollars per adult per week
Pools and slides
Indian Lake swimming and boating (outdoor): 27 June to 5 September 2026 · unheated
Children eating
Not published. Children are priced at their own published weekly rate
Restaurant reservations
Not published
Right for
A family who actively want their children off screens for a week and will swim in a lake rather than a pool.
Wrong for
Wrong for: Anyone who wants a water park, a lift or reliable power in the room.
The catch
The catch: The riding and the waterskiing, which are what many families picture when they book an Adirondack camp, are both charged on top: 150 dollars an hour for waterskiing and 35 dollars a trail ride. The season is also only ten weeks, from 27 June to 5 September in 2026, and the cabins have no electricity.
Check dates and rates at TimberlockOpens the live rate for your dates
Catskills, Callicoon
Villa Roma Resort & Conference Center
€€
A large Catskills resort at Callicoon whose own homepage title calls it an all-inclusive resort in New York. It is on this page because of what happens when you read past that line: its FAQ and dining pages define no standard included meal plan at all.
Room to book
Book this room: A family unit sleeping up to six, and confirm what the package feeds you
Pools and slides
Indoor and outdoor pools: Year round
Children eating
Not published
Restaurant reservations
Not published
Right for
A family who want a large resort with a golf course and will read the package inclusions line by line.
Wrong for
Wrong for: Anyone who books on the phrase all-inclusive and expects it to mean meals.
The catch
The catch: The marketing and the terms do not match. The homepage sells it as an all-inclusive resort in New York while the dining pages sell breakfast and dinner as separate prepaid per-person credits unless a specific package bundles them, with adding dinner and breakfast for two published at 250 dollars a night. That is the single widest gap between what is advertised and what is included on this page.
Check dates and rates at Villa Roma Resort & Conference CenterOpens the live rate for your dates

Where not to book in Upstate New York

Three things to check before you book any of these. First, the geography, because this keyword misleads. There are no all-inclusive family resorts in New York City. Every property answering this search is upstate or across a state line, and Mohonk, the nearest, publishes itself as roughly ninety miles north of the city, with Ridin-Hy about four hours away. Woodloch, which dominates the search results, is in Hawley, Pennsylvania, not New York at all. Second, the bottom of the rate sheet. Pine Lake Manor, Baumann's Brookside and Winter Clove all quote per-person rates that exclude 8 percent New York State sales tax and exclude gratuities, and none of those three publishes a gratuity percentage, so you are adding an unknown to a known. The mandatory percentages elsewhere are large and inconsistent: 15 percent at Rocking Horse Ranch, which the resort states specifically is not a gratuity, 18 percent at Woodloch and 12 percent at Timberlock, where it replaces tipping entirely. Third, the word all-inclusive itself. Villa Roma's own homepage calls it an all-inclusive resort in New York, and its dining pages sell breakfast and dinner as separate prepaid per-person credits, with dinner and breakfast for two published as a 250 dollar nightly upgrade. Alcohol is excluded at every resort on this page without exception.

When to book

Season decides this more than price does. Four of these nine run all year and the other five do not: Pine Lake Manor opens for Memorial Day weekend and closes at the end of summer, Baumann's Brookside runs 22 May to 31 August in 2026, and Timberlock runs just ten weeks from 27 June to 5 September. If you are travelling at Christmas, February half-term or Easter, your list is Rocking Horse Ranch, Mohonk, Villa Roma and Winter Clove, and the two with indoor water parks are Rocking Horse and Woodloch across the state line. Summer at the seasonal resorts books early and long, because these are multi-generational places where the same families return the same week every year and rooms are held before they are ever advertised. Two of them sell by the week rather than the night, so decide the length of stay before you compare prices, since a per-person weekly figure and a per-room nightly figure are not comparable numbers.

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Photos via Wikimedia Commons, used under their respective licences.

Farmland in the Taconic range near the Hudson River Valley in New York State: Collier, John, Jr., 1913-1992, photographer - Public domain · source
A Catskill Park boundary sign beside New York State Route 23: Tyler A. McNeil - CC BY 4.0 · source
The swimming beach and dock on Mohonk Lake at New Paltz, New York: John Margolies - Public domain · source
A wooded overlook in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania: Nicholas A Tonelli - CC BY 2.0 · source
Mist clearing over wooded hills in the Catskills after rain: ndecker - CC BY 3.0 · source
Rolling forested ridges of the Catskill Mountains in New York State: Courtney Read readintoit - CC0 · source
Forest and water in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York: MonikaMurren from Beacon, NY, United States - CC BY 2.0 · source
Sunset over Seventh Lake in the Adirondack Forest Preserve: Anne LaBastille - Public domain · source
A rustic trail sign on the carriage paths above Mohonk Lake, New Paltz: John Margolies - Public domain · source

New York All Inclusive Family Resorts, and What the Per-Person Rate Leaves Out

Are there all-inclusive family resorts in New York?