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‘Like you’re getting a mountain hug’: Hinata Retreat opens in the Berkshire Foothills
Find luxe cabin and romantic frills at this Charlemont couples’ escape.
At new adults-only Hinata Retreat, a small cabin-studded resort that opened in October in Charlemont, you can almost reach out and touch the Berkshires.
Wrapped in a blanket on the loveseat by the in-room gas fireplace and gazing out of the huge windows that overlook Mount Institute and the Berkshire East ski resort, each cabin feels like a secluded getaway. From the location to the amenities—oversized soaking tubs, cushy king-sized beds, private hot tubs—the retreat is ideal for romantic reconnection. Even the landscape, it seems, is happy to shield couples from the outside world.
“It’s almost like you’re in between two mountains, like you’re getting a mountain hug,” Jen Neilsen, who founded Hinata with husband Jeff Neilsen, says with a laugh. The couple owns the property in partnership with hospitality powerhouse Howard Wein, who spent years opening restaurants across the country—including the famed Marimoto in New York City—before starting Wein Hospitality in Western Mass.
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Nestled in the Berkshire foothills of Charlemont—an easy two-and-a-half hours from Boston—the cabins are 500 square-foot jewel boxes, each a quick walk from the property’s small gourmet market and restaurant, The Perch. The whole resort is a marriage of scale and intimacy. Twelve cabins are currently open, with eighteen more on the way in the coming months. A spa cabin, too, to fully dial in on the relaxing vibe of the hiking-path strewn landscape.
Only a sliver of the property’s sprawling 489-acre footprint is developed, which feels like a balm for bustling city life. Each cabin is far enough away from the next to feel secluded without sparking cabin fever. Winter days, snow clings to tree branches and drapes over the hills. Nights, though, might be the most stunning. Charlemont boasts some of the darkest skies in the state, calling for stargazing over a bottle of wine at the firepits on each cabin’s private deck. There, the loudest sound you’re likely to hear is the wind through the trees. No toddler tantrums, no screaming kids, owing to the resort’s 18+ guest policy.
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No disrespect to parents and kids, of course. After all, the decision to make Hinata Resort a kids-free zone was one gleaned from experience. The Neilsens, from nearby Agawam and who now live on the property, are raising three young boys and know that perhaps traveling with kids is not exactly a vacation for parents. “We did the cruises,” Jeff Neilsen says. “We’ve gone to the all-inclusives, but you come back and you don’t feel like you’re rejuvenated.” About eight months after their youngest kids—twin boys—were born, the Neilsens left the kids with their grandparents and reconnected at a five-star couples-only resort in Tennessee. “While we were down there one morning, we were just talking and were pretty much like ‘there’s nothing like this in the New England area,’” he continues. “We just instantly started saying, ‘we can do this. Let’s figure out a way to bring our experience here back home.’”
The first step for the Neilsens—who have worked in real estate for years—was finding the perfect property. That match made in heaven was the site of the former Warfield House Inn, then owned by the Shaefer family, who also own the neighboring Berkshire East Mountain Resort and other developments. The Neilsens closed on the property last October. The Shaefers also introduced the couple to Howard Wein, who they partnered with on dining concepts. Wein first started as a food-and-beverage consultant for Hinata before he had a lightbulb moment. Hinata was forecasting travel trends for both adults-only and culinary-focused travel. He was so enamored by the concept he joined as a full partner.
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The light at the resort, meanwhile, steeps the surroundings in the romance. “Hinata” means “facing the sun” in Japanese—a nod to Jen Neilsen’s heritage—and all of the cabins face the sunrise. Sunset-facing cabins are on the way next year, too. Yes, thick curtains are on hand to block out the early morning sun if you must, but the temptation here is to let nature in and shut everything else out. (The technological necessities are on hand, though. There’s the ever-present wifi and the smart TV you can watch from the giant in-room soaking tub.)
Designed by the Neilsens, the interior of the cabins harken to sleek, Japanese minimalism instead of cabin kitsch. The wood floors and walls are awash in dark, muted colors. The furniture is spare, with little more than a love seat, nightstands, and bed. Instead of cabinets and closets, stow your things in the cleverly camouflaged drawers within the base of the king-sized bed. The vibe here is “hang in your sweats” anyway, so pack light.
The kitchenette is surprisingly stocked, with a mini-fridge, microwave, and all the tools needed for cooking on the two-burner stove or the outdoor gas grill. In the mornings, brew up some of Hinata’s signature coffee, a blend offered nowhere else and made in partnership with Mocha Joe’s Roasting Company in Brattleboro, Vermount. Even the bathroom with its dark tiles and Public Goods bath products is couple-focused thanks to that double shower.
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As tempting as it is to stay in your cabin, venturing out for food at the onsite modern American restaurant is a must. The Perch, aptly named for enviable view, opened in early December and caters to both restaurant guests and the public within its dining room and more laid-back lounge and bar. Wein and executive chef Corey Weber crafted a locally sourced, global-minded menu with delights like tuna crudo and a crowd favorite tagliatelle Bolognese. “I don’t use words like farm-to-table because if you live in a community like this,” Wein says. “It’s just the way that you should cook.” You can’t get more locally sourced than produce procured from the on-site garden. Wein himself drives to nearby Berkshire Mountain Bakery for the olive bread that’s grilled and topped with smoked shrimp, fresh lemon, and pickled shallot. Packing sneaky heat from the Calabrian chili butter, it’s a star of the starters and salads section, which also sees a perfect chopped salad that balances the bitterness of cabbage, radicchio and frisee with goat cheese, pickled apple, and candied pepitas.
During months of menu developments, self-taught executive chef Weber riffed on creative preparations and ingredients. Take the pickled grape chutney that joins smoked polenta in the crispy-skinned chicken entrée. “It’s sweet, pickle-y kind of thing,” he says. “So I feel like that’s the wackiest [ingredient] to me.” The jumbo lump crab appetizer is a must-try, too, as are the scallops with perfectly caramelized exteriors, served with almost meaty French lentils. Be sure to save room for desserts—silky cheese cake, brown-butter cake with cinnamon and apples—which are a partnership with Lucy Damkoehler of nearby Sweet Lucy’s Bakeshop. Damkoehler worked previously at famed Gramercy Tavern in New York City. For the beverage program, Wein worked with cocktail consultant Willy Shine to curate a mix of beer, wine, and cocktails that flirt with unexpected liquors. The Hitobanjuu Espresso Martini, which features Japanese vodka and vanilla-like, almost grassy Kota pandan liqueur, might be worth the drive to Hinata alone.
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Guests can opt for VIP packages like all-inclusive meals and iced champagne and rose-petal strewn beds on check-in. Even barring those, though, a visit here offers something priceless: Some peace and quiet to reconnect.
Hinata Retreat, 17 Main St., Charlemont. Cabins start at $400 per night.hinataretreat.com.
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