Photo Courtesy of Caldwell House
By Maryann Hammers
Visiting New York? Get outta town! No, really. Get out of town. Sure, Manhattan might be one of the world’s most renowned cities — but the great state of New York also has much to offer.
Check out these country inns, riverfront hotels, grand city hotels, and cozy B&Bs — all with military discounts.
Free night at Historic Hudson Valley Inn
Caldwell House Bed & Breakfast, a historic 1802 inn in the scenic Hudson Valley town of Salisbury Mills (about an hour from New York City), offers active duty servicemembers and military veterans a free night. Here’s how: Stay and pay for Tuesday and Wednesday, and your Monday night stay is free. Your final cost is $410 (plus tax) for two people for all three nights, and this includes a gourmet three-course breakfast each morning, plus free parking, free internet, and an iPad for your use. While you’re in the area, you can visit Brotherhood Winery(America’s oldest winery), Storm King Art Center (an outdoor sculpture park), and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The offer is valid through Aug. 31, 2016. Beautiful hiking and biking trails are nearby. Call (845) 496-2954 for info.
$20 off at riverfront hotel
The 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, in the Thousand Islands region of Clayton (near Fort Drum), is perched along the St. Lawrence River, offering scenic waterfront views. Through Oct. 31, the luxurious four-diamond, 105-room hotel offers military members $20 off its best available rate. Call (315) 686-1100.
10-percent discount at Catskills B&B
Catskill Lodge, a B&B in the Northern Catskill Mountains, is a three-story 1893 Queen Anne Victorian home and a registered historic site. It sits atop a hill on 5 acres and has an outdoor hot tub, stunning front-porch views, hammocks, and secret waterfalls. Regular rates start at $75 on weekdays or $89 on weekends (plus tax), but active duty and retired military personnel get a year-round 10-percent discount. The offer also is extended to spouses and children of active duty servicemembers who are away on training or deployment. Call (518) 261-7150 and mention the military discount.
$100 a night at restored Hotel Syracuse
After a $70 million restoration, the Hotel Syracuse reopens this summer as the Marriott Syracuse Downtown, preserving the opulence of the original hotel. The hotel first opened in 1924 and was considered the most magnificent in Syracuse, with guests including presidents John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower, Elvis Presley, Bob Hope, Charles Lindbergh, and John Lennon. The government rate is just $100 a night with your military ID. (Regular rates are $219 a night.) The offer is valid through September 2016. Call (315) 474-2424.
10-percent off at Finger Lakes B&B
Maxwell Creek Inn Bed & Breakfast, overlooking Maxwell Bay and Lake Ontario in central New York (between Rochester and Oswego), is a historic 1846 cobblestone house on the National and State Register of Historic Places. Choose from five guestrooms with private baths (full breakfast included). An additional private cobblestone cottage features two suites, each with its own kitchenette and bath (no breakfast included). Regular rates start at $140, but innkeepers Belinda and Pat McElroy (whose two sons are in the Marine Corps) offer a 10-percent discount to active duty servicemembers with military ID. Reserve online using promo code USMIL2016, or call (315) 483-2222. (Please note: Credit cards are not accepted with this offer.)