The new hotel drawing New York's smart set to its neighbouring state

Times

21-06-2025

Spring is just about to break in New Jersey's Somerset County and while the trees are still bare the sky is duck-egg blue and cloudless. Around my feet a brood of chickens peck at the mulch and in the next field a flock of sheep gather at the farm gate, anticipating breakfast. The scene could be plucked straight from Countryfile. It's almost impossible to believe that I'm just about an hour from the pulsing heart of New York City and in an entirely different state.
I'm checked into the new Pendry Natirar, a historic estate turned swish hotel that's shrouded by 500 acres of grounds and parkland near the town of Peapack, all within 35 miles of Newark airport. Opened last October, the hotel is centred on an elegant Tudor-style mansion, with 68 plush guest rooms. It's a lesson in country-style luxury and it has already been drawing city slickers from the Big Apple and Philadelphia (about a 90-minute drive) looking for a bucolic escape. While the Pendry brand has hotels across the US, including in Chicago, Washington DC and San Diego, the Natirar is its debut in New Jersey.
Best of all, the hotel fully leans into New Jersey's 'Garden State' nickname. The name dates from the 1800s and came about thanks to the abundant farmland and bounty of fresh produce that's all around. More than a century later it still stands up. The state has about 10,000 farms spread across some 750,000 fertile acres, and one of them is right here on the property.
I wander through the Pendry Natirar's 12-acre farm with the farm manager, Melinda Hopkins. It's early March, so the vegetable patches are mostly bare — but they'll soon be rainbow bright with green as produce such as beetroot grows. There are already neat, fat rows of garlic in the ground and in the greenhouse the air is thick with the scent of rosemary and thyme. It'll all be used by the chefs at the on-site restaurant Ninety Acres. 'Farm-to-table' marketing speak is common in the States, but at Pendry Natirar it's true. There's a constant dialogue between the site's chefs and its farmers, Hopkins tells me: 'We test the crops that our chefs want — everything is seasonal and there's experimentation on both sides. The menu at Ninety Acres changes constantly.'
I try the farm's cornucopia that evening. The Ninety Acres restaurant unfolds in a photogenic whirl of veined marble, exposed brick and glossy tiled floors. Dominating the space is a sprawling open kitchen, with a hearth and a brigade of chefs busying themselves over artistically plated dishes. The sun has set by the time I sit down, but if it were daylight I'd have been able to take in the lush grounds through giant floor-to-ceiling windows.
The farm-fresh dishes don't disappoint. I'm greeted with hunks of wholewheat bread infused with honey from the farm and served with light-as-air butter. That's followed by a pretty beet salad finished with earthy shaved truffles and shiitake mushrooms. My main is an entire head of cauliflower doused in a rich miso puree and sprinkled with crunchy pumpkin seeds. I pair it with a buttery chardonnay from Meadowbrook Winery, a relatively young boutique winery in nearby Oldwick that focuses on estate-grown varietals. My waiter also tells me that the seasonal cooking classes offered by the hotel and restaurant are endlessly popular. Most recently it had the local chef Kathleen Sanderson teach guests how to whip up seared ribeye steaks along with shrimp cocktail shooters and roasted tomato soup.
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The next morning my culinary adventures continue at the more casual Ladd's Tavern — though the first thing I gobble up is the view. The Natirar is set on a natural ridge, with the tree-studded expanse of Natirar Park rippling beyond the hotel's borders. Ladd's Tavern's terrace fully milks the pastoral vistas and I feast on scrambled eggs fresh from the hotel's own chickens as I drink them in.
The name Ladd's Tavern is significant too, tapping into the property's layered history. The local merchant and insurance mogul Walter Ladd had the Tudor-style mansion built in 1912. After Walter and his wife, Kate, died, the estate was left to the Kate Macy Ladd Fund — Kate was a philanthropist and ran a women's rehabilitation centre right on the estate. That centre outlived both the Ladds, operating until 1983 when King Hassan II of Morocco bought the property. Somerset County finally acquired it in 2003 and the site became protected county parkland. Various private developers leased the land, with Ninety Acres opening in 2009 and the Pendry Natirar finally opening in the autumn of 2024.
If you wondered: Natirar is Raritan (as in the Raritan River, which runs beside the property) spelt backwards. It's a theme that runs throughout the design too. My room is a palette of muted greens, bright tans and creams, with slick mid-century-style furniture and giant grilled windows that reveal leafy views. The common areas epitomise rustic chic. The Great Room (somewhere between a lobby area and a communal living room) becomes my favourite spot for fireside pinot noir, with its dark panelled wood, stone fireplace and intricately moulded ceiling. There's also the Library, with an inviting couch and objet d'art-filled cabinetry, and the Billiard Room.
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Mother nature is front and centre at Spa Pendry too. The eucalyptus used in the steam rooms is plucked straight from the farm and more huge windows surround the pool. I stop by for an Illuminating Facial (from £178) before heading out into the grounds. Walking and biking trails strike through forested groves and along the Raritan River, and you can book a guided nature hike or rent ebikes through the hotel. I do the latter, enjoying the views and feeling the brisk March air on my cheeks.
The estate's roster of activities — from biking to axe-throwing to archery to craft workshops — is enough to keep guests busy, but you'll be rewarded if you venture further afield too. Pendry Natirar is in a central position in the state. Drive an hour south and you'll be in Trenton, the museum-filled New Jersey capital. Push southeast to hit the coast, and take in jewels such as Atlantic City, with its buzzy boardwalk and casinos, or Cape May, known for its photogenic Victorian architecture.
But the spoils of Somerset County should be enough to keep you busy too. Central New Jersey's horse country, filled with farms and country clubs, is right on the doorstep. In October, the Far Hills Races (a high-profile steeplechase race) is the crown jewel of the area's cultural calendar, but you can lean into country life all year round.
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From pick-your-own farms to cideries to farmers' markets, agritourism is the region's top draw. I make a pitstop at Bluebird Farm for a meet-and-greet with some friendly alpacas, a 15-acre site in the Somerset Hills with white picket fences and a quaint red barn (from £12). The expectant herd scoff grain from the palm of my hand; the gift shop heaves with knitted accessories and stuffed animals made from alpaca fleece.
As we drive on, quaint towns brimming with bakeries and bookshops break up farms and parkland. I fuel up in the little town of Basking Ridge, where the Washington House Restaurant dishes up steak, scallops and burgers (mains from £13; washingtonhouserestaurant.com). Then it's on to the county's other calling card: golf.
Five courses are run by the Somerset County Park Commission, but even total novices (me) can enjoy the USGA Golf Museum and Library, the oldest sports museum in the US. I spend an hour or so wandering rooms filled with vintage photographs and portraits, clubs and clothing, and learn about legends from Francis Ouimet to Arnold Palmer. The Hall of Champions glitters with trophies from USGA champions past, but my highlight is the 'moon club' — the club that astronaut Alan B Shepard Jr used to hit golf balls on the surface of the moon in 1971 (£11; usga.org).
I get a last bite of the Garden State before heading back. This time I sit down at Red Horse by David Burke, a swish New American spot in the pocket-sized borough of Bernardsville. The decor embraces the region's equestrian heritage — with fat wooden beams and paintings of bridled horses — and the sizeable menu draws from local farms (I choose a creamy truffle-finished pasta dish, mains from £19; redhorsebydb.com).
The final road trip back to Pendry Natirar delivers on country charm. The sun sinks behind silhouetted trees and the hotel looms large on the horizon, swaddled by the Somerset Hills. The view throws some final weight behind that Garden State nickname and I look forward to one last fireside pinot noir at the ultimate country retreat.Jacqui Agate was a guest of the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism (visitnj.org) and the Pendry Natirar, which has room-only doubles from £500 (pendry.com). Fly to Newark