OMG--what a treasure…read more
My wife and I are longtime devotees of wellness and spiritual retreats. Over the years we've stayed at Kripalu in Lenox, the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, Spirit Rock in California, Ann Wigmore in Puerto Rico, Hippocrates in West Palm Beach, 10,000 Waves in Santa Fe, Gurney's in Montauk, Pura Vida in Costa Rica, Dreams Tulum in Mexico, and Plum Village in France. We've been around the block.
Just two hours from Brooklyn, Sanivan delivered some of the best food we've ever eaten--anywhere. Breakfasts of French toast, porridge, or eggs laid each morning by the hens in the backyard were followed by sumptuous vegetarian lunches and evening smoothies made with homemade cultured yogurt and berries. The result: eight pounds lost in eight days, without hunger or deprivation.
Sanivan is run by Saniye and her husband Ivan, who have made it their life's work to transmit the wisdom of wellness through living it fully and sharing it generously. Saniye does all the cooking, and Ivan is a master ballroom dance teacher and gifted body practitioner, expert in shiatsu, deep tissue, reflexology, and Raindrop therapy. During our eight-day stay, we learned tango, salsa, and merengue, and each received extraordinary bodywork in a beautifully designed spa with radiant floors and heated massage tables.
Each day Ivan foraged through the surrounding farm country, sourcing pristine ingredients for Saniye to prepare. Meals were taken beside a kitchen window overlooking a bird feeder alive with activity; during a snowstorm, two deer wandered right up to the glass to nibble fallen seed. Sullivan County revealed itself as a hidden wellness and farm-to-table oasis, with a burgeoning "hickster" scene centered nearby in Livingston Manor.
At Sanivan, we ate astonishingly fresh, vibrant food while two feet of snow blanketed the ground. Even in the heart of the blizzard, a local farmer arrived with a sack of organic, greenhouse-grown sprouts--three varieties, still alive with vitality. In a strange and wonderful way, the experience felt more exotic than a tropical retreat.
From 1910 to 1970, this area was a thriving Borscht Belt resort region--Hurleyville is where Mel Brooks got his start--before falling into decades of dormancy. Today, it's reemerging as a sophisticated hub for self-starters and adventurers. Two blocks from Sanivan, a Parisian woman and her partner, former Park Slope residents, have opened a gourmet café and are expanding into a farm-to-table restaurant. Nearby, a Kundalini yoga studio operates out of a picturesque red barn.
Within 20 minutes are a constellation of small mountain towns experiencing a quiet-edge renaissance: Mountaindale, Smallwood, Cochecton, Parksville, Jeffersonville, White Lake, and Narrowsburg. Add to that a deep fly-fishing culture centered on the Beaverkill River in Roscoe and Livingston Manor, where the sport took hold in the late 1800s and drew generations of New Yorkers seeking the outdoors.
As a history buff, I found the layered cultural and communal life of the region endlessly fascinating. Every moment felt exploratory and alive.
We're Brooklynites always in search of rest and healing, and discovering that kind of joy so close to home felt like a gift. We'll be back in the spring to swim in the Sanivan saltwater pool and watch farm country wake from its long winter sleep.
Addendum from Shoshana (Noel's wife):
I'm in wholehearted agreement with everything shared above. I would only add how deeply appreciative we were of our time with Saniye and Ivan--both are genuinely curious, caring, and fully engaged in their respective paths of healing work. It was a joy to spend time together in thoughtful conversation, while also feeling their sensitivity to our need for quiet and alone time, especially during the gentle detox we experienced. Having both a sauna and a gym in the house was an enormous support, and we made grateful use of them throughout our stay.
