Inside Pendry Natirar, the New Jersey Resort That Wants to Lure You Away From the Hamptons
The New Jersey that exists in our minds has been shaped by the big three: Jersey Shore, Real Housewives, and The Sopranos. It’s a state with connotations of table-flipping and waste management. So could New Jersey really be home to the next Hudson Valley—the new Hamptons? The new Pendry Natirar, which is now officially open, would like to plead its case.
Robb Report recently visited the property for an exclusive first look at the new luxury resort set within a Garden State pocket of civility, wealth, and bucolic living.
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Nestled at the end of a 1.3-mile driveway that swirls its way through the rolling hills of Jersey’s equestrian country, just 48 miles from Manhattan in Somerset County, the Natirar estate is a 33,000-square-foot 1912 Tudor mansion. Reminiscent of English country estate Natirar’s roots go back over a century, when it began as a home for Massachusetts maritime heiress Kate Macy Ladd. The name is a reversal of “Raritan,” the river that traverses the property. For 75 years, a women’s convalescent facility operated on the premises, until 1983 when Natirar was sold to the royal family of Morocco, who in turn sold it to Somerset County in 2003.
As part of an effort to preserve and activate the premises—which span some 411 acres across the towns of Bedminster, Far Hills, and Peapack-Gladstone—Somerset County leased a 90-acre parcel to local resident and real estate developer Bob Wojtowicz. For the next 20 years, he toiled over an ambitious plan to usher in Natirar’s new chapter.
Under Wojtowicz, the estate has flourished with additions, including the country club and event venue the Club at Natirar, a 12-acre on-site farm, and the farm-to-table restaurant and cooking school Ninety Acres. Now, the arrival of the Pendry brand at the estate completes Wojtowicz’s vision.
Lovers of history will be pleased to know that while the new Pendry’s interiors are decidedly modern, much of the original Tudor mansion’s bones are intact. Interiors company DesignAgency (who also worked on Pendry Washington DC – The Wharf, and the forthcoming Montage Cay in the Bahamas) drew inspiration from both England’s country manors and Pendry’s modern sensibility. The mansion’s original limestone foyer, stone fireplaces, ornate plasterwork, and wood paneling have been preserved and restored, creating a dramatic backdrop for contemporary furniture, lighting and finishes. The result? Interiors that capture the original mansion’s inherent gravitas, yet feel approachable and warm.
The guest rooms capture all of the charm of a modernized Tudor mansion, with none of the dust. All rooms and suites feature walk-in wardrobes, marble bathrooms, Nespresso machines, and bath amenities from New York based perfumer MiN. They make for a beautiful place to wake up—especially from the higher-floor “Estate View” rooms.
As with any country estate hotel, wellness and experiences take center stage at Pendry Natirar. The property plans to offer farm and apiary tours, as well as classes at the Cooking School, and the two-story Spa Pendry, which will incorporate botanicals and honey harvested from the premises into its treatments. The members-only club has rebranded as the Natirar Club and will fall under Pendry’s operational umbrella as well.
Natirar marks the ninth hotel in Pendry’s portfolio and the fourth in the Tri-State area. For a brand perhaps more associated with urban settings, Pendry feels remarkable at home amongst the hillsides of Somerset County.
“As Pendry Manhattan West was so well received in New York, we loved the idea of offering our guests a town and country experience,” said Derek Lescrinier, the hotel’s general manager.
That pipeline of town-to-country is the crux of the Pendry Natirar experience. The hotel is easily drivable from Manhattan in about an hour—a fraction of the time it takes to drive out east or upstate during rush hour—and through several partnerships, Pendry is working to make that transit process even more seamless. The hotel offers a house Cadillac for trips around the Natirar property and within the immediate vicinity. A partnership with Blade takes guests from any of the helicopter service operator’s three Manhattan helipads to nearby Hamilton Farms, where said Cadillac will collect guests and bring them to the hotel. The hotel has even partnered with UPPAbaby to offer complimentary travel cribs and strollers.
The heart and soul of Natirar’s new era, however, remains its signature restaurant, Ninety Acres. Pendry preserved and updated the eatery, which was an established favorite in Somerset County since it originally opened in 2009. The interiors have been refreshed, and there are some revamped menus courtesy of new executive chef Peter Rudolph (previously of Ocean at the Cape Arundel Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine). But despite the changes, the relaxed-yet-refined farm-to-table atmosphere of Ninety Acres remains the same.
In fact, the restaurant’s back patio remains one of the most magical places in all of Natirar. From here, you can place your drink order, stroll through the farm at golden hour, then enjoy dinner under the sunset, as the undulating country of New Jersey stretches out to the horizon. No, it’s certainly not the Hamptons, nor is it upstate—but that’s kind of the point.
Weekend rates start at $600 per night; weekend rates from $1,000.
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