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New York City in the height of summer with children. Would you buy that for a dollar? Precisely. But take your crew 90 minutes north of the Big Apple to Mohonk Mountain House in the heart of the Hudson Valley and you'll not regret it for a second.

It gets its name from the surrounding Mohonk Preserve, on the fringes of the monumental Shawangunk Ridge, a vast cliff band that runs down through Pennsylvania to New Jersey.

It is astonishing to find such wilderness so close to the city. The hotel is a faux-gothic Victorian castle and may look too faux to European eyes, but the lake, gardens and trails are a vast adventure playground for all ages. 

The faux-gothic Victorian castle hotel, Mohonk Mountain House, is surrounded by beauty

Writer Felix Milns found the hotel, lake, gardens and trails an adventure playground for his young family

One afternoon, we check our two girls into the kids' club and climb up the Labyrinth trail (one of eight epic scrambles) to Lookout Tower on the high bluff above the lake. We clamber over boulders, up timber ladders and squeeze through tiny gaps in the cliff band. The 360-degree views are inspirational.

The kids' club is the best we have experienced. Our girls make paper bag whales, cork puppets and chalk drawings, dress up and sing songs, go on pony and boat rides.

We use the club as a drop-in once or twice a day, using our free time to explore the 5,000 acres of hotel grounds and the surrounding preserve. 

Felix was able to use the kids club as a drop-in or take his two daughters out on the lake on the pedalos

Another afternoon, we check in to the spa; another morning, we ride Eagle Ridge on horseback as turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks and bald eagles soar overhead. 

In between, we have a ball with the children. We take them out on the lake in pedalos, and walk the lakeside path following a baby deer.

On the opposite side of the lake, a path down from the cliff leads to a sandy beach and swimming area. High on the cliff above is the Granary restaurant, a wonderful open-air grill that serves lunch and lobster cook-outs.

Rooms are divided between the four sections of the hotel, some traditional, some contemporary. All are comfortable, a good size and most come with private balconies. There are no TVs.

Guests of the hotel enjoy a day on the lake on canoes, one of many outdoor activities in the area

The hotel began life as a ten-room drinking inn. Then, 145 years ago, two Quaker twins, Albert and Alfred Smiley, fell in love with its setting and bought it to use as a teetotal retreat for the great and good. 

It was full from their first season, has played host to five US presidents and is still owned and run by the Smiley family.

But grown-ups will be pleased to know the ban on alcohol has long passed. We raise a glass to simple pleasures.