Collective Governors Island is a tent-filled, summer camp-style retreat in New York Harbor that’s no more a break from the city than it is an immersion into one of its essential public spaces.
By Mark Fedeli
Marketing and Editorial Director, Tablet Hotels
Book Collective Governors Island on Tablet Hotels.
Arguably, the most important part of Collective Governors Island is… Governors Island. From this small island sanctuary off the tip of lower Manhattan you get all-encompassing views of the skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn waterfront (and even Jersey City). There are two former military fortifications you can tour, dozens of historic buildings, a maritime high school, a handful of excellent restaurants and food trucks, a series of bike trails and grassy knolls, multiple playgrounds — including an epic slide hill — and regular art happenings and cultural events.
And without a doubt, the best way to experience it all is with a stay at Collective. It’s important to understand what Collective is not. It’s not a whole world away from New York. Not exactly. The city is always in sight and the island itself has the same energy as any cherished municipal green space. You don’t come here to escape New York, though that wouldn’t be an uncommon cliché to use. You come here to explore the island, and to enjoy the city from a different perspective.
So what is Collective then? It’s a form of glamping, that much is certain. There’s a troupe of well-appointed tents and cabins with varying levels of luxury. There are hammocks and lawn games and fire pits with, crucially, nightly S’mores. There’s also a very nice restaurant called the Three Peaks Lodge, the Sunset Terrace Bar, plus daily morning yoga and a seasonal schedule of activities. Corporate outings are particularly popular, for obvious reasons. And while there’s no pool or spa at the moment, guess what? Governors Island has a great one of its own, QC Spa New York, just a short stroll away.
I stayed at Collective for a couple beautiful days in early June, before the summer season started in earnest, when the retreat was relatively quiet. It was peaceful, serene even, swinging on a hammock, watching the boats pass by, their horns echoing in the harbor.
I was with my young daughter, and we were fortunate enough to be in one of the larger suites with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass windows, an outdoor deck, separate living room space, ensuite bathroom with shower, and kitchenette. It was absolutely lovely, but if I’m being honest, the camping part of the equation was nowhere to be found. We quickly forgot we were in anything resembling a tent, or that had any semblance of roughing it. Which is most certainly not a complaint, just a warning. If its safari vibes you’re after, look to the more traditionally tented accommodations.
But even with all the comforts, the star of the show remained the surroundings. That’s the thing about glamping. While your accommodations might be glamorous, and the meals might be professionally assembled, you’re still there to venture forth and enjoy the outdoors. Which, on Governors Island, doesn’t mean remote wilderness, but a highly functional urban outpost with a quickly growing menu of attractions and a couple centuries of American history, from Revolutionary War battles to meetings between George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev.
What my daughter found most fascinating was the New York Harbor School, a high school on Governors Island that devotes its entire curriculum to the water, studying marine science and biology, learning to sail and to dive, caring for aquatic organisms and ecosystems, and so much more.
Instead of the subway, students get to school on the ferry, just like the one we took to get to Collective. It’s an efficiently run ride that departs from South Street in Lower Manhattan and deposits you on Governors Island more quickly than you’d expect. Within seconds, you’ll be picked up by a Collective-branded golf cart, whisked around the outside of Castle Williams — the iconic circular fort that has stood guard over the harbor for more than 200 years — and taken through the retreat’s front gates, the Statue of Liberty watching right over your shoulder, the World Trade Center towering above it all.
You’re no longer in the city, but you’ve never been more part of it.
Book Collective Governors Island on Tablet Hotels.
Mark Fedeli is the hotel marketing and editorial director for Tablet and Michelin Guide. He’s been with Tablet since 2006, and he thinks you should subscribe to our newsletter.