When it comes to family outings, nothing is more traditional and fun than a family trip to the Drive-In, especially to Four Brothers Drive-In Theatre. When my husband and I discovered this secret gem in the Hudson Valley we had just graduated from college and were living with my parents. We quickly fell in love with the feel-good atmosphere full of lively music and good food. Each time we would arrive there would be dozens of families present, ready with blankets, and even frisbees- ready to have a great night with family and friends.
The worst part was when we moved to Pennsylvania and Four Brothers Drive-In was now a two-hour drive from home. The first year we tried a couple of other Drive-Ins that were closer, but they just didn’t make the cut. Four Brothers had car-hop service which meant that we literally could order food to our cars as we watched the movie from their Shake Shack. Their BLTs were top of the line, as well as their burgers, but the real piece de resistance was their wine milkshakes. Now, I know it sounds pretty weird, but for some reason, it works. But, honestly, the best part was just the family-friendly environment that other Drive-Ins couldn’t compare too.
Now, we would have loved to keep making the trip every summer but when you have a baby that hates long car rides, it makes the trip a little tricky. So, when we heard about the Hotel Caravana at Four Brothers Drive-In in Amenia, NY, I was more than a little excited to celebrate Mother’s Day a little early.
This is a sponsored post, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Check out my disclosure policy for more information.
What does Hotel Caravana have to offer?
Mini Bar and Food for purchase
Room service from 3-9:30 PM
Bathroom with hot/cold water and a shower
Four Brothers Drive-In and Hotel Caravana- A Mother’s Review
I had told my husband that I wanted to get away for Mothers Day, and due to our schedules, anything more than a night or two wouldn’t have worked. It also meant that we needed somewhere that was family friendly… which honestly limited our options of what would actually be a good time. Let’s be honest here, toddlers get restless.
The Hotel Caravana is an airstream, which means it is a trailer that has been revamped into a beautiful 1967-themed hotel. It had all the perks of a fancy hotel but had the ease of being right near the open air. We didn’t have to worry about needing to run down elevators to get the kids outside to burn out their extra energy.
When you first walk in the door to the Hotel Caravana at Four Brothers Drive-In, you will notice two things. One, there seems to be more space than you thought… and two, the decor is gorgeous.
One of the most important rules of the Caravana is that you must take off your shoes before entering. Since the Hotel Caravana is such a cozy place, taking off your shoes helps ensure that the inside stays as clean as possible.
The Caravana at Four Brothers Drive-In can sleep four to six people. We were two adults and two toddlers, but we could have easily fit my parents if they had the night off.
It’s also located in the Hudson Valley, New York, so it is in a convenient location to other attractions. You could take a weekend trip down to Four Brothers and even stop at Splash DownBeach in Fishkill, NY all in one weekend. My parents live in the heart of Hudson Valley, so I know that is in the cards for this summer.
Check-in is at 3 PM and check-out is at 11 AM. We arrived around 5 PM due to the chaos of leaving the house with two toddlers. I do wish we arrived a little earlier so we could have taken a walk in town, but it was a pretty chilly day so it all worked out anyway.
Fun fact, the motto of the Hotel Caravana is “A Boutique concept bringing you freedom, happiness, and the good life- come experience us.”
We definitely felt free as our kids had a dance party eating pizza under the stars while we waited for the movie to start. The deck right outside of the Hotel Caravana was definitely a lovely touch that I didn’t expect to love as much as I did…it made Four Brothers feel like home.
Even though the weather was foggy our two toddlers enjoyed the playground.
This was our first official trip with two toddlers, and it went better than expected.
Did Our Toddlers to Sleep at the Drive-In and Hotel Caravana?
My husband did try to sneak off with the kids on a quick ride in the car before the movie started to try and get them to sleep- they did not agree with that plan. Because of that I just hopped in the car and my husband and I watched Avengers while our boys watched Baby Shark on youtube until they fell asleep for the night. We had changed them into their PJs so they were all cozy and in new diapers, ready for bed.
We both thoroughly enjoyed the Avengers and Penguins movies despite it being way past our bedtime. The Avengers combined with a warm blanket in our car made us a little too cozy and we forgot to take advantage of the car-hop service! So don’t do what we did and make sure to order before they close. Luckily, we had ordered a large BBQ chicken special pizza and had plenty left over to snack on during the Penguin movie. (Yes, it was delicious cold.)
After the movie, when it was time to move over to the Hotel Caravana for the night I was a little worried about how well my youngest would sleep. K.W. loves his crib and doesn’t do well sleeping in other places. I knew this would be a challenge, however, so I made sure to bring our DockATot to help with the transition. He slept half the night in his cosleeper on top of one of the beds in the Caravana, and just crawled into bed with me when he woke up in the middle of the night.
Other than that small challenge, we all slept perfectly. My three year old even slept until 6:30 AM- which for him is sleeping in! My husband and I were perfectly comfortable in the beds and my only complaint was that I was a tad cold. The Hotel Caravana does have heat and a separate space heater, but I was too paranoid to leave it on while we were sleeping in case the boys snuck out of bed without us realizing.
Overall- I had an amazing time, and saying goodbye to the Four Brothers Drive-In the next morning was actually a little sad. Our kids loved the freedom of being able to run around and we loved the family environment at the Hotel Caravana. It was also refreshing to be able to enjoy a Blockbuster movie with two toddlers without having to get a sitter for the night. The ease and availability of all of our needs of a family definitely made this an early Mother’s Day win in my book and we will be back again.
Go to Four Brothers Drive-In
If you ever have been hesitant to take your family on vacation, this is the place to start out. It’s the best of both worlds. You get to feel at home while watching the latest movies while getting room service and a vacation experience.
Have you ever taken a mini family vacation? How did it go? Either way, you should definitely add Four Brothers Drive-In to your 2019 travel bucket list!
I’ll link their website, social media, and their address below. Make sure to follow them to stay up to date with what movies they are showing and any new things they have got going on!
Four Brothers Drive-In and Hotel Caravana Contact Information
You can find Four Brothers at 4957 Rt. 22, Amenia, N.Y. 12501. Check out their website and social media for more information!
Protected: Mother’s Day at Four Brothers Drive-In and Hotel Caravana
