Getaway in the Catskills
When we were living in Manhattan, we made a fall or winter weekend in the Catskills a routine. After our first visit (in snowy March), I spent a significant amount of time checking the tourism websites for all five counties in the region to locate an attractive, affordable hotel with both a fireplace and a jacuzzi. I think there were 2 or 3 possibilities at best. Since then, I shared multiple trips we took to our favorite, The Katerskill. It was the perfect way to enjoy the Catskills while the nights are still chilly.
But we always said how we’d have liked to rent a cabin or something and go in the late summer. The prices and scene are far more low-key than in other summer escapes (like the Hamptons) and we imagined tubing down the Esopus river, eating locally-made maple ice cream, and sitting outside under stars.
Sadly, we never got ourselves up there for warm weather, but there’s a new hotel that looks like it would have been perfect for that quick escape.
The Graham & Co.—which seems vaguely modeled after hipster-pleasing motel rennovation concepts like that of The Ace in Palm Springs (Don’t you love the RayBan Wayfarers in all the set-up shots?)—is a 20-room hotel in Phoenecia. That image of the movie outside on the lawn? Perfection! Especially since there still isn’t much to do at night up that way.
Phoenecia is a small town but it has a few cute eateries and shops, and is the perfect base for tubing. I haven’t tried it, but apparently you can ride down-river and then get out at a designated spot for a ride back to Phoenicia on the Catskill Mountain Railroad. How cool is that!?
