From exploring the outdoors to relaxing inside, these resorts offer everything you need for the perfect Catskills vacation.
In the late 1800s, the mountainous area in southeast New York known as the Catskills was a serene summer vacation spot for Victorian-era Manhattanites to escape the sultry heat of the city. Between the 1920s and 1960s, the Catskills dubbed the “Borscht Belt,” welcomed Jewish families (who weren’t accepted at other resorts across the country) for weeks of summertime entertainment at its multiple sprawling resorts. (Fictional Kellerman’s resort in “Dirty Dancing” was modeled after the real-life Grossinger’s Catskills Resort Hotel that reigned in the area for several decades.) Today, modern high-rise casinos, waterpark hotels, family-friendly all-inclusive properties, boutique motels and ski lodges draw visitors for year-round relaxation and recreation amid the scenic Catskill Mountains. The Catskills remains a popular vacation destination for travelers from nearby New York City, as the area is accessible by public bus or train. Several urban centers in the northeast U.S. — from Boston to Burlington, Vermont to Philadelphia — are within a 200-mile radius. Whether you’re planning a spa getaway with girlfriends, a couple’s romantic trip, an activity-filled family vacation or a sporty adventure in the outdoors, you’ve got plenty of lodging options. (Note: Some properties may require you to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative coronavirus test. Select activities and amenities may also be affected by the pandemic, and mask requirements and capacity restrictions may be in place. Check directly with the hotel for more details.)
Resorts World Catskills: Monticello
The showpiece of Resorts World Catskills is its 100,000-square-foot casino with 1,600 slot machines and 150 live table games including blackjack, baccarat, roulette and craps. Even if you’re not into gambling, this high-rise resort in Sullivan County offers a spacious, heated indoor pool with an outdoor lounging deck. There’s also a fitness center and spa with a eucalyptus steam room and sauna. Resorts World Catskills in Monticello has 10 different restaurants and lounges, including an American restaurant that’s open 24 hours a day. Tower accommodations here range from a 600-square-foot suite to a two-story villa. Travelers appreciate the tower suites’ oversized bathrooms with double sinks and especially spacious showers. Or book a room at the new boutique property on the Resorts World campus, The Alder.
Villa Roma Resort: Callicoon
While Villa Roma Resort is open year-round, it’s especially inviting in the winter months as it has its very own chairlift-served ski and snowboard hill with three trails as well as two snow tubing runs. Year-round at this ski resort in Callicoon, guests can also enjoy an indoor pool and hot tub, plus a huge indoor sports complex with a bowling alley, bounce houses, racquetball courts, climbing wall and fitness center. The game room entertains with video arcade, pool tables, ping pong tables, shuffleboard and more. The warm weather months allow for playing in the outdoor pools and splash pads, plus the resort offers an 18-hole golf course, horseshoes, paddle boats and sand volleyball. All-inclusive packages are available, or you can pay as you go for activities and meals. Visitors give the hearty breakfasts and dinners served in the main dining room especially high marks for their portion size. Traditional hotel rooms are ideal for couples on a weekend getaway, while two-bedroom efficiency suites may suit families who want a full kitchen for storing snacks and preparing meals on a longer vacation.
Winter Clove Inn: Round Top
At this all-inclusive Catskills resort, meals are included in the price of your stay: breakfast features American favorites such as eggs and pancakes; lunch begins with soup followed by a choice of two entrees; and dinner features a salad and bread before a choice of two entrees. Visitors rave about the generous portions of home-cooked meals and appreciate the accommodations made for specific dietary needs. Less time thinking about meals on vacation means more time to play, and at the Winter Clove Inn in Round Top, there are a plethora of options for recreation, including a heated indoor pool, indoor game room and bowling alley. Winter brings cross-country ski trails and a sledding hill to this beloved Catskills family resort, and in the summer visitors can hit the mountain-biking trails, a complimentary 9-hole golf course and an outdoor pool. Families especially love gathering around the campfire and roasting marshmallows with complimentary s’mores kits. A scenic spot for a nearby hike is Artist Falls with its pretty covered bridge. Basic rooms are located in three different buildings, and accommodations include Wi-Fi and air conditioning but no televisions.
The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark: Monticello
New York’s biggest indoor waterpark is located in Sullivan County, less than 100 miles from midtown Manhattan. A consistent 84 degrees Fahrenheit year-round underneath a massive transparent arched roof, the family-friendly waterpark offers guests the opportunity to ride thrilling waterslides, surf the perfect wave, float along a lazy river, get splashed by a massive dump bucket or even play pool basketball. Guests appreciate that an indoor/outdoor hot tub is open in the winter months for soaking outside even on chilly days. Still more indoor fun at Monticello’s The Kartrite Resort: a bowling alley, arcade games, ropes course and laser tag. Visitors report there’s so much to do for all ages at the Kartrite Resort, it’s hard to fit it all in during a short stay. Family-friendly suites include two- and three-bedroom accommodations as well a suite that sleeps up to eight people with a set of two bunk beds. With plenty to do at The Kartrite Resort, you certainly don’t need to leave the property to find entertainment, but hiking trails are steps from the hotel’s front door and multiple local outfitters offer rafting trips on the nearby Delaware River.
Piaule: Catskill
Opened in 2021, boutique Piaule offers 24 private cabins immersed in nature in the Northern Catskills of Greene County. Each rectangular cabin is set on stilts with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the forest. Recent visitors call the views incredible, magical and gorgeous. Furnishings are modern and cabins have heated stone floors and waterfall showers in the bathrooms. The spa, which is a short hike away from cabins, features a hot pool and mineral plunge, sauna and steam room that are accessible to travelers during their stay. There is an additional charge for specialty spa services such as massages, Thai yoga and sound baths. An on-site restaurant serves complimentary breakfast (granola, fruit and pastries) daily, while dinner is offered only on the weekends. There are plenty of nearby options for dining in Greene County, including Catskill brewpubs, beloved diners and restaurants focusing on farm-to-table dishes.
Roxbury Motel: Roxbury
Groovy rooms and lodging modeled after television shows of the 1960s and 1970s are the hallmark of the Roxbury Motel in Delaware County. Adorned in big blue flowers, colorful polka dots and lime green and orange decor (among other hues and designs), the moderately priced accommodations here are irreverent and amusing. The property dates back to 1963 when it known as the Roxbury Motor Lodge, but was reimagined as the current Roxbury Motel in 2004. Also on-site is the Shimmer Spa, a spot to soak in an iridescent-tiled hot tub or relax in a dry sauna; or you can go across the street to the Shimmer Spa North for a stint in the steam room and cushy relaxation area. Guests report that “spa hopping” is a favorite activity. If you’re staying at the Roxbury Motel you have access to even more amenities at the sister property, Roxbury Stratton Falls, located 2 miles down the road. Here, the Crooked Cabana spa facilities look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book with its whimsical architecture. Motel guests can also use the Stratton Falls location’s pool and hop on a hiking trail to a 50-foot waterfall.
Mohonk Mountain House: New Paltz
This luxury Catskills resort in Ulster County is just 90 miles from New York City, but the majestic, castle-like property set amid 40,000 acres of pristine forest is world’s away from Manhattan. The Mohonk Mountain House in Hudson Valley has origins dating back to 1869, when it was just a 10-room inn. Today it boasts 259 rooms and suites with plush Victorian-era decor furnishings, a nod to its storied history. This is an all-inclusive Catskills resort, so room rates include three meals daily plus afternoon tea (alcohol is an additional fee). Every night there’s complimentary entertainment such as movies, live music and campfires with s’mores. Outdoor included activities are especially plentiful in the summer, including golf, tennis, and disc golf. Visitors particularly tout the variety of the on-property hiking trails, from easy nature walks to steeper rock scrambles for experienced adventurers. One popular trail is to Sky Top Tower, which affords views of neighboring states on clear days. Lake Mohonk is a hotbed of activity in the warm weather, with fishing, canoeing, kayaking and swimming. Winter brings ice skating, snowshoeing, snow tubing and cross-country skiing on 30 miles of groomed trails. The Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz also has an indoor pool and complimentary yoga, fitness classes and meditation sessions; while treatments at the full-service, award-winning spa cost extra.
Scribner’s Catskill Lodge: Hunter
It doesn’t offer ski-in/ski-out accommodations, but Scribner’s Catskill Lodge, a staple in the Hunter community since 1966 when it was known as the Scribner Hollow Motor Lodge, is just a three-minute drive to the base of Hunter Mountain ski resort with its 67 trails and 13 lifts. The 38 rooms and suites range in size from 250 to 600 square feet and some have fireplaces and private decks with mountain views. All accommodations feature dark maple floors, vintage rugs, custom furniture and rainshower heads in the terracotta-tiled bathrooms. The on-site restaurant Prospect serves New American dishes inspired by locally sourced ingredients; visitors give especially glowing reviews to breakfast. Drinks can be enjoyed outside on a deck with a fire pit. For variety, you can also head down the road to find a local pub, tavern and brewery. Try “glice skating” on the lodge’s outdoor rink that uses eco-friendly polymer panels to simulate ice skating.
A Tiny House Resort: South Cairo
Seeking your own private space to call home when you’re adventuring (or relaxing) in the Catskills? Consider booking a tiny house at the aptly named A Tiny House Resort in Greene County’s South Cairo. Each dog-friendly tiny house has a kitchen, full bathroom, television, heat and air conditioning, Wi-Fi, private patio, gas barbecue grill and firepit. The 15 named tiny houses each feature a unique design and decor. For example, there’s Lux, with an indoor gas fireplace, gourmet kitchen with dishwasher, lofted queen bed and fenced-in private deck. Mocha is a decked-out studio cabin on wheels (aka a trailer) that’s designed for one or two guests. Family-friendly Nest Inn with lots of windows overlooking Catskill Creek features a lofted king bed, lofted queen bed and convertible couch with two twin beds. This gated property is especially inviting to visit in the warm-weather months when you can swim in an in-ground heated pool, pick your own veggies from the on-site garden, kayak and tube on the creek and hike to a scenic waterfall. Free-range chickens lay farm-fresh eggs daily year-round, and visitors appreciate that they’re complimentary. Guests — especially those with children — love the resort’s friendly goats, rabbits and ducks that also make their home in this rural and remote locale.
Emerson Resort & Spa: Mount Tremper
Named for important 19th-century American essayist and lecturer Ralph Waldo Emerson, author of the influential essay “Nature,” Emerson Resort & Spa is aptly set amid the rolling hills and wooded forest of the Hudson Valley. Rest and relaxation are on the menu here, with a full-service spa offering a variety of massages and facials as well as chakra renewal, tarot card readings and reiki sessions. Contemporary rooms are located in the inn while lodge rooms have a log cabin feel. Travelers note how welcomed their pets are at this dog-friendly resort in Mount Tremper, with its fenced-in dog park featuring fresh running water, a dog run and a special area for small canine friends. Emerson Resort & Spa has a main dining room on-site, the Woodnotes Grille, which serves dishes made with locally sourced ingredients and a drink menu showcasing local breweries, wineries and distilleries. Interestingly, this Ulster County Catskills resort is home to the world’s largest kaleidoscope. Enter the 60-foot-tall silo and look up for the Kailedoshow — a spectacle of intricately designed colorful lights accompanied by music. You can even lie down on the floor to fully take in the sensory experience.
Baumann’s Brookside: Greenville
With a plethora of activities for multi-generational fun, Baumann’s Brookside resort teems with visiting families when school lets out for the summer. A swimming pool with a water slide, arts and crafts, kickball and softball games, paddle boats, bingo, shuffleboard, fishing, scavenger hunts and wagon rides are just a few of the things that impress visitors at this resort. Because of the numerous activities there are to do at this resort, visitors call Baumann’s Brookside resort extremely family-oriented. It’s no wonder it’s a popular family vacation destination, since the resort has been family-owned and operated for more than a century. Room rates include three meals daily, with made-to-order eggs and pancakes for breakfast, as well as hearty dishes served family style for lunch and dinner. The 64 basic rooms and suites are located in motel-style buildings, an 1840s farmhouse or 1870s cottage. While the property on 40 acres is open daily in the heart of the summer, there are also special off-season two- or three-night packages, including festive clambake weekends in the late spring and German-themed Oktoberfest weekends in the fall.
Urban Cowboy Lodge: Big Indian
There’s really very little that’s urban about the Urban Cowboy Lodge, set on 68 acres of wilderness about 120 miles north of New York City. The Big Indian resort freely advertises there’s no cell service available on the property. But that’s okay — all the better to kick back and relax in spacious rooms and common areas adorned in rough-hewn wood, Native American-style blankets, comfy leather chairs, antique snowshoes, furniture made from tree branches and twigs and colorful patterned wallpaper that not only covers the walls but ceilings too. Nature’s right outside your door, especially in the Walden Forest Bathing Suite, which features a two-person soaking tub for soaking on your private deck. Other rooms have clawfoot copper tubs ideally situated in front of giant picture windows. All rooms do include Wi-Fi if you must connect to the real world. On-site restaurant Public House impresses travelers with its wood-fired kitchen and menu showcasing local ingredients. Steps away from the main lodge is a unique sauna in a freestanding hut, ideal for soothing sore muscles after a long hike on area mountain trails. Even better, in the winter you can get your sweat on then jump in the snow to cool off.
Hotel Dylan: Woodstock
With a tagline “Peace, Love, Stay,” it’s no surprise Hotel Dylan in Woodstock, New York, has a laid-back vibe. The boutique hotel’s decor pays homage to the musical greats who reigned during the Woodstock era of the 1960s and 1970s. Each of the stylish 22 rooms has a minifridge, Keurig coffee maker, Wi-Fi and private entrance to the outdoors. What really wows guests is the in-room record player with vinyl records, which are available to borrow from the front desk. A saltwater pool is open seasonally, and two fire pits overlooking a central lawn are ideal for gathering and mingling with other guests. Santa Fe Woodstock is an on-site restaurant serving modern Mexican dishes. While there are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy in New York’s Hudson Valley — from hiking and fishing to skiing and snowshoeing — if you want an indoor gym workout, 28 West Gym is across the street and available to guests for a nominal fee.
Inness: Accord
One of Ulster County’s newest Catskills resorts is Inness, set amid rolling hills and named after 19th-century American landscape painter George Inness. The property, which opened in 2021, is set on 220 pastoral acres. Recent visitors rave about the resort’s idyllic mountain setting as well as its unpretentious vibe. Guests at this hotel in Accord can tee up on 9-hole golf course, play tennis on two hard-surface courts and relax in lounge chairs next to two outdoor saltwater pools, open seasonally. The 28 light and airy cabins and 12 farmhouse rooms are decorated minimally with custom-crafted furniture in a clean, Scandinavian style. The cabins have private decks and mountain views. While the hotel’s restaurant menu focuses on rustic Mediterranean fare highlighting seasonal ingredients, some of which are grown in the on-site garden.
Callicoon Hills: Callicoon Center
Callicoon Hills has origins dating back to the early 1900s when it was a family-owned boarding house. That boarding house still stands, and some of the 65 rooms at this “informal vacation resort” in Callicoon Center are located there. Guest rooms, none of which have televisions or minifridges, are also found in the historic pool house, built in the mid-20th century, and in motel-like, single-story buildings up on a ridge, featuring expansive views of the property. Many guests say they don’t mind the lack of TVs, as there’s plenty to do for fun in the communal game room, including a pool table, board games and even old-school arcade games like Pac-Man. An outdoor pool is open seasonally and hiking trails in the area abound. There’s an on-site restaurant and coffee shop, plus plenty of other eating and drinking options available in the nearby towns of Callicoon, Roscoe and Livingston Manor.
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— Best Summer Vacations in the US
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15 Top Catskills Resorts 2022 originally appeared on usnews.com
