This time of year the Catskills Mountains draws a large number of visitors to its slopes and other outdoor wintery pursuits. Here, where to stay and dine on your next visit.
Where to Stay:
Scribner’s Catskill Lodge opened in 2016 as a 38-room eclectic mountain lodge with the 85-seat in-house Prospect restaurant. The lodge attracts many urbanites who are looking to explore skiing and other outdoor activities.
Located two hours from New York City, the resort is located in the Catskill Mountains in Hunter, New York. The property sits on a hilltop and has views of the surrounding landscape.
The two-story lobby has plenty of sunlight coming from the overhead skylights. Interior spaces include the 1,850-square-foot library, a private multipurpose studio room, and a whiskey lounge. The boutique property has 12 different configurations for its 38 rooms. Several rooms feature high-peaked ceilings while others offer lofted gathering and sleeping spaces; some also offer in-room cast-iron fireplaces. Terra-cotta shower tiles and overhead rain showers are standard in all bathrooms. Additional amenities available in all rooms include Frette linens, local magazines, complimentary s’mores kit, and Scribner’s Guide to the Catskill Mountains.
The property sits on 20 acres of land and has an outdoor heated pool with a tiered deck for daybeds and lounge chairs. During warmer months, there is plenty to do outdoors including hiking, fly-fishing, river tubing, and zip-line tours. In winter, Hunter and Windham mountains are a short jaunt away for skiing, snowboarding, sledding, tubing, and snowshoeing. The outdoor sauna and the many fireplaces found throughout the property are a nice respite after a day spent on the slopes.
The property is also dog friendly.
Where to Eat:
The Prospect restaurant, located at Scribner’s Catskill Lodge, is known as much for its top-charting views as its amazing cuisine. The dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows with mountain views and an expansive deck with Adirondack chairs and a firepit. Inside the dining room is a large circular bar with cast-iron stoves—it’s a favorite for the travelers for pre- and post-dinner drinks. Chef Alex Napolitano focuses on local ingredients including produce grown on-site at Old Man Scribner’s Garden. The cuisine focuses on diverse offerings of the Hudson Valley. Favorite menu items for dinner include the seared local trout fillet, the shaved fennel and winter citrus salad, and the honeynut-squash carbonara. Dessert favorites include the popcorn panna cotta and the chocolate & salted-caramel torte. Prospect also has an extensive beverage menu with a variety of cocktails, draft beers, and more than two dozen bottles of wine. The restaurant is open to the public as well as guests at the hotel. Reservations open 14 days in advance.
The Phoenicia Diner is a local favorite. It offers traditional diner favorites, sometimes with a modern twist, using seasonal and local fresh ingredients. They are open during the Covid-19 pandemic for both takeout and outdoor dining. People can order online or at the outdoor Airstream. The pavilion area has extended outdoor seating. Favorite breakfast items include the pancakes, breakfast burrito, and the corned-beef skillet. Popular lunch and dinner items include the spicy chicken sandwich, the panfried trout, and the Cobb salad. All the bread (except the bagels) are made from scratch in-house, and all the proteins are from local farms. All the veggies and produce are sourced locally as much as possible. Even the bar is designed around using distilleries, breweries, and other companies (like shrubberies and syrup businesses) throughout the Hudson Valley. When you order a Sugar Shack Shake, you’re drinking Catskill bourbon, Ronny Brook ice cream, and maple syrup all fresh and locally made.
Woodstock Brewing opened in 2018 by two friends with a passion for beer. It has grown from a half-barrel pilot system in a Woodstock garage to a 15-barrel brewery. The extensive tap list includes IPAs, sour ales, pale ales, wheat pales, lagers, and more. They also serve a variety of beer cocktails, wine by the glass, and nonalcoholic drinks. The vibe in the taproom is casual and inviting with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. While the brewery is cultivating a loyal following for its drinks, the food alone brings in a steady clientele. From the green pozole soup with pork, the báahn mìi, and extensive vegetarian and vegan options, the menu is as innovative as it is tasty. Favorites include the taquitos, the cauliflower wings, the brussels sprout tacos and the Woodstock lager–battered cod.
