The coolest lodging in the Cats

I hate to see things change, but I love it when it changes like this. Two guys have put the western Catskills on the map and no one can deny it. The Roxbury - contemporary lodging is what they call themselves. Now I'm not up on the right terms interior decorators would use but here's what you'll get. Color, technology, comfort, friendliness. Check out their website to get a sense for yourself.

What I really find fascinating is that The Roxbury is located in, well, Roxbury. This is a town that loves its' historical past. I'm talking women with bustles under their skirts, baseball teams sporting handlebar mustaches and playing barefisted, and driving around in a surrey with a fringe on top. The juxtaposition is actually fun.

The other thing that is great about The Roxbury is the way they'll put together a weekend for you. Dinner reservations, a massage, mountain bikes - you name it. Yeah - this is the place to come to if you want the best of the Catskills without breaking the bank (did I mention it's really affordable!) And the best is getting better with a new addition opening summer 2007.

soon lots of new beds in the catskills

Hi there,
Sorry for going MIA on the blog but the winter flew by for all the wrong reasons. Anyway we're back. The mountains are still here, but they'll be changing soon enough.

The resort at Belleayre Mountain developers have dropped the eastern portion of the complex. So it seems that all is set for the western end. Maybe the developer will upgrade the previous plans for a little more luxury, but the resort with spa, golf course, nature trails and condos seems like it's gotten the green light. This should give the businesses in the village to the east and west a few years to upgrade from drop ceilings and polyester sheets to something a little more current. Dare we hope for organic cotton??

Add to this the incredible Aman Resorts being one of the partners on a 2000 acre purchase half an hour west of Belleayre in the towns of Andes, Bovina and Delhi. Now this outfit knows luxury. But the most important aspect of having Aman involved is that their lead designer is a fan of buying local. Way to go dude. Hopefully he'll realize the incredible beauty of Catskills bluestone slate and fine grade wood products, not to mention blankets from local wool. And if we can dream - maybe they'll hire local farmers to raise beef, chicken, lamb, goat, and farmed fish for their culinary endeavors (sorry - I just can't hope for veal on the menu).

While these projects are a few years off from opening their doors - you can experience the Catskills at the Emerson Resort. Although they bill themselves as the Hudson Valley (not!) it is the best thing to hit these mountains in a long time. The high end of things, the Emerson will become the mid-high end soon enough, so give it a try while it's fresh.

Now is the time to visit the real Catskills north and west of the Park. The rest is just the suburbs extented. Before the put up cell towers and Hummers become boring. Before the wannabes flock to the area with their ignorance of what being in the mountains entails. If you love fresh air, being outdoors, quality time interacting with friends and nature - come here before it changes any more. The Catskill Park is open 24 / 7. the businesses aren't so call ahead.