Warm, retro-looking Catskill hotel for escaping urbanites
Scribner’s Catskill Lodge / Hunter / NY / USA
The Catskills is a mountainous area north of New York City. For a long time this has been a place where people come to enjoy nature and relax (world (in-)famous Woodstock is located here), but in recent years more and more from the NYC hipster crowd have made their way here which has resulted in really great restaurants, shops, bars, cafés and hotels. Like this one. It is called Scribner’s Catskill Lodge and sits on a hillside in Hunter.
There has been a hotel on this site since 1881 when the Hunter Mountain Prospect House was built. In 1966, right after the opening of Hunter Mountain Ski Bowl, the Scribner’s Hollow Motor Lodge opened. It was this place business man and current owner Marc Chodock came across when he was looking for an unique property to transform into a destination hotel for escaping Manhattanites. He bought it and in November 2016 it was re-opened as Scribner’s Catskill Lodge.
The concept for the hotel was created together with the amazing team at Brooklyn-based Post Company (they are the masterminds behind two of my favorite hotels, Anvil in Jackson, WY and Callicoon Hills in Callicoon Center, NY). The stripped down the building and (almost) started from scratch but still kept the infrastructure of the hotel and the 38 rooms. The idea was to create something with a strong local connection but that also could meet the needs (and wishes) of the modern, discerning traveller. The result is a warm, welcoming design with a lot of quirks and interesting features.
The heart and soul is the lounge that runs like a spine through the barn-like structure. This is where guests hang out, shoot pool, read by the fire or drink wine in a plush arm chair. The warm design concept is equally present in the rooms. In ours there was white wainscoting, dark maple floors, vintage rugs, custom built furniture, terracotta tiles and a fire place. This gave the room a retro feel that was combined with hand painted wallpaper called Winter Forest, by artist Alexandra Reboul.
M is ready to check in (leaving me with all the luggage…)
I love how Scribner’s has light coming in from both ends of building. The lobby/lounge area runs like a spine through the hotel.
The living room or lounge area feels so warm and welcoming. Easy to switch off and relax here. There is something about pine that bring back childhood memories and that feels so comforting.
Our room was very bright and airy with high ceilings and stunning hand-painted pastel wallpaper.
Gotta love a room with its own fireplace. The white walls combined with dark, maple floors is such a great contrast.
The wallpaper in our room was hand-painted by artist Alexandra Reboul. It is called Winter Forest.
So clever! Not only describing what is in each bottle but SCL is also the initials for the hotel. Oh, and I love the classic terracotta tiles too. Very retro!
This is where we came in the morning (very early in the morning due to jet lag) to enjoy the complimentary coffee and to stay warm by the fire.
These wooden benches are so beautiful. And I don’t think I’ve ever stayed at a hotel with a library quite like this one. Perfect for a rainy day.
A blogger’s view. This is where I sat having my Carrie Bradshaw moment. One of the many different sections of the lounge area.
M is trying his best to look like he knows how to shoot pool. Trust me, he doesn’t. And neither do I…
The hotel shop displayed in a beautiful, bespoke cabinet. A lot of cool stuff to bring home to someone you care about.
This photo is taken inside the tiny sauna, which you could book for an hour and have all to yourselves. I would have liked to say “Sauna with a view” but M cranked the temperature up so much that all we could see was mist.
A terrace with a view. In the background you can see the ski slopes of Hunter Ski Resort.
Down the road from the hotel there is this amazing café that must not be missed. It is called Fellow and they serve the most delicious treats…
…like these cinnamon buns. And great coffee!
Cute town of Hudson is a short drive from Scribner’s and is worth a visit. A relaxed town with great shopping.
RG inside info
This place is perfect if you…
…want to come close to nature. But if you (like me) don’t want to give up on any of the good things in life while doing so. If you love to explore the outdoors, be it hiking or skiing, but love to return to a hotel, a really stunning, comfortable hotel with great service and food, then this is your place.
My favorite thing about this place…
…is that you don’t have to leave if you don’t want to. You have everything you might need for your Catskill escape at the hotel. Of course that would be crazy, to miss out of all the great things this area has to offer. But if you for some reason would want to stay in, let’s say due to bad weather, I am sure you would still have an excellent experience.
The quality booster…
…is the coffee. Every morning at 06:30 they serve complimentary, really good coffee in the lounge. Such a treat, especially for us coffee-loving, jet lag-ridden, cross-Atlantic travellers.
What not to miss when staying here are…
…actually two things. One is to build up an appetite and go down the road to Fellow Café. Their treats are delicious! I especially love the cinnamon buns with frosting. The other thing is to take a drive to the town of Hudson. A cute little town that has seen an inflow of people moving here from the NYC area in recent years which has turned this into a mini-Brooklyn (in a good way, at least if you ask me). A lot of great restaurants, shops and bars.
If you like this hotel you might also like…
Anvil, Jackson, WY, USA
Callicoon Hills, Callicoon Center, NY, USA
Vigilius, Lana, South Tyrol, Italy
