Onteora Mountain House in the Catskills, New York
An elevated manor nestled in the hills upstate.

From the March 24, 2003 Issue of New York

The Onteora Mountain House feels more like a generous (okay, rich) friend’s country home than an acclaimed bed-and-breakfast. The former summer estate of 1930s mayo mogul Richard Hellman, Onteora is about a three-hour drive from midtown. Request the Mount Tremper room for its cathedral ceiling, mountain views, and large whirlpool. In the morning the inn’s owners serve up hearty scrambled eggs and corn cakes with roasted-red-pepper sauce on the glassed-in porch. You could spend the entire weekend exploring the 200 wooded acres. Or go tubing on the Esopus Creek, in Phoenicia. Or hike the Giant Ledge trail to a series of stone platforms perched high above the mountains and surrounded by blueberry bushes with gaga views of the Catskills. For streamside dining, head to the Bear Café in Woodstock for gourmet American. On the way home, pick up some bread fresh from the wood-fired oven at Bread Alone Bakery and Cafe.
— DEBORAH SCHOENEMAN




Details
The Onteora Mountain House (from $165; 845-657-6233; onteora.com); Town Tinker Tube Rental (845-688-5553); Bear Café (845-679-5555); Bread Alone (845-679-2108).

 
Related Stories on New York Metro
Rock climbing in the Catskills (April 22, 2002)


Related Websites
Esopus Creek Whitewater - Rafting conditions and rental information.
Catskill Mountains - Guide to outdoor and wilderness activities.


 
Photograph: Courtesy of The Onteora Mountain House