A weekend in the Catskills
As much as I love productive city weekends and quick island jaunts to somewhere sunnier, there’s nothing more relaxing than an upstate weekend escape. I’m always amazed at how much peace, quiet and open space can be found just a couple of hours from the city. In the summer, we love going to the Berkshires for lots of sunshine and swimming and soaking up the outdoors. A winter getaway in the Catskills was much cozier and calmer, but it was just as rejuvenating.
We stayed in this super quaint cottage, complete with wood-burning stove and plenty of board games. We drove up after work on Friday night with David’s sister and her fiance (and Gert, since the property is pet-friendly!), and made ourselves a fire and big mug of hot chocolate with marshmellows as soon as we arrived. The four of us have traveled together a fair bit (although usually with David’s parents too), and we were all up for a very laid-back, no-plans, lots-of-relaxing kind of weekend.
A fresh bunch of tulips and a bottle of champagne was waiting for us upon arrival–such a nice touch!
One of my favorite things to pack whenever we go away to a house for the weekend: scone mix! You only have to add water and you only need a mixing bowl and a baking sheet, so it’s an easy thing to make in rental kitchens. Bonus for all the people who don’t get up first: waking up to the smell of coffee brewing and scones baking. 
Although I love scones and coffee as a starter, you can’t beat a proper egg-bacon-cheese and a big glass of grapefruit juice for a late and lazy breakfast.
We found the property through Glamping Hub, which specializes in rentals of unique outdoor accommodations. It was such a hidden gem! The only sad part was that the welcome book had a full page of ice cream recommendations and information on summer blueberry picking–as lovely as it was in the winter, it made me daydream about how beautiful and serene this area must in the summer. [some additional information on the property: Owner Mary Greene is a writer who has lived in the Upper Delaware Valley for three decades. She bought Beaverbrook Cottage in the early 2000s as a two-story pre-purposed Quonset hut. Mary undertook a two-year renovation, adding warm wood floors, large windows, a screened-in outdoor gazebo and antique furniture to create a gracious country cottage setting. The original structure can still be seen in the soaring Cathedral ceiling in the great room. Mary’s vision in renovating and maintaining Beaverbrook Cottage is to present indoor and outdoor spaces that are elegant, roomy and comfortable, inviting reflection, rest, and the sense of adventure that being surrounded by nature and a vibrant upstate culture allows.]
The house was the perfect set-up for two couples: two upstairs bedrooms, and a roomy living space below with comfy seating, funky art and a drawer full of board games and movies. We had a few intense rounds of Uno and Boggle, and watched some thrillers after dinner. The only bummer: none of us can play the piano! There is a little bluetooth-enabled radio though, so we kept some folksy country music on in the background. 
Although it was chilly, it was so nice to take Gertie on walks through the surrounding woods and even on the frozen lake! We let her off-leash for a bunch of our explorations (just not when we were on the main road) so it was good to have a non-city-environment to do a bit of come-when-called training as well. 
The owner of the property recommended The Heron, but it seemed like it was really the only restaurant in town, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect. We were SO pleasantly surprised to discover that it was AMAZING. Every single dish that came out was delicious, and the ambiance was warm and welcoming. Highly recommend the soups and the fried chicken! I’m not usually much of a soup person, but the roasted red pepper and cheddar soup was full of flavor and filling and we all agreed that the chicken soup was the best chicken soup we’d ever had. I think our only trip regret is not going back the next day for brunch!
Narrowsburg is a small town, but it is full of character! There’s an actual Main Street: it seems like such quintessential upstate New York slash small town America.
One Grand is one of the neatest little shops: it’s a “curated bookstore in which celebrated thinkers, writers, artists, and other creative minds share the ten books they would take to their metaphorical desert island.”
If you cross the river, you’re in Pennsylvania! 
One of the coolest shops that we stumbled onto was Maison Bergogne: it was full of so many fun finds! I couldn’t get over how cute this vintage kissing booth was. 
Overall, we had such a relaxing weekend in the Catskills! I spent a lot of time curled up by the fire reading Half of a Yellow Sun and snuggled up with my pug, and it was so fun to have a bit more time to hang out with David’s family in such a cozy location. I’m already looking forward to our next escape together!
Special thanks to Glamping Hub for offering us a complimentary stay at this adorable property. As always, all opinions are my own.
