HotelChatter

Saugerties Hotel Reviews

The Villas at Saugerties :: The Anti-Hamptons Alternative

December 12, 2006 at 4:21 PM | 0 Comments

Not long ago, the mainstream media declared that the Catskills are the new Hamptons, where over-it New Yorkers go to ditch Times Square for fresh air and where they can switch out the horribly hollow "supermodels in Bungalow 8" for "supermodels in shabby chic farm house" scenario.

But the truth is: you get more square feet for the dollar, the Hudson Valley wineries are nearby and not bad. The farm produce is excellent (as is the artisanal goat cheese), and you're in close proximity to the crib of the new Governor, Elliot Spitzer.

Up here, Saugerties is the lesser-known little sister to the first-born funky town of Woodstock, the East Coast's answer to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury. Yea, you'll get a lot of coffee houses, Grateful Deadheads, Birkenstock-wearing Yasgur's Farmers and maybe even some wise old twenty-somethings making a pilgrimage to see what inspired the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, CSNY and a whole generation of afros, bellbottoms, free love, and counter culture.

But when the party's over, you can head back to Saugerties and splay out on comfy bed in your stylish room at The Villa at Saugerties, run by NYC "ex-pats" Aimee Szparaga (formerly an editor at Playgirl and Time Out New York) and her boyfriend, artist Richard Nocera. A B&B with a pronounced Manhattan chic, its five rooms - each with its own name and attendant sensibility - comes with its own a/c, wi-fi hook-up, satellite tv, and "350 thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets."  

The prices are reasonable by New York City standards: as low as $135 off season. But check the fine print on the "Rates" page of the website. Certain stretches during 2007 will require a four-day minimum.

Since it's a B&B, you'll get a hot fresh breakfast in the morning but it's also got a stylish hotel with a good looking pool (wait for summer, please!) Ski bunnies can access nearby Hunter, while during the summer there's farmer's markets.

And there's no shortage of yoga, spas, and even a Buddhist monastery. Perfect for the Richard Gere in all of us.

Related Stories:
· The Villa at Saugerties reviews [HotelChatter]