Three of the fantasy tower cottage buildings at The Roxbury at Stratton Falls
After the harsh year that 2020 has been, it can be a respite to get away from home, safely, even locally. Rarely does a hotel also present an alternate reality but that’s what happens in New York’s Catskills region, three hours north of New York City, at The Roxbury at Stratton Falls, a hotel designed with a strong sense of whimsy and fantasy particularly in its eight tower cottages. Those tones are definitely in evidence at the recently opened, vividly themed cottage The Faerie Forest which could lead guests to think that Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf or the cast of “Into the Woods” will enter this stage on cue.
The interior of The Faerie Forest, a tower cottage at The Roxbury at Stratton Falls
That enchanted forest décor is dominated by a thicket of floor to ceiling trees, rock ledges, tree limb railings bordering the cedar staircase and balcony and scores of twinkling lights. As in most of the tower cottages, there are two bedrooms and a sleeper sofa in the living room making it a solid choice for families; a microwave and full size refrigerator are also part of the suite for keeping meals for younger family members on site. There’s also an upstairs balcony and downstairs screened in back porch for taking in views of the real forest outside.
A bedroom in Dracula's Fangs, a tower cottage at The Roxbury at Stratton Falls
The other tower cottages also deal heavily in fantasy with individual themes. The Lost Horizon, the cottage closest to the on property waterfall that inspired the owners to buy the inn and construct these out of the ordinary cottages, is silvery and 1930’s Art Deco, a tribute to the Frank Capra film based on the novel Lost Horizon; the waterfall can be viewed from the rooftop observation deck. Galileo’s Gate pays homage to the famed scientist and father of modern astronomy with bedrooms meant to recreate the feeling of being in the middle of a galaxy and a stargazing deck complete with telescope. Dracula’s Fangs, a gothic, very red homage to the famous vampire tale, particularly the Bela Lugosi film classic, also has an interior connection to the next door cottage Crown of the Pendragons, the design of which is meant to track back to 5th century Britain and the legend of King Arthur. Connected, these cottages can accommodate a larger group of up to ten people.
A space bedroom in Galileo's Gate, one of the tower cottages at The Roxbury at Stratton Falls
In warmer weather, there is a trail network scaling 50 feet down to the base of Stratton Falls (the majority of the trails, or given ice formations, likely all, are closed during the winter, reopening in April.) If the trails are closed, guests can view the waterfall from the observation deck. Winter activities also include skiing, snowtubing and snowboarding on Plattekill Mountain four miles away; the mountain is also available for private rental. Afterward, guests can retire to the Crooked Cabana, the spa building created by taking the design of the property’s main 1848 Italianate mansion and twisting it with skewed columns and a slanted roof for a private soak in the hot tub or a roast in the sauna—typical spa activities but with a touch of whimsy.
