Catskill East, NY — Getaway.House Review
About a week ago, I took some much needed time away to relax and not think about the news or work. Since I haven’t been able to head out west this year due to the pandemic, I set my sights just a couple of hours north of NYC: Catskill State Park. I initially wanted to spend a few nights camping, but the places I looked at didn’t seem to have bear boxes.
Yosemite newspapers warn of bears breaking into cars to retrieve a stick of gum from a glove box, so that’s always been engrained in my mind when it comes to car camping in places that don’t have dedicated bear boxes. I’ve heard mixed things about hanging bear bags in trees. They’ve gotten wiser over the years and found ways to get the bags down.
In any case, I figured I’d go with something more established while retaining the spirit of getting closer to nature. Unexpectedly, I saw a TikTok video for this rental company: Getaway.house. The setup looked awesome, you would essentially be staying in a modern mini-trailer home with all the essentials — comfortable bed, bathroom, hot water, kitchenette, and something we wouldn’t have thought of before this year — proper COVID protocols.
Pro-tip: If you want to stay for more than one night, check out the #-Night packages. It will be a significant saving over booking the same number of individual consequentive days.
I ended up booking three nights for $300, without the package one night would have been $300. Not bad at all considering I won’t be spending anything on airfare this year — always with the mental accounting!
As one does after making an online purchase (or is it just me?) mild cognitive dissonance sets in and you double down on reading reviews. There were a handful of negative reviews indicating issues with the cleanliness and functionality of the aforementioned essentials.
Though to be fair, this may actually have been a reflection of the original Catskills West location. The Catskills East location I stayed at was the newer one (and also the one that allowed more than a one night stay, at that point-in-time).
I initially found the cabin instruction note about the toilet to be satirical, implying that you shouldn’t need directions on how to flush a toilet.
It turns out based on one of the picture reviews in the Catskill West location, that instruction was actually true… The material trailer cabin enhancements to the new East location definitely should sway your preference for which location to stay, especially considering they’re priced the same per night and are a mere 5.4 miles (8.7km) from one another so the proximity to certain trails is essentially nullified.
At the Catskill East location, there were 51 cabins listed on the Outpost map that they make available the day of your trip. Each cabin is approximately 30–40 feet from the adjacent cabin and most of them face directly into the woods. Some reviews made it seem as though the individual was expected a completely isolated wilderness experience. This didn’t bother me whatsoever. Getaway also mentions that there’s a $100 fine per violation for the offender if someone calls in a noise complaint.
Everyone at the site was quiet and respectful. There was a communal sense of understanding that people were there to de-stress from this unprecedented situation that we’re all living through.
In terms of the cabin itself, there were so many thoughtful touches throughout — a cell phone “lock box” (which I didn’t use), s’mores kit, Wanderlust themed books, a USB powered lantern, verbena scented shampoo, heat/AC, and more.
I always enjoy the aesthetic of those under cabinet light strips, gave the whole place a more modern feed. On a level I can’t quite articulate, the lighting juxtaposed in a lovely way with the naturally fragrant wood paneling.
The hot water and water pressure throughout the cabin were both really good. I believe there are ~50 gallons available per cabin before Getaway staff needs to refill the tank. It’s kind of difficult to quantify how many gallons of water you’re actually consuming, but I was generally mindful of my usage and in 3 days, I didn’t deplete the tank. Your mileage may vary, especially if you’re not traveling solo.
Each cabin also has its own picnic table, pair of semi-reclining chairs, and firepit. I definitely took advantage of the campfire! That smell always brings me back to my backpacking trip in Yosemite.
As mentioned in that Yosemite post — I learned my lesson! On this trip, I brought some healthy backpacker meals (jetboil), avocados / kale, and of course: the aeropress.
Overall: I’m really glad I had a chance to stay at one of the Getaway cabins! It was a much needed break to live at a slower pace for a few days. I had a chance to do a few great hikes while retiring to a cozy home in the evenings. At the individual night price, I wouldn’t say this is worth it though. The #-night packs that they offer are a much better deal. If you’re looking for complete isolation though, I would suggest either booking a secluded airbnb or trying dispersed camping.
Some hiking highlights:
