Two hours north of Manhattan, the Catskills keep quietly doing what they've done for nearly two centuries: pulling city people into the mountains. This four-county corner of southeastern New York built its reputation in waves — first grand 19th-century resorts, then summer camps and folk music, with the southern stretch earning the nickname the Borscht Belt for the hotels that welcomed Jewish travellers shut out elsewhere. That history now sits alongside a fresh generation of design-forward cabins, farm-to-table restaurants and small towns worth lingering in.
Condé Nast Traveler has rounded up 17 of the region's top-rated Airbnbs, all still bookable and vetted on Superhost status, guest ratings, amenities and decor. The range is part of the appeal: glass-walled A-frames deep in the forest, renovated farmhouses big enough for the whole family, and modern cabins with wood-burning stoves that make staying in the better plan. Some sit minutes from hiking trails, swimming holes and ski lifts; others put you within strolling distance of main streets in towns like Woodstock, Phoenicia and Tannersville.
A few picks stand out depending on what you're after. There's a lush tree house near Phoenicia for a proper off-grid-feeling stay, a walkable carriage house in Woodstock for anyone who wants antique shops and diners on foot, and a cosy cabin hideaway near Belleayre aimed at skiers. A design-forward mountain retreat takes the prize for backyard amenities.
Choosing where to base yourself matters more than any single listing. Hudson, Catskill and Tivoli, to the north, lean artsy and architectural, with design galleries next to understated restaurants. Woodstock and Phoenicia offer trailheads, river bends and vintage shops. Head deeper into the mountains — Shandaken, Big Indian — for seclusion favoured by hikers and writers, or to Windham and Hunter for groomed slopes and slow evenings by the fire.
For a New Yorker it's an easy weekend; for anyone flying in, it's a genuinely worthwhile detour from the city — proper four-season mountain country with foliage in autumn, snow sports in winter, and swimming holes and long trail days come summer.
