As a city girl, I find it to be imperative to escape the reality of everyday life in NYC and get away for a little bit. Not only for pleasure, but I find it to be important for your mental health overall. I haven’t taken a proper break in over a year and a half and decided that it was about that time. Flying while the pandemic is raging all over the world wasn’t a very appealing option for me, so I had to look for an alternative option.

Can you spot me?

Queue the Getaway House – a tiny cabin in which you can book to unplug, relax and find your zen.

After following the Getaway account on Instagram for quite a few months, and seeing how peaceful it seemed I decided to go ahead and book my mini staycation. In New York State, there are two outposts available which are located in the Eastern and Western Catskills. I booked a cabin in the Eastern Catskills which is a two and a half hour long drive from NYC. Being that we decided to take this trip during a pandemic, the thought of not having to make any contact with anyone else at any point during our stay was extremely appealing. There is no front desk, no stopping in to check in with anyone. All communication is done via email and text messages, and the entire experience was seamless. Although the cabins are quite private you aren’t necessarily completely isolated – your nearest neighbor could be 50-150′ away. One thing to note – you don’t actually get the exact location of where the outposts are until about a week before your arrival. The full map of the outpost is not available to you until the day before, and your cabin name and key code isn’t made available until the day of your stay.

The view as soon as we stepped in

Onto the cabins – I absolutely loved the minimalistic feel of it. My first thought seeing the cabin from the outside was “whoa, this is a little too tiny..” however once I stepped inside, I quickly realized it was exactly what we needed! There is a kitchenette stocked with basic necessities (pots, pans, cutting board, cups, paper towels etc), mini fridge, a little basket with provisions for sale (coffee, hot chocolate, snacks), a bathroom with a small shower stocked with shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. For entertainment there was a deck of playing cards, a few books, and a radio. There was a small table for two, storage space to tuck away all of your bags/luggage, and an incredibly cozy queen sized bed with a huge window with an amazing view! There is also a fire pit outside and fire logs available for purchase. We made sure we had everything we needed in terms of food by stopping at a Target along the way. You can find more information on their website in regards to activities to do near the outpost of your choice, a packing list, a full list of amenities etc.

The books, radio, and playing cards that are provided

The kitchenette (BeatsPill+ and the water were mine)

Were there any cons? I wouldn’t say cons and here is why – On the way there I received a text message stating that the main heater in our cabin was out of service but they have placed a space heater instead. Of course our first thought was – would the space heater be enough? Turns out that it really was enough and it kept us toasty at all times. Second one was that the hot water only lasts about 10-15 minutes before it starts running out. It wasn’t a huge deal for us, but that is something to note if you were looking forward to long showers, or have multiple people waiting their turn for a shower.

Had to take a picture of our breakfast!

The point of these cabins is for you to unwind and disconnect – they encourage this by having a small wooden lockbox to put your cell phones in to really enjoy nature and also by not providing wifi. If you really need to make calls note that cell service may not be reliable.

I wish we could have had the opportunity to take advantage of the hiking trails and also checked out Kaaterskill Falls, however we arrived during a snow storm so road conditions and the cold weren’t ideal. We were seeking relaxation and we got just that. It’s safe to say that I will be back in the future when the weather is better (and stay for longer than 2 days)! I highly recommend this experience if you are looking to disconnect for a few days without having to travel too far to find some peace of mind.

-gracex

Please note that I was not hosted by Getaway – all opinions are honest and completely my own.