The Eastern Catskills are on every New Yorkers radar. Woodstock and Saugerties are popular weekend spots, and who hasn’t been to the Phoenicia Diner or Kaaterskill Falls at this point? But drive west and you’ll find a different Catskills. The mountains may not be as dramatic, but the landscape is just as scenic, with rolling hills filled with grazing livestock and rivers lacing the land.
No one has put Sullivan County more on the map than Foster Supply Hospitality, which has opened a number of unique, boutique hotels in towns such as Livingston Manor and North Branch. One of their latest projects is Hotel Darby, just across the border in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania.
Modern rooms are accented with mid-century furniture and the bartender makes a mean cocktail. The grounds are outfitted with hammocks, lawn games and a fire pit for those late night smores sessions. Hit a hiking trail near the property or meander across the street to take a dip in the Delaware River. A five-minute stroll across the bridge and you’re back in New York, in the quaint downtown of Narrowsburg. Just about every restaurant comes with a riverside seat here. Hit up The Tusten Cup (8 Main St.) for a strong cup of java and breakfast and lunch sandwiches. For dinner try Laundrette (20 5th St.) which features sourdough pizzas, fresh salads and good beer. The hot honey and chorizo and egg pizzas come highly recommended.
Hiking trails abound here and the Tusten Mountain trail, a three-mile loop that culminates with a view of the Upper Delaware Valley, is among the most popular. For riverside activities, rent tubes, rafts, kayaks, or canoes from Lander’s River trips, pack a picnic lunch and take a lazy river ride down the Delaware, Tom Sawyer-style.
— Sumathi Reddy
