The Short & Sweet description: Newly renovated book-filled home in the Town of Olive sleeps 12-15 across three floors (6 bedrooms with various sized beds plus a sleeping nook) There’s a great deck and some sweet seasonal mountain views- in winter especially! We have a bright & totally stocked kitchen, with all the necessary appliances and all new gear, and the home is surrounded by quiet, except for the sounds of a nearby creek. The stars come out at night, and you might hear owls or fox. Some days only two cars pass by. There is lots of privacy, as we are tucked in just right, on a dead end road which contains a mix of primary and secondary homes. Only two neighbors are peeking through the leaves in summer. Breathtaking views and plentiful outdoor spaces are nearby to connect you back to nature. Our home is perfect for both large groups or small, one couple or solo retreats. Friends have come here to finish writing their book, lose their cell phone addiction (though there is service!!), paint their masterpiece, unplug, play games and snuggle up to one another. Our most recent summer guests included a film crew of 14 who shot their film here. Come and unwind. We would love to share our favorite place with you.

The Full Details: newly renovated in spring 2023!
Come experience mountain inspired quiet in this peaceful light filled home up a winding road on a hillside, nestled in view of a few Catskill peaks. The fall is the sweetest time here- the colors, the cool air, fires by the fire pit with everyone wrapped in sweaters. In Fall, the sound of the mountain stream just past the edge of the property is still delightful. Birches are visible from nearly every window, and sounds of great horned owls, foxes, turkeys and songbirds fill the quiet in this lovely neighborhood on a dead end road. Hearing a car go by is a rare occurrence. The house has several places to sit and read, or gather for connection time with kids or your beloved. There are also several nooks and crannies both indoors and outdoors, where solitude can be found even if the house is full of people. The living area has vaulted ceilings with sliding doors to the deck and skylights- the natural light is great all year round! We love to sit on the front lawn in the Adirondack chairs, or on the sunny deck, and take in the mountain views and feel our bodies relax. Enjoy family meals at the farmhouse table, or dine out on the deck, where the breezes are divine and the night stars astound! Or cozy up in the finished furnished basement, where a gas stove makes things extra toasty and the you can binge-watch your favorite shows on the smart TV, or browse our collection of DVDs. The kitchen is fully stocked with a large stove, additional counter seating for drinks or snacks, and an array of basic spices, staples and utensils for quick and easy food preparation. There is a gas grill for your use as well. At night, there is a fire pit for connecting with one another, and the house is equipped with wi-fi.

The 3 acre property is gently wooded, with an gently sloping front grassy yard, and has a small seasonal stream running through it. The house is set adjacent to lovely protected lands, for hiking, meandering or forest bathing. We have big boulders for picnicking on, for the kids to make mountains out of, and plenty of treasures from Mother Earth: hawk feathers, milkweed pods, bear scat, tiny snakes, chipmunks everywhere, rocks, birch bark, fungi, lichens and natural springs coming up from the earth.

Inside, the house is stocked with books and board games, and is great for hide and seek. The main floor has an open feel to it, and you can interact with the chef while he or she cooks. There is a living room with large couch, and a 1st floor den that is enclosed with french doors which doubles as a bedroom, making it ideal for two families or couples to share the home and feel as though they have private quarters. The brand new sleeper sofa converts to a full sized bed with soft topper and that bedroom/den has an armoire for storing clothing. On the second floor, there are three bedrooms plus one curtained off sleeping area, called the Nook by our beloved guests who fight over who gets it. With a full sized futon mattress, a window for catching the breeze, and curtains for privacy, its a sweet place to crash. The master has a king bed and views of the mountains, one bedroom has three twins, and one has a queen which is nestled into the smallest of the bedrooms for a truly ensconced feeling. Each of the two walkout basement's bedrooms have a nice sized basement window, and are really cool in the summer. During winter months, we provide ceramic and electric heaters in the basement bedrooms for additional warmth, though the gas stove in the basement heats up the basement beautifully. One basement bedroom contains a queen bed, and one contains two twins beds. The house comes with all sorts of different quilts and duvets, so that there is always the right amount of warmth if needed. There is also a twin sized blow up mattress in the house for overflow guests. A few dozen Egyptian Cotton towels are there for guests' use, as are pillows and extra bedding.

The upstairs full bathroom has a bathtub and shower, and there is a half bath on the main floor, right near the brand new washer and dryer which guests are free to use, with the provided detergent, and a clothesline as well. A 10 minute drive will bring you to the IGA foodstore which is great for stocking up on basics. Mother Earth Storehouse in Kingston is just about the greatest food store we have ever tried, and well worth the pitstop on your way in from the thruway. Several local nearby restaurants in the Ashokan Reservoir area offer pizza, cupcakes, fresh baked bread and breakfast and lunch, and Marty's around the corner on 28A is the perfect place to stop in for stuff you forgot, or to grab a sandwich and a great cup of coffee or tea.

From the house, it's 23 minutes to the center of Woodstock, for natural food shopping at Sunflower Food Market, or for a great smoothie. Be sure to visit the Golden Notebook bookstore- it is just as bookstores should be. Maverick Concert Hall, a cathedral like music hall, is a beautiful blend of all types music in the woods, including several children' concerts over the year, and has been in operation for 102 years. In Woodstock, you can hike Overlook mountain, or grab a bite to eat at one of their unique restaurants. Fiber Flame, just down the road from Woodstock center in Saugerties, offers a unique art making experience for almost all ages, is a favorite for our family, and is about a 25 minute drive. We are 18 minutes to Phoenicia, a cool old town on the Esopus which is home to the internationally acclaimed Festival of the Voice each August. Phoenicia is also a favorite place to rent tubes and tube the Esopus Creek. Deep Blue, a locally treasured swimming hole is a short drive from the house, and a great way to get cool. You can also make your way to Pine Hill Lake, 30 minutes away, as it offers beach swimming, boating, picnicking and fishing, at 15$ per car. Rhinebeck, 45 minutes away, offers a beautiful hiking through Ferncliff Forest, and NY Sheep & Wool Festival. In New Paltz, also 45 minutes from the house, is home to Karma Road - an organic vegan restaurant- and is a great place to eat if you wanted to walk or ride the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail which runs 22 miles from Kingston to Wallkill. The walkway over the Ashokan, just about 10 minutes from here by car, is positively a meditative experience at sunset. Lastly, Rosendale, a town that has what friends here call 'the real spirit of Woodstock', is a really neat town to explore, with a theater, drumming circles in the park, neat thrift stores and dining al fresco with live music. Skiing at Bellayre is about a 35 minute drive, and Hunter Mountain and Ski Wyndham is about 50 minutes from here. We are happy to supply you with guide books, pamphlets and information on all the area has to offer, but sometimes the best experiences are the unplanned ones you stumble on while out exploring.

Well-behaved, groomed, flea and tick treated dogs are welcome to stay, as long as they stay off the furniture. Cats, unfortunately, can't make the visit, though we do bring our cats here occasionally for longer stays, so those with cat-allergies should take note. There is air conditioning, though other than heat waves in August, we find that the nights are most pleasant for sleeping. In case it is gets and stays hot, we have ceiling fans in some rooms, as well as standing fans for your use. In winter months, the roads are quickly and efficiently treated by the Town of Olive, and we have not had trouble getting up to the house, except in the midst of a 9" snowstorm which would have kept us homebound in NJ as well. If you are staying during winter months, we have a plow company who comes to plow you out of the driveway, and we do recommend that if you plan on staying long term, that your vehicle has four wheel drive, or front wheel drive at the very least. Our home is at the top of a long hill, which gets quickly treated with salt and sand and is plowed out fairly quickly after storms. The house is stocked with natural cleaning products, and we have shied away from using products with synthetic fragrances. Smoking is not allowed. The fireplace/flue in the living area is unfortunately NOT working. We provide battery operated candle for your use, to give the space a nice glow. (New masonry fireplace will be in sometime during 2024!)

We are interested in helping you have a relaxing experience, so if there is anything you need or would like us to provide that is not listed above, please do let us know! In addition, if you are an organization working toward bringing about peace and social justice for marginalized groups, ask us about working with you to make your stay more affordable for your staff members.