"Pond House' -- available now for Family & Friends!

Description from the owner

"Classically Americanā€ our family home sleeps six to eight. Keywords are welcoming, comfort, convenience, character and color with an international flavor! Newly furnished and fully equipped it is now newly available for April, May, June, September thru 2013.

All hardwood floors downstairs and new bamboo floors upstairs. Two queen bedrooms, and one twin bedroom have special non-allergenic and soy foam mattresses (no petroleum-based memory foam here!). The fourth upstairs bedroom has a new, full size, sofa-bed plus a desk for anyone with work to do. Master bedroom and bathroom are en-suite, the second full bathroom is upstairs, the th...ird, downstairs.

There's a good old fashioned land-line for your use. Wifi, smart flatscreenTV, bedlinens, towels, washer/dryer, coffee maker, hairdryer, dishwasher, toaster, electric tea-kettle, radio, DVD player, iron, ironing board, herbs and spices, and natural cleaning materials -- all there for you! Housekeeping is an added option.

On the edge of the 700,000 acre Catskill State Park lies legendary Woodstock -- the original "Colony of the Arts" where our house is ideally placed in the beautiful, historic and culture filled Hudson Valley.

The peaceful, spacious 2+acre property with its own meditative pond (& its very own goldfish!) is an ideal setting for family and friends to gather. The big back yard a great place for fun and games! Weber grill and screened dining deck ready for outdoor eating.

The colorful country kitchen has everything you need to make the best cup of coffee or cook up a storm! It has new stainless appliances, double electric oven, gas range top, microwave, etc. The 28 ft open-plan kitchen/dining room extends to the bright airy dining end with a table that seats 6 - 10. All set for family breakfasts, a down-home meal, or a sophisticated dinner party.

In the living room, the original art includes a stunning diptych on the wall, and its soothing, restful feel is all ready for getting together and sinking into sofas to talk, read, relax, imbibe, snooze or savor!

In the exotic and inviting TV room/den where there's a smart Samsung 46" TV tucked away in a handsome Chinese cinnibar-red lacquer cabinet -- east meets west! The love-seat and sofa are strewn with fun, colorful, handmade throws and weavings, and original carvings, and art, pictures and books are stashed and waiting for you to view and peruse.

When you're out and about you're just a few miles from the center of Woodstock where you'll find great restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, boutiques, excellent deli and a health-food store, art store, apothecary, movie house, two book stores, an exceptional shoe store, the best hardware store in the world and lots more to bid you to linger in the village. Golf, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, tennis, river walks and even river dips, bike rentals, sledding, snow-shoeing, all close by. Check out galleries, antique stores, the week-end flea market, midweek farmer's market, and as you'd expect in Woodstock -- a good selection of yoga, massage, Pilates, reiki, Qigong, and other spa services. Psychic and astrological readings are of course always available! Join the Sunday afternoon open drumming sessions on 'the village green' right in the center of town. You'll also find places of worship of many denominations: Jewish; Christian; Hindu; Buddhist -- Zen and Tibetan, plus several different spiritual retreat centers.

You can tailor your vacation to be sporty and outdoors, rugged and adventurous, restorative and relaxing, fun and funky, healing and healthy, spa-filled and glorious, romantic and indulgent, economical or luxurious -- or all of the above! Renting our house is much better value than a hotel or B & B, but don't want to cook? As well as great eating-out brunch and breakfast choices, with notice, we'd be happy to arrange delivery of scrumptious breakfasts or a cool summer buffet, cater a low-key stay at home family dinner or conjure a fancy celebratory party for you and your friends. We can also stock the refrigerator, the grocery shelves, your wine cellar or drinks cabinet,

The one bedroom apartment at the driveway end of the house is separately rented from the main house and not currently available.Read more

Additional Location Information

Woodstock is both away from it all, and in the center of a lot! Located in the Hudson Valley, our house is about two hours from Manhattan, 100 miles north on I-87/the NY Thruway. Amtrak trains to Rhinecliff, across the river, offer scenic and easy access from New York City. There's an excellent Trailways bus service from the City too, right into the center of the village. We have parking for 4 cars at the house, also car rental is available nearby in Kingston.

Although a world away from the great metropolis, we are close enough to have much of the best of the Big Apple's cultural influence. Not to be forgotten -- "Woodstock" -- iconic symbol of the Sixties and the summer of peace and love ....and mud! The Festival, a wild gathering of 450,000, headlined Hendrix, The Who, The Band, Grateful Dead, Arlo Guthrie, Janice Joplin, Joan Baez, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Crosby Stills & Nash, Jefferson Airplane, Richie Havens, Ravi Shankar, Santana et al, and...er...it didnā€™t exactly happen here! As Joni Mitchellā€™s lyrics to 'Woodstock' remind us it took place at Yasgurā€™s Farm -- 60 miles away! There's now a terrific museum and concert venue dedicated to the1969 Festival about an hour away at the actual -- very last minute! -- location at Bethel Woods. Talking of lyrics -- way back when -- Woodstock was home to a certain Mr. Bob Dylan who famously reflected all those decades ago upon how times were aā€™ changinā€™.

Yep, thereā€™s still tie-dye and peace symbols and colorful characters youā€™ll come upon! And Woodstock is still known for great live music -- chamber to classic to folk to jazz to classic rock. Regular concerts take place in the woods at The Maverick (opened in 1916), at the Bearsville Theater, and the Woodstock Playhouse among other noteworthy locations. Arts and Crafts are still going strong, and since the turn of last century the Byrdcliffe Guild has hosted summer classes and studios for pottery and painting. The active Woodstock Artist Association and Museum first hosted exhibits of its collection in 1919, and 1969 saw the Woodstock School of Art become a functioning offshoot of the famed Art Studentā€™s League in New York. Not surprisingly, as home to many writers and poets, the Woodstock Writerā€™s Festival and Workshops are a very popular series of annual spring-time events.

Close by or within a half hour drive from the house you'll find: local bike rentals; boat trips on the Hudson; tours of wineries and the new Tuthilltown distillery; scenic Catskill Mountain train-rides; fruit-picking orchards and farm stores; a corn-maze to get lost in; equine assisted therapy in Saugerties, a next door town; farm animal sanctuaries; outdoor Shakespeare theater; Woodstock's beautiful nine-hole golf course; fiddle & dance camps and educational environmental camps at the Ashokan Center; Esopus River tubing and kayaking; Woodstock Transition Town's local activities; and the oft-times star-filled Woodstock Film Festival in the Fall. Come winter -- for skiing, snowboarding, mogul trails, cross-country, nursery slopes, downhill and week-end racing, Belleayre and Hunter Mountain are just 25 minutes away. More trails at Windham and Catamount, closer to an hour.

The Zen Mountain Monastery is about ten miles north of Woodstock toward Mount Tremper, and ā€˜KTDā€™ the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Tibetan Buddhist Monastery is a drive up the winding mountain road from the center of Woodstock. Both are open to visitors and have monastery stores.
At the entrance to KTD, there's also the beginning of a well-trodden trail up Overlook Mountain.

We love that our property is right on the edge of the Catskill State Park and the (Dutch named) Catskill Mountains -- inspiration for the prolific Hudson River School painters -- Thomas Cole, Alfred Bierstadt, Frederick Church, George Inness, Jasper Cropsey, to name but a few. What better testimonial for the beauty of the area, its hills and mountains, creeks and waterfalls, woods and lakes, dotted with fields and little towns. The Hudson Valley is an ideal region to see why great artists were so inspired by the glorious American landscape. Good local guidebooks can point you in the right direction for places to explore -- to photograph or put up an easel, to contemplate or nap, or to find fun trails to hike -- gentle to strenuous. You'll find a stash of local information ready and waiting for you at the house!

The breathtaking Ashokan reservoir that supplies New York City with water is one of the jewels of our region and not to be missed. Keep a look-out for bald-eagles soaring overhead. Another is the serene, still and reflective Cooper Lake. One more on the water is in the neighboring town of Saugerties -- less than 20 minutes away -- where the old brick lighthouse, built in 1869 sticks out into what feels like the middle of the river and is a very special place to walk to. There, on the edge of the Hudson, you'll find outdoor tables ready and waiting for you to take your own summer picnic. Saugerties is also "home to the richest weekend in show jumping". From May to September some of the top US horse shows take place here, courtesy of HITS (Horse Shows in the Sun). Having access to spectacular international show-jumping and dressage competitions right on our doorstep is a must for horse-lovers. Children under 12 are free, as is parking.

For American history buffs, thereā€™s history a plenty that had much to do with the shaping of this country. It was 1609 when the Dutch East India Companyā€™s tiny ship, 'Half Moon', captained by Henry Hudson sailed this way instead of finding the Northwest Passage to Cathay! Later, action that took place up and down the Hudson River played a pivotal role in the progression of the Revolutionary war. North of Albany the famous Battles of Saratoga, and further north, Fort Ticonderoga was captured from the British in 1775. Close by Kingston, New Yorkā€™s old capital, was burned by the British in 1777! And down river from here, Fortress West Point first came into being in 1778.

Go further afield and head a bit north and east into Massachusetts for day-trips to the Berkshires -- Tanglewood, Shakespeare & Company, Kripalu, and the Norman Rockwell museum in Stockbridge -- all well worth a visit. Closer to home, crossing the Kingston/Rhinecliff Bridge over the mighty Hudson River can take you to the Rhinecliff Hotel where eating al fresco with its wide view of the river is a delicious treat. Its in Rhinebeck where major shows featuring antiques, crafts, sheep & wool, old cars, and the jam-packed County Show take place at Duchess County Fairgrounds. Between Red Hook (with the best classic diner) and Rhinebeck is Bard College's Fisher Center, stunningly designed by Frank Gehry, and home to the American Philharmonic Orchestra. Look out for the Omega Instituteā€™s brilliant new Center for Sustainable Living too, or head south on Rt 9 to Hyde Park and The FDR Museum, Eleanor Roosevelt's Val-Kill, the opulent and gilded Vanderbilt Mansion and the famed Culinary Institute of America where you can stop by for a quick cafe break, or book a table at one of their classy restaurants. If contemporary art and sculpture is your thing, don't miss DIA Beacon and Storm King.

Thereā€™s so much more not listed here, but one last thought. When on your travels, keep an eye out for the awesome Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. She's ā€œAmericaā€™s Environmental Flagshipā€ -- as conceived by the one and only Pete Seeger -- and if you're lucky you may spot her under full sail gracing the spirit of the river and this very special corner of the world. We look forward to seeing you here!

Location Type Away from it all, Mountain, River

Rental fees

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