[Updated January 23, 2021] The Roxbury Motel and The Roxbury at Stratton Falls are currently open. Their COVID-19 Safety Operating Guidelines include some changes to the information below.
You may have a coconut cream pie on your ceiling or trippy wallpaper that gives you flashbacks to the sixties, man. Or maybe the frilly pink velvet décor will convince you that you’ve finally—through the blink of Barbara Eden’s eyes—made it inside Jeannie’s bottle.
It all depends on which room you book at The Roxbury Motel, one of the most unique hotels in the Catskill Mountains of New York. We stayed there over a late fall weekend and found the guest rooms so elaborately decorated that it had us wandering around the property in sheer delight.
Located in Roxbury, NY, this is an easy weekend trip from major cities, just 90 minutes from Albany and less than three hours from New York City. The location and accommodations are ideal for couples, families, or friend groups, especially if you have nostalgic TV-lovers among you.
The Roxbury Motel
From the outside, The Roxbury Motel retains its vibe as a motor lodge, which was its purpose when it was originally built in the 1960s. On the inside, current owners Gregory Henderson and Joseph Massa pay homage to the movies, television shows, and cartoons of the 60s and 70s, when roadside motels were at their pinnacle of popularity.
The detailed touches extend beyond the rooms to every nook and cranny in the hotel, from vivid technicolor wall murals to decadent chandeliers that even Marie-Antoinette would appreciate.
Room sizes vary from studio-sized with queen beds all the way up to The Digs Cottage, a 3-bedroom Indiana Jones-themed property that can accommodate larger groups. There is also a collection of rooms—the Studio Themes—with interior adjoining doors for guests who want to stay near each other and still maintain privacy.
I made our reservation a couple of weeks before our trip and by then, most of the rooms with king beds had already been booked. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing because deciding on which exquisitely themed room to spend a weekend in turned out to be surprisingly difficult: they were all so delightfully zany.
We ended up in The Wizard’s Emeralds. Imagine a sequel to The Wizard of Oz in which Dorothy wakes up obsessed with two things: the bizarre dream she’d just had and the color green. She then goes on to manically decorate her bedroom with every detail she can remember: the ruby shoes that started her journey, the odd friends she met along the way and of course, the yellow brick road leading to a glimmering city in the distance.
The décor in the Wizard’s Emeralds is so dedicated to the theme that you’ll feel as if you fell asleep in a field of poppies and woke up in a color-infused dream world of your own.
Themed Rooms as Conversation Starters
As we were settling into our ground floor, extremely emerald-colored room, I noticed that other guests walking by stopped to put their faces up close to our window and peek inside our room, which seemed…like an odd invasion of privacy at first.
It took me a second to realize that it was check-in time and new guests were curious about the different rooms. How could they not be? We quickly unpacked and then took our own little tour of the property, where we ran into other guests doing the same. The funny thing was that everyone was so happy and smiling and in a state of dazed wonder at the pops of color around every corner.
Three ladies from Syracuse, NY invited us in to see their room—the two-story Noir Boudoir, complete with an extravagant black chandelier hanging from the 20-foot ceiling and a two-person bathtub.
The Syracuse ladies then clued us in to The Roxbury’s morning tours, which take place daily at 11:00 a.m. Guests are welcome to join a tour of the rooms that have been vacated that day. On our tour the next morning, we saw several additional rooms, including The Final Frontier—which Trekkies would go mad for—and Miss Kitty’s Saloon, which features a lacy red bustier as a hanging light fixture.
Shimmer Spa & Other Amenities
The Roxbury Motel consists of two separate buildings across the street from each other. Both buildings include facilities that make up the Shimmer Spa. The hot tub and steam room are located in The Roxbury South while the larger spa is over at The Roxbury North, and includes a relaxation area with an impressive library of books, a steam room, and several treatment rooms.
We opted to pay the additional $20 per person for use of the spa, which is good for your entire stay. Overall, the extra cost is worth it if you are a spa person, which I most definitely am.
Other nice touches throughout The Roxbury Motel property include relaxing common areas with hot chocolate, coffee, ice water and snacks laid out for guests. Our in-room refrigerator was stocked with wine and beer, which we could purchase at a reasonable price, and the morning breakfast spread (included in our stay) offered a large variety of items like fruit, cheese, yogurt, granola, and croissants. There’s also a deck attached to the main building (Roxbury South) with lounge chairs and a fire pit.
Town of Roxbury, NY
The small downtown area of Roxbury is just right for guests at The Roxbury Motel. It’s got all you need–a restaurant, a wine shop, and a general store–and then, just to remind you you’re in a small town, a volunteer fire department whose whistle blows loudly at noon each day.
We had an excellent dinner at Chappie’s and a pleasant browse around Roxbury General before heading back to spend a couple of evening hours at the Shimmer Spa.
Things to do Near Roxbury, NY
The Roxbury Motel was our main destination so we didn’t seek out much beyond that. We did stop at Giant Ledge on our way up from Manhattan for a quick, late-fall hike, and to get our fix of gorgeous Catskills views. Alternatively, if you’re driving from points south, you could stop and hike at Sam’s Point near Ellenville, NY. Roxbury is also less than an hour from Kaaterskill Falls if you’re interested in making that part of your itinerary.
For more in the area, The Roxbury Motel website has links to many area attractions including hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, antique stores, and the Delaware and Ulster Scenic Railroad. They also have an extensive list of area restaurants.
New Property: The Roxbury at Stratton Falls
The same duo behind The Roxbury Motel have now opened The Roxbury at Stratton Falls, giving travelers even more options for hotels the Catskills.
The Roxbury at Stratton Falls includes newly built cottages, anchored by a restored 1848 Italianate mansion. Each Tower Cottage is uniquely themed, and if you thought the Wizard’s Emeralds sounded elaborate, hold on to your ruby red shoes!
Cottage themes include, for example, Superhero Incognito, designed as Wonder Woman’s weekend retreat. There’s also Terrazza of the Titans, where larger than life Greek Gods stand sentry in the form of statues, mosaics, and a ceiling mural to rival the Sistine Chapel.
The Tower Cottages each include a common living area and can accommodate 4-6 people. The restored Italianate mansion also offers elaborately decorated rooms. And don’t miss the spa and pool at the Crooked Cabana, housed in a building meant to be a skewed, whimsical replica of the 1848 mansion.
Last November, our weekend at The Roxbury Motel coincided with the Grand Opening party of their new property and while we haven’t stayed overnight yet, we did get a sneak preview of the The Roxbury at Stratton Falls. There is also a trail system on the grounds which lead to Stratton Falls. Note that most of the trails are closed in the winter.
Final thoughts
As a final note, The Roxbury experience is rather difficult to explain. Everyone kind of walks around smiling in wonder. The staff is friendly and helpful. Mostly though, what could very well be tacky kitsch—with rooms decorated around such extravagant themes—is avoided with the obvious commitment to detail and overall elegance of the property.
The motel goes to great lengths to wow guests with the décor but they back that up with their outstanding guest services. It shows that they are not just going for an interesting façade. Our experience was very genuinely friendly and most certainly unique.