The Graham and Co.

My husband took me on a birthday weekend getaway, escaping New York City in the interest of connecting with the outdoors.

Our room was basic, but beautiful. We had a queen bed fitted with a cozy wool throw and an animal skin rug. One folding chair and two bedside tables topped with a Tivoli radio filled the space. We did not have air conditioning (though I believe some rooms including bunk rooms do) or a fridge. The bathroom products were high quality and contained in large bottles, which is a nice way to reduce plastic waste.

A local beer was offered on arrival by a laid-back local, setting the mood for the weekend. The venue is in the Catskills, where nature and a pleasantly slow pace come together to form beautiful moments and vistas, much like the hotel. The gathering spaces are well appointed, without the appearance of trying too hard. The color palette includes a distinctly worn-wood brown, black and poolside blues, with little touches making the venue shine. Highlights include complimentary bikes, a beautiful breakfast buffet, proximity to the town, weekend campfires, a photo friendly teepee, badminton on the lawn, donut rings in the pool and hammocks made for afternoon lounging.

The Graham & Co. is roughly a 2.5 hour drive from New York City, at the base of the Hunter Mountains, and we enjoyed Stormking Outdoor Art Center acting as a perfect halfway stop on the drive out. We also did a day trip to Hudson, a small creative city less than an hour away. Pheonicia itself is a hamlet town in the Catskills, which is known for outdoor activity. The surrounding area offers hiking, fishing, tubing, foliage spotting, skiing and snowshoeing depending on your season of arrival. As we made the journey during early fall, we enjoyed hiking with a views of changing leaves daily. In the evenings, we enjoyed stargazing form the campfire, with sounds of a crackling fire, babbling brook and reggae music from the bar dancing in the crisp night air. A few locally sourced restaurants are also nearby, with a town center of mom & pops co-mingled with thriving newer storefronts.  

Friendships were forged around the campfire after dark. My husband and I brought supplies to make s’mores, noting for future reference that snacks definitely grease the wheels of conversation. We met a couple on a city getaway and folks from Portland attending a local wedding. We didn’t exchange numbers or even Instagram accounts, but we did have a great chat over ciders and s’mores.