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After our shopping expedition in Woodstock, we drove farther northwest to the town of Roxbury, where J had found what is probably the most interesting hotel in the country.

The Roxbury is a boutique hotel in the Catskills with 20+ rooms, each inspired by a movie or TV reference from the ’60s and ’70s. The rooms are decorated with a level of detail bordering on insane. We looked at some TripAdvisor photos the night before and really weren’t sure what to expect — the kitschiness could either be really cool or really gross.

The property doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the lime green doors and decorations on the porch hint at the spectacle inside. We got a taste of it from checking out the reception bathroom:

Where do you even get a sink like that??

Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived, so we wandered around the patio and made our way over to the spa lounge. Every inch was a celebration of sparkle or color or both.

In our short time at the hotel thus far, we were impressed with the tastefully zany decor as well as the polish of the place; everything looked clean and well-maintained, never worn or outdated. In our downtime, we did some reading on the owners of the Roxbury, Greg Henderson and Joseph Massa, who seem like two people living their best life.

When we finally got access to our room — themed after the TV show “I Dream of Jeannie” — we were both wildly delighted at every part of it, from the pink living room to the gold lamps and accents everywhere to the glittering powder room.

Of course, the piéce de rèsistance was the master bathroom. It was difficult to capture comprehensively on camera, but it stretched between the two bedrooms and had curved walls/ceiling with a tiny round skylight as if you were inside an actual genie bottle. Just…HOW?? And the surfaces were covered in the most gorgeous pink sparkly mosaic tile!!!

Even the soap was pink. And the faucets were shaped like genie lamps. Oh my god. You better believe I took a hot bubble bath in that bathtub before bed.

We rested for a bit before dinner. There’s a restaurant right next to the hotel, but J had made a reservation at Brushland Eating House, 30 minutes away on the other side of the mountain. As the sun set, we drove up a mostly deserted (and somewhat creepy) winding road to get there.

Bovina Center was somehow an even smaller town than Roxbury, with just a general store and this restaurant — plus what seemed like one lonely streetlight — on the main road. We parked on the curb and basically had to guess (in the dark) which building to walk in, as there was no visible signage.

Brushland had a cozy interior, and long story short, the food was incredible. And incredibly cheap!!

Started off with an anchovy crostini layered with cream cheese and pear, which J liked even though he usually hates anything with pear. My entree was a delicious suckling pig with Brussels sprouts, which was only $16!! J’s half roast chicken was just $17, and he was very happy with it. Our side of roasted carrots was as beautiful as it was tasty, and our desserts of olive oil cake and chocolate tart were the perfect way to end the meal.

Similar to our other favorite upstate restaurant, The Heron, Brushland is owned by a couple who decided to open their own place after working for years in NYC. The area has lots of farms, and you can peep the restaurant’s fresh ingredients on its supremely cool Instagram.

After dinner, which came out to a mere $95 (excluding tip) for a full three courses (plus a beer), we made the long drive back to Roxbury, stopping on the way to admire the stars, which were spectacularly visible from the Catskills.

On Saturday morning, we stopped by Phoenicia Diner on the way home. The place was packed, but we managed to snag two seats at the bar and ordered two skillets for breakfast.

The food was hearty and good, though not as breathtakingly amazing as other places we’d dined recently in the area. And that was the end of our Thanksgiving adventure upstate!

Read about our previous night in Woodstock.

Tagged: roxbury, upstate ny