Hotel Lilien

The new wave of Catskills hospitality is less about resorts and more about boutique-scale hotels — in the case of Hotel Lilien, an 1890s Victorian mansion and estate in Tannersville, New York that’s been transformed into an 18-room boutique hotel. It’s the work of the Lost Boys Hospitality Group, in collaboration with the San Francisco–based designers Field Theory, but there’s nothing overtly Californian — or Victorian, for that matter — about the design. Instead, it’s an eclectic survey of multiple styles and eras, including classic 20th-century modernist design pieces and a constantly churning collection of artworks by contemporary New York artists.

Its rooms, naturally, are all different; some are original, others later additions, but all share the Lilien’s warm, organic style. There’s no TV in the rooms, and that’s a conscious choice; guests are invited to socialize over a plated European breakfast accompanied by impeccably sourced pastries and coffee, and in a bar and lounge that serves a full dinner menu alongside a well-chosen selection of wines, local beers, and seasonal cocktails. Meanwhile the outdoor offerings include a swimming pool and a fire pit, as well as hiking at Kaaterskill Falls, mere minutes away.