This Catskills Getaway Is One Of America's Most Unique Hotels In 2025 Offering A Kaleidoscope Of Magic And Luxury

Tucked away in the quiet Catskills hamlet of Roxbury, New York, lies an imaginative retreat that is much more than a place to sleep. Step through the looking glass at The Roxbury, where you can enter a fairy forest or vampire den and sleep inside a genie's bottle. The Roxbury has become one of the most unique stays in America, earning a coveted spot on TripAdvisor's "Best of the Best" list of one-of-a-kind hotels. 

The property has two locations in the same town — the original Roxbury Motel, a reinvented 1960s roadside inn, and The Roxbury at Stratton Falls, home to an 1848 Italianate mansion and magical, themed cottages near a 50-foot waterfall. Each room, suite, and cottage is designed like a theatrical set, blending comfort with magical storytelling design and decor. Whether you choose a bold, pop culture-inspired motel room, an adults-only luxury mansion room, an immersive themed suite, or an otherworldly cottage, you will feel transported far beyond the Catskills and into another realm.

The Roxbury is around a 3-hour drive from central Manhattan and a 1.5-hour drive from Albany International Airport. While you're staying at the Roxbury, you should explore more of the Catskill region, which includes Windham, the "Gem of the Catskills," a half hour from Roxbury, and Saugerties, one of America's "coolest small towns," that's a little over an hour away. These mountains are a four-season destination, home to renowned hiking trails, antique stores, and ski areas like Belleayre Mountain, New York's best ski resort for family getaways. 

In the original Roxbury Motel, fans of the Wizard of Oz and Wicked can follow the yellow brick road that winds around the emerald green bed and continues into a mural. Television shows from the 1970s, like Gilligan's Island, The Partridge Family, and Charlie's Angels, get the creative treatment in rooms like Maryann's Coconut Cream Pie, where large frosted dessert peaks swirl from the ceiling. Just down the road at Stratton Falls, the mansion rooms, which are inspired by the heritage of the site, take a more refined approach and are for adults only due to the fragility of some of the furnishings. The Brothers' Stratton pays tribute to Revolutionary War settlers with muskets and sabers, while The Pampered Postmaster honors the property's old post office with vintage postal touches. 

Themed suites are immersive storyscapes, like The Final Frontier, a two-story suite inspired by Star Trek, complete with murals, a silver lounge, and futuristic design. There's also the Genie's Bottle Suite, featuring a spherical, glittering bathroom with a Japanese soaking tub. The Dracula's Fangs cottage is full of gothic drama with bat and skull décor, while Cinderella's Gown has a pumpkin-carriage bathroom and towering ballgown canopy bed, and Galileo's Gate offers a cosmic journey with an octagonal stargazing conservatory. Meanwhile, Terrazza of the Titans transports guests to the realm of Greek gods. These cottages, with multiple bedrooms and living areas, are ideal for groups or families. These rooms are playful but don't skimp on comfort, and some are quite affordable; nightly rates begin at $119.50 and go up from there.