Seeking peaceful NY Christmas getaway with dogs

October 26, 2011 3:19 AM

My husband and I live in New York City. We have two weeks of vacation that we need to use by year's end, and are looking for a place to go during Christmas- outside of the city- for some natural beauty and relaxation.

We have two large dogs that for *many* reasons cannot be boarded, so we are looking for an affordable place that will allow us to bring them. Any suggestions for areas driving distance from NYC that are beautiful and soul soothing- near nature, state parks, empty ocean beaches, or an old farm house- that we can seek out? Any experiences with renting a spot that you loved, that will allow a dog? Resources on where to look?

posted by catrae to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (8 answers total)

Best answer: Not really sure what you consider driving distance, but the Catskills are beautiful in December. In terms of places to look, I've had alot of luck on vrbo.com for renting people's vacation cabins. They specify if it's pet friendly as well. You can pretty much find any type of cabin on there as well, in any region. I found a cabin last summer in the middle of state games land that could only be accessed by canoe, and had no running water. There was a spa house for bathing and besides the guy that dropped us off, we didn't see another person for 2 weeks. It was amazing. I've also rented more modern cabins for family vacations that had beach front, grill, and everything else.

I would highly recommend it if your not really picky about the city you stay in; only the region.
posted by lpcxa0 at 4:07 AM on October 26, 2011

I agree that any summer rental will be a good option for winter rentals assuming it is winterized. What I really wanted to point out is that the dogs are less of an issue than Christmas. People with winterized vacation homes often use them over the holiday week, so that will narrow your choices a bit, and the ones that are available often go for peak summer rates for that window in Winter as it's the only real high-demand spot on the calendar outside of summer.
posted by DarlingBri at 4:18 AM on October 26, 2011

I'd recommend Martha's Vineyard. I'm biased, I lived there for many years, but it's an amazingly beautiful place with varied landscapes, many nature preserves, peace and quiet in the winter. It also tends to be a bit warmer than inland areas.
posted by mareli at 5:26 AM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My mom has a cabin on a lake in the Berkshires that she rents out, memail me if you want details. I love it there and am going this weekend.

I have been to the Catskills, the Pocanos, and the Berkshires on weekend trips. They are all very nice. Places in upstate NY and western MA are more likely to be winterized than places on Cape Cod or the islands. Otherwise I might suggest Block Island.

There are also some cute places on the CT shore like Mystic that could be good.

Martha's Vineyard is NOT in driving distance unless you think 6+ hours of driving and then a long ferry ride is within your scope.

VRBO and Air B&B are what I'd check. The ads specify if you can have pets and what kind.
posted by rmless at 8:15 AM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

Most anywhere on the NJ coast.. Avalon or Cape May areas will still have restaurants/life, but open beaches, and probably fairly inexpensive rentals.
posted by rich at 8:26 AM on October 26, 2011

The ferry ride to Martha's Vineyard is only 45 minutes. The drive from NYC is more like 4 hours, of course it all depends on traffic.
posted by mareli at 8:40 AM on October 26, 2011

I've enjoyed the Mohonk Preserve, and dogs are allowed in the park (although not in the nearby hotel). http://www.mohonkpreserve.org/
posted by bq at 11:11 AM on October 26, 2011 [1 favorite]

I heartily second the Mohonk / New Paltz area (one stay at the Mohonk Mountain House and I'm in love with that area forever - no dogs allowed there for sure, though). But I think you'd have a wonderful time anywhere in the Catskills or Adirondacks if you rent a cozy private cabin or house. It's absolutely spectacular up there in the wintertime, particularly if you two are outdoorsy types. DarlingBri definitely has a point about some of the owners using their country abodes for the holidays, but as someone who has spent many a Christmas week in a rented house on family ski trips, I'm pretty confident that you'll be able to find something.
posted by involution at 4:22 PM on October 26, 2011