Last month in February, my best friend and I decided to escape the hustle and bustle of New York City and head upstate New York for a few days for a quiet escape surrounded by nature.
We booked a stay at the Eastwind Hotel, established by a few friends in 2018, a year-around boutique hotel situated in a quaint hillside right in the middle of Windham, NY, surrounded by the beautiful backdrop of the Catskill Mountains. They have different rooms and cabins in 2 sizes which you can select. We booked a Lushna, a 200 square feet Scandinavian-inspired triangular cabin for our stay.
It may look simple on the outside, but it had fast WiFi! I had a fantastic stay and the most peaceful, uninterrupted sleep on a comfortable bed with all Frette Linen! I woke up to a family of deer on the property trying to find breakfast.
Before arriving at the hotel, I was worried it would get cold in the cabin, but the place had a great heater and did not need the Faribault wool blankets provided.
Each cabin has its fire pit area, and the staff was very friendly to help with anything and was a text away. The customer service was excellent; it’s glamping at its finest without having to sacrifice comfort.
Even though it was cold and snowy, my friend built a fire, and we ended up cooking dinner in the open fire. BBQ Kits are upon request, and these are the items they provided minus the tea kettle, that is what I had requested prior to my hotel arrival. We brought our own food and cooking pan to cook, they provided sustainable plates and cutlery. The room came with s’mores kit, so we had fun roasting it on the fire and enjoying the stars!
That night before we went to bed, we decided to order a breakfast basket; filled out a google form with time request. There are 2 options, either to eat the breakfast in the lounge or have it delivered! We had it delivered because I thought it was cute. The staff deliver it outside your door and bring fresh-squeezed orange juice, yogurt, seasonal fruit, homemade granola, pastries, and eggs. My friend pretty much ate the entire basket since I do not eat eggs or dairy and gluten! But, he said breakfast was delicious. I had never had breakfast delivered to me in a basket before, which I thought was super cute and a vibe, so I made this video posted to my Instagram Reels here: but I have also embedded the video right here so you can watch it below.
Eastwind Hotel_5teffy Breakfast Basket view from Lushna Cabin G
For hiking, we hit one of my favorite hiking trails in the area, Kaaterskill Falls, total is 1.6 mile hike and one of the most popular hikes in this area, and for a good reason. I have visited this hike four times now, and every time during a different season, so it’s been great to have different scenery and landscape every time.
For anyone who loves waterfalls, you can park your car at the Laurel-House Road parking area, walk for 10 mins to the top of the observation deck (.3 miles), and get good views of the top of the falls.
Whenever I have been here, it is usually quite busy. However, people are generally very courteous since our social distancing era is to wait around for people to finish taking their photos. The hike has a lower portion/trailhead, which is short, has narrow, steep, and rocky parts, and could be challenging for some, so make sure you have the proper footwear! I would suggest a good pair of waterproof winter hiking boots if you are going during the winter. Many people turned away and did not go farther because they did not have the proper footwear.
Luckily, we bought these ice spikes this season, and did it ever come in handy and a total life savior; there was no way we could have hiked without them and would not have been able to go on the falls to capture these fantastic photos! Check out this video showing behind the frozen waterfall from this hike posted on my Instagram reels here: but I have also embedded the video right here so you can watch it below.
Kaaterskill Falls_5teffy (lower trailhead) Feb, 2022 
Kaaterskill Falls_5teffy (lower trailhead) Feb, 2022
After the hike and being out in the cold we hit the sauna! My favorite! Yay!!
Luckily our Lushna cabin was close to the Sauna, so I could wear the Hooded Pendleton Robe hanging in the bathroom and head to the Sauna after hiking. It was great to have the heat on my muscles after a hike, glimpse the trees, and enjoy the sun peeping in the sauna window. I just wanted to stay in there all day, but you can’t stay in for too long, so I stayed for 10 minutes, went outside, switched, and experienced a hot-cold, hot-cold effect.
I loved our bathroom; every cabin has its private bathroom building with a shower, accessible with a code. The shower had a sunroof which had sun peeping in, and I could see the trees. It was so tranquil.
Later in the afternoon, we went to the lounge area of the main Eastwind building. They have this closet stocked with Hunter boots, snowshoes, a Hunter backpack, and jackets hanging on another rack, so if you do not have the proper clothing, you can come here to borrow an item for your outdoor adventures!
5teffy goes snowshoe borrowed from Eastwind Hotel! 
Eastwind Hotel Lounge closet with Hunter Boots & accessories
We borrowed the snowshoes for free and drove to the nearby Hunter trail to go snowshoeing! It was fun shoeing on the compacted thick snow and ice, being in nature, and taking in the brisk air. Here are some of the photos we took. It’s been over ten years since I have snowshoed, so it was a fun afternoon! After snowshoeing, we enjoyed the fire in the lounge, made some more smores, and I enjoyed my favorite nighttime tea.
Overall, I had a fantastic getaway weekend stay and would come back here for another visit in another season for different scenery. Highly suggest saving this property on your bucket list for your next upstate New York getaway.
Eastwind Hotel Lushna Cabin G_5teffy photos taken March 2022 
Eastwind Hotel Lushna Cabin G_5teffy photos taken March 2022
