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A brand-new hotel along the Delaware River will open just in time for the summer season, giving adventurers a new place to stay near some of New York and Pennsylvania’s most enjoyable outdoor places. Hotel Darby is a 27-room escape in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, that will be the perfect jumping off point for float trips on the river, hiking in the Catskill Mountains, and fresh-air adventures in the Poconos. It’s about two and a half hours from New York City.
Hotel Darby, which opens June 15, is the latest property from Foster Supply Hospitality, which operates a collection of cool, small inns across New York, including Kenoza Hall and The DeBruce, both favorites of Aztravel.org editors.
This latest property will have retro-chic rooms and suites — including some with bunk beds — occupying a rehabbed building that’s also got a custom-built bar, a “hammock grove,” and miles of private hiking trails across the 17-acre spread. While it’s located in Pennsylvania, the hotel sits just across the Delaware from Narrowsburg, New York, giving guests a best-of-both-states experience, says owner Sims Foster.
“It is our first hotel outside New York, but it also fits in closely with the rest of the hotels we have. We are in the state of Pennsylvania but also ‘in’ New York,” Foster told Aztravel.org editors by email. “That means that we now get to incorporate a new set of small towns for guests to visit and explore like Honesdale and Hawley in Pennsylvania, along with those on the New York side that we love like Callicoon and Barryville.”
The biggest draw of all will be the river itself, says Foster, who spent many a childhood summer in the area. “As a kid growing up in Livingston Manor, New York, when we took the 20-minute drive to canoe, tube, or fish on the Delaware it felt like we were in a different place completely,” he says. “Having the mountain feel and the river valley feel in such close proximity makes for a unique destination. You can partake in both in a single day.”
Staff at the Darby can help plan float trips on the river or recommend off-property hiking trails or other adventures. While there’s a bar on site — with bottled cocktails, tinned seafood, and fancy charcuterie — the hotel doesn’t have a sit-down restaurant. That’s by design, says Foster, who co-founded the ever-growing hospitality company with his wife Kirsten Harlow Foster back in 2014 with the opening of The Arnold House.
“We’re just a five-minute walk over the bridge to Narrowsburg, where there are multiple great restaurants,” he says. “Our hope is that our presence will help the businesses in town do better — and because the options are so strong we know our guests will still have a great food experience. It’s a win-win and based on our commitment to both the communities we serve and our guests.”
Rates at Hotel Darby start at $229 a night.
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