My Favorite Airbnb: A Cozy Hudson Valley House Originally Built in 1860

By Erika Owen

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There are a few things New Yorkers won't easily share: how much they pay for rent (a lot), how much they actually work (a lot), and their top secret "it's time to get out of the city" spot. Such places typically meet the following criteria: 1. Within driving distance or near a train station 2. Beautiful in the slow-your-heart-rate kind of way 3. Beautiful in the not-going-to-break-the-bank kind of way. Tell the wrong group at a party, and you’ll never be able to catch an available booking again.

Courtesy Airbnb

However, because I am feeling generous, I'm going to break that rule and tell you about mine anyway. You can thank me later. It's in Beacon, a beloved stop off of the Metro North train, about 90 minutes from Grand Central Station. Like many small towns in the Hudson Valley, the downtown area is full of locally owned boutiques, rows of antique vaults, restaurants, and friendly bars, with a few museums here and there. You can walk the length of Main Street in 15 minutes if you’re hustling. Home to Dia Beacon, an award-winning art museum with airy halls and tons of contemporary exhibits, the sidewalks are often lined with creatives who came up from New York City for the day. But instead of following their lead and keeping your trip to a few hours, book a night or two at this three-bedroom home just a quick walk from the downtown neighborhood.

I found the listing online after a chain of particularly stressful days, coinciding with my one-year anniversary of leaving a job to pursue freelance writing full-time. I wanted to celebrate and decompress. So, during some late-night Airbnb swiping, my husband and I were won over by the many cozy nooks throughout the listing's photos, as well as the massive open-plan kitchen. (We weren't planning to cook, but we wanted a bright space to enjoy morning coffee and tea while planning our leisurely days in town.)

Once we got off the train, we took a five-minute Uber from the Beacon train station. Along the way, our driver gave us recommendations for where to eat (Quinn's), drink (Reserva Wine Bar), and get a coffee (Little King). Upon arrival, the space was even more than we had hoped for: A bottle of wine and tiny, delicious bars of Mast chocolate sat on the table with thoughtful information and recommendations from the host. Each room looked ready for a magazine shoot. My favorite was a sun room with a hanging lounge chair, tons of books, and a massive cushioned bench that was made for napping.

The interiors leaned boho, with wool throw blankets, lots of wooden accents, and hanging weavings. The remote-controlled fireplace was an appreciated touch on a chilly February night. Pieces of driftwood lean in corners—the kind of touch you bookmark for your own space and can't quite nail once you’re home. There are handmade ceramics accenting shelves, and one corner with a Ligne Roset Togo chair serves as a listening space, thanks to a radio and a set of incense.

The kitchen was a lesson in open-shelf storage: beautiful glass coffee mugs and ceramic dinnerware doubled as art. A coffee corner is stocked with local beans and tea for guests, as well as granola bars—snacks like this are often an overlooked amenity, in my experience. A dining table adjacent to the kitchen counter seating is settled into one of the sunniest spaces in the home during the morning hours. This detail alone caught me off guard in the moment, and I found myself smiling out the nearby window like a burnt-out city girl who hasn't felt the sun on her face in years. And, well, it was kind of true.

Upstairs, three bedrooms and two baths were dropped along a short hallway. The main bedroom had its own sitting area and a work desk—two complementary elements that warmed my Virgo heart. This bedroom had an en suite bathroom with a rain head shower. The smaller bathroom didn't skimp on comforts and was easily accessible by two smaller bedrooms, each with windows dripping sunlight onto the beds.

Within an hour of being in the space, my husband and I were already scheming future days spent shopping for beauty goodies at Witch Hazel, lingering over dinner at the Roundhouse Hotel restaurant, and losing ourselves in art at Dia—and future nights spent falling asleep to the sound of the nearby river at this cozy home.