Traveling on a budget shouldn’t be a challenge. Just count the money you have for fun, lodging, and transportation and search what is best for you. In my case, when I can’t go anywhere far because of $$ and work, I have to be creative and plan something that is more reasonable . That’s why this weekend I decided to discover a little bit of upstate NY and I really, really loved it.
Where: Upstate NY- Rhinebeck, Woodstock, Lanesville, Tannersville, Saugerties, Beacon
People: 2
Budget: $500
First things first: Rent a car to discover all the towns you plan to visit. We found a good deal in Mamaroneck, NY with Enterprise for $60 the weekend. After that, search where to stay. We used Airbnb and found a good deal to stay in a B&B (actually a room in a private residence) in Lenesville, NY. The cost? $115. Now that we had that covered, the trip can start:
1. Take the Metro North. We took the Metro North from 125 St. ( Harlem, NYC) to Mamaroneck, NY (where the car was) – 28 minutes; $34 round trip (2 people, $17 each). You can take the metro from Grand Central, but is going to be a little more $.
2. First stop: Rhinebeck, NY – Nice town, full of restaurants and bars. This particular weekend it was pretty crowded and plenty of motorcycle aficionados since the America Antique Motorcycle Show was the main event. The stop here was to have lunch at Gigi Trattoria and the pizza there was very yummy. Lunch: $45
3. Second Stop: Woodstock, NY – Although, in this town Woodstock Festival never happen, it was in Bethel NY, it’s a very charming place. First, we got a beer at a local bar, then went to the Weekend Yard Sale. We found some jewelry and few other stuff under $15. People here were very nice, calm and funny. Also, stop at the Candlestock store which was very impressive. They had the hugest selection for candles I’ve seen. After seeing all the store spree, back to to road it is. Shopping (7 items) and beers: $53 .
4. Third stop: Lanesville, NY – Enter the Catskills Forest area which is beautiful and this place does not count with a reception, which I really loved. In our case, we went to the B&B to rest for a bit. It was so beautiful and our hostess was incredible. It was the cutest cottage near a creek. They had a pool, access to the creek, and all the amenities we needed. We were in paradise! I really recommended doing this, since it’s cheaper and a completely different experience.
5. After a nap and nice shower we went to dinner to Tannersville, NY, which was really close to the B&B. There are a few restaurants and bars. We had Mexican food and drinks in Pancho Villa’s Mexican Restaurant. The dinner was a little bit out of the budget, but after some Margaritas and given the fact that is was Saturday night, it was OK – $63.
6. The next morning you have many options of things to do. We decided first to go to the Mini Golf that we saw the night before and at 10:15 a.m. we were already playing all alone in that beautiful land. Cost- $8 each ($19)
7. After this we went to the North Sound Lake to do hiking. If you enjoy nature, then I highly recommended hiking in this area. We only paid $8 to enter the park and spend the rest of the day here. We hike two trails: The Artist Work and Newman’s Ledge. They were intermediate and fun. Time: Approx. 2 hours. I recommend to have an appropriate attire for hiking. I had my jeans on and it was a little hard to stretch. We were supposed to go to the Katerskill Falls but we were too tired…. next time for sure because it’s a must!
8. Next stop: Saugerties, NY. Here we had lunch in Love Bites ($25) and we also bought extremely good chocolates at Lucky Chocalates ($7). Overall this town is cute, small and offers nice stores.
9. Since we had energy to keep exploring and it was only 3:30 p.m., we decided to keep going and we arrived to Beacon, NY. They have a lot of cute shops, a nice waterfall in the town, and art galleries. We were kind of thirsty, nothing better that an ice could beer to quench thirst 😉 so we stopped at The Hop fro soup and beer. Cost – $15
10. Wa, wa, wa and the trip was over 🙁 . I really loved this experience and it’s must for everybody in this area or if you are visiting NY for more than 2 weeks. Sometimes you need to disconnect from the chaos the city at times has and experience tranquility for a while.
Total cost for the trip: $ 444
xoxo,
Cristina
