Jupiter Rising is a 2-bedroom house vacation rental in the Hunter area of Catskills, and my friends and I were the second guests to check into the new Catskills rental with private pool (a rarity for Catskills). Here is my review of Jupiter Rising vacation rental in the Catskills.
Jupiter Rising is actually located in a town called Elka Park, but it is essentially Hunter Mountain area, which is known to be a magnet to influencers and millennials due to the great skiing and the hipster-centric Scribner’s Lodge.
The cabin is on 20 acres of private land owned by George H. Lewis, a famous painter who is also a certified astrologer. While the listing states that Jupiter Rising is one of 4 properties on the 20 acres of land, it implies that the other houses are available to rent, but this is not true. The main house, about 100 feet away from Jupiter Rising, is George’s home, and the other structure is a barn he’s turning into a healing center, while the other structure will be another structure that will be used for a service in the future. Guests staying at Jupiter Rising will have the entire property and land to themselves (though remember, George and his maintenance man is in the house next door).
When we drove up, we found the Catskills rental with private pool to be tucked away on a quiet street. There’s plenty of parking out front.
The wooden cabin is smaller than it appears in the ad (though the property is a lot bigger than the photos). However, it’s still incredibly comfortable and spacious. As soon as you walk through the front door, the living area is spacious and furnished with woodsy, rustic furnishings.
There’s a small kitchen with dining table that has an incredible, enormous view of the sprawling lake and forest through a large window.
What’s great about the vacation rental is that George stocked it with food and drinks (free for you to eat). There’s a working stove, microwave and refrigerator. George can provide a barbecue grill if you want to grill outside.
The bathroom is on the main floor. I love bathrooms that have windows for fresh air. Like the kitchen, George was thoughtful enough to stock the bathroom with organic toiletries, like face wash and shampoo. The bathroom has a claw-foot bathtub, but unusually, there is no shower curtain. So to take a shower, you must squat and sort of spray the shower head on you.
We loved all the views from the property.
The living area has a bookshelf with great books, wooden sofa, Tibetan bowls and antiques.
Most of the furnishing, blankets, etc, are quite old, so it does have a mustiness you’d expect for an old property. We left the windows open the entire stay. Also, there was no WIFI on my visit. George had a network and password, but it did not work for any of us. We had to go to George’s home to use WIFI, so make sure George has activated WIFI in the cabin if you need to work. The lack of WIFI is one of the main reasons we left early because we all had to do some work, and we didn’t want to be stuck inside his house. So again, if WIFI is important to you, ask George to set it up before you arrive.
There are two small bedrooms on the second floor. One bedroom has a door leading to a porch (that has a staircase going to the main porch). The room gets hot, so a fan is provided. This room has incredible views of the mountains and reservoir. The other bedroom is smaller and has a window. Remember, this is an old property, and all the furnishings are old, meaning the beds are not new. If you have back problems, let George know, because these old mattresses aren’t the most comfortable (I had to sleep on the floor the second night, which didn’t bother me, but if you’re older and have back issues, I just want you to be aware).
The cabin looks out into the mountains which is amazing, whether you’re inside or on the porch.
There’s a small lake, so you feel like you’re in a Disney movie. We saw deer sipping from the lake, hawks in the sky, rabbits hopping around.
The private pool is the main reason why we booked the property. Private outdoor pools are a rarity in the Catskills.
Jupiter Rising comes with a large, outdoor saltwater pool. It is one of very, very, very few Catskills rental with a private pool.
It’s also heated (just remember to ask George to heat it a few hours before you arrive. Because it’s a large pool, it can take some time to heat).
The pool is in front of George’s house, which is just steps from the cabin. We spent most of our time hanging out at the pool.
The night sky is unreal. At night, we were impressed with the clarity of the stars.
More stories:
5 reasons you should book a vacation rental over a hotel
I went to this secret beach just 30 minutes from Manhattan (Fort Tilden)
After 12 years in Manhattan, I moved to Brooklyn. Here’s why.
Zipcar review: My car sharing rental was full of unfortunate surprises
The 6 best restaurants in the Catskills
Check out our new favorite Samsonite luggage only on Amazon!
Travelbinger is proud to be a publisher with Google News and Apple News.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Please do! I’m a one-man team for this website, so any help is sincerely appreciated.
Travelbinger is now on YouTube! Subscribe here for exclusive travel tips and advice from founder Jimmy Im. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Jimmy Im has traveled to 113 countries, stayed in over 600 hotels and has flown a million airmiles. He lives in New York City.