Where to Rent or Buy in an Upstate N.Y. Bungalow Colony

We’ve had several requests for more information about renting or buying in bungalow colonies in Upstate New York after our first post about Lake Huntington Summer Community. Readers, voila: a preliminary list of Catskills bungalow colonies that offer rentals or have properties for sale–affordable second homes or cheap vacation rentals near New York City. If you know of more, please email us!

Lansmans
This is one of the few colonies to successfully transform into a 21st century version of its 50s heyday self (they have a website for folks who want to reminisce about the mid-century colony). Per the website: “100 beautiful wooded acres off Murphy Road in Woodbourne, NY. The approximately 85 summer cottages are situated throughout the grounds. Lansman’s sports a grand in-ground heated pool, four tournament tennis courts, full court basketball and paddleball courts, baseball and sports fields, the premier summer day camp, a casino and restaurant, weekend shows, a card room, full time maintenance staff and much much more.” They have bungalows for rent or sale including a one-bedroom bungalow with deck–$4,500 for a full spring-through-fall rental, or $12,000 to buy.

Buffalo Colony
The Buffalo Colony, also in Woodburne, N.Y. has a swimming pool, basketball and volleyball courts and a communal building, and 30 units spread out over 103 acres. Many of these are larger homes, suitable for families or groups of friends, including an early 19th century schoolhouse — which looks very nice to us. They have bungalows for rent and for sale.

Fiume Bello
The name means “beautiful river,” so-called for the Mamaketing Brook that bisects it. Located in Spring Glen, N.Y., the colony is a co-op of 12 bungalows on eight acres, a common building called the Casino, and a pool. One bungalow is currently for sale, profiled last week on Upstater–the $26,500 bungalow that is one of the most affordable vacation homes in the Catskills that we’ve seen. They don’t officially rent here, or let you sublet, so the way in is buying. Taxes: $2,400/year. No train, but the Short Line bus goes to the Post Office on Old Route 209.

Spring Glen Corners
Spring Glen Corners, also in Spring Glen, N.Y., has 22 bungalows, a children’s play area, pool, landscaped grounds, a garden, rec room, laundry room and communal canoes. They do allow rentals and suggest that’s a good way to get in with the community. Currently a unit for sale for $59,000, with annual taxes and fees of $3,600. Here’s more from the owner: “It’s a double bungalow in Spring Glen Corners with more than twice the usual space of a typical bungalow because we also have two sleeping lofts and a huge yard that no one else uses. We’ve completely modernized the electric system and put on a new roof. We’re selling equipped and furnished (except for the kitchen table and my daugher’s bedroom set) so it’s completely turn-key.” Contact the owner if interested. The NY Times wrote up the colony in 2005.

Rosmarins
Rosmarins has 100 cottages, a lake, pool (one for grownups and one for kiddies), tennis courts, playgrounds, a snack shop, a day camp for the kids and a Saturday night lounge act! It’s in Monroe, N.Y., 39 miles from the George Washington Bridge, and, if you tire of colony life, 10 minutes from Woodbury Commons.

The $26,500 Bungalow

Upstate New York bungalow colonies offer some of the most affordable second homes in the Catskills, but this one has got to be the deal of the decade. I first saw it advertised last year for $30,000, when the owners, a Park Slope couple, were relocating to Vermont. It still hasn’t sold, and they’re now far away, so the price for this 700-square-foot one-bedroom is now reduced to $26,500. Taxes are $2400/year, payable in three installments.

It’s part of a community of 12 bungalows called “Fiume Bello”–beautiful river–that began in the 1950s. It was essentially rescued from ruin by a co-op of families in the 70s, and the children of that wave of settlers now inhabit the bungalows, which are spread out over eight acres in Spring Glen, N.Y. They have a pool and a big field and big group dinners and bonfires if you want to participate in the group activity.