This New York Airbnb Has a Private Waterfall and an Outdoor Sauna With a Cold Plunge

Finding a great water feature Airbnb in New York, one with a pool or hot tub, is one thing. Finding one with a private waterfall, a cedar sauna, and a cold plunge bath fed by a nearby stream is something else entirely. When I came across this chic, newly renovated cottage in Arkville, I couldn’t wait to share it. It’s easily one of the best waterfront Airbnbs in New York.

Sauna by the Falls — Arkville, New York (Catskills)

The property sits about 20 feet above a rolling stream and waterfall that runs year-round. You fall asleep to it, wake up to it, and sit beside it around the fire pit after dark. Guest after guest describes the sound of the water as the detail they remember most.

The real standout feature for some, though, is the cold plunge bath just outside the sauna building. Heat up in the cedar sauna, step out, drop into stream-cold water, repeat. Cold plunge therapy has become one of the most talked-about wellness rituals around, and at most places, accessing it means a spa reservation or a gym membership. Here, you just walk outside.

Curious about the sauna? It's beautifully built, with warm cedar walls, a forest-facing window, and a traditional bucket-and-ladle arrangement, and five-star reviews consistently single it out as the highlight of the stay. It’s also one of the highest-rated waterfront Airbnbs in New York, holding Guest Favorite status, well deserved for a listing this distinctive among luxury Airbnbs in New York.

More To Explore at This Waterfront Airbnb in New York

Open the door, and the fire pit sits right along the water’s edge, while back toward the cottage, the bluestone patio is fully set for dinners, drinks, and laid-back evenings by the stream. There’s even a hammock strung up for when you want to spend an hour or two doing nothing but swaying and listening to the water roll over the rocks below.

That same attention to detail carries throughout the cottage, from the cedar-paneled walls and heated marble floors to the soaking tub and wood-burning stove. The kitchen is properly stocked as well, with Le Creuset cookware, an induction stove, and a French press. Because it has two bedrooms plus a sleeper loft, it works just as well for a small group as it does for two.

Where To Go in the Catskills

If you do decide to leave the property, Belleayre Mountain is 14 minutes away. It's a natural fit for ski season—some of the best cabin Airbnbs in New York are in this region for exactly that reason. Lake Wawaka is 11 minutes out, Dry Brook Ridge trailhead is 12 minutes, and the Pepacton Reservoir is just 13.

The Catskills are also home to some spectacular waterfalls worth exploring on your trip, and this part of the state puts you right in the middle of them. The Union Grove Distillery is four minutes down the road for when the sauna session calls for something cold to sip afterward.

There aren't many water feature Airbnbs in New York that work equally well as a winter ski retreat, a summer wellness escape, or a quiet weekend away from the city—this one does. The photos are great, but the steam rising from the sauna into cool air, the sound of the falls at night, the fire crackling a few feet from running water—that part you have to experience yourself. Book Sauna by the Falls before someone else does, because dates here tend to disappear fast.

For more on what the region has to offer, the Catskills tourism website is worth a browse before you go. And if a waterfall isn’t quite your thing—maybe, like me, you normally gravitate toward an Airbnb with a pool or an Airbnb with a view—this restored 1869 barn house in New York has both and then some.