Questions.

booking and policies

What is the cancellation policy?

Once you have booked a Hilltop property there are no refunds. Book the dates you are sure of.

Can we get married at Hilltop?

Yes. The wedding package takes all four buildings for three nights and starts at $75,000.

Learn more about weddings at Hilltop

Is there a minimum age?

The primary renter must be 25 or older. Family groups are welcome with guests of any age, children and teenagers included. In a group of friends, everyone must be 25 or older, and we do not host prom parties.

Can we bring dogs?

Up to three dogs per building. Each must be two years old or older and under 70 lbs. The fee is $250 per dog per stay at the Castle and the Mansion, and $125 per dog per stay at the Farmhouse and the Lodge. Say how many when you enquire and it goes on the booking.

Can we have more guests than the beds sleep?

Up to a stated number, and it costs $150 per guest per night above the bedding capacity. No extra bedding is supplied for them. The cap is different for each building and is listed in that building's questions below.

Where do we check pricing and availability?

Each property page shows its starting nightly rate. For exact pricing and availability, check your dates in Guesty.

Check dates for all the Hilltop properties in Guesty

Can we read the rental agreement before we book?

Yes. Every booking needs a signed rental agreement, and you can read it here first.

Read the rental agreement (PDF)

the property and rules

What is Hilltop Castle World?

Four separate buildings — the Castle, the Mansion, the Farmhouse and the Lodge — on one private 130-acre hill in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania. Book one or book all four. Between them they hold 39 bedrooms and sleep 92.

Can we use the other buildings?

Not unless you have booked them. Each building is a separate rental with its own guests in it, and the grounds that come with your stay are the ones around the building you booked; the rest of the hill and its trails are shared with whoever has booked the other buildings. Most large groups take more than one, and only a booking of all four has the whole hill to itself.

How far is it from New York City?

It is two hours from New York City and Philadelphia, by car.

Is Hilltop in the Poconos or the Catskills?

The Poconos. Beach Lake sits in the northern Poconos in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, close enough to the New York line that the Catskills are the next range north — which is where the confusion comes from.

Can we rent more than one building for a big group?

Yes, and most large groups do. The four combine in any arrangement, which is how a group of 92 fits. Taking a second building is what turns a full house into room to spread out.

Which Hilltop properties sleep 20 or more?

The Castle sleeps 44 and the Mansion sleeps 26, so either does it alone. The Farmhouse sleeps 16 and the Lodge sleeps 6, and any pairing of two buildings clears 20.

Can we actually rent the castle?

Yes — the whole building, to your group alone. It has 18 bedrooms, sleeps 44, and comes with the bowling alley, the theater and the arcade. It is a real castle that people stay in, not a venue you hire by the hour.

How does Hilltop compare to Woodloch Resort or Kalahari?

Those are resorts: you book rooms in a building other guests are also staying in, and the pool and the dining room are shared with everyone. At Hilltop you take the building, and there is nobody else in it. The trade is that a resort schedules your day for you and Hilltop does not.

What is there to do on the property?

Four miles of walking and nature trails across the 130 acres — a 1.5-mile loop marked with red tree markers and a 2.5-mile loop marked with yellow. Indoors, what you get depends on the building: pools, a sauna, billiards, bowling, a theater and arcades are spread across the four.

What there is to do nearby

Can we play music?

Indoors, at a reasonable volume. No outdoor music, and no DJ equipment. The hill has neighbours and this is a residential area.

Is smoking allowed?

Not indoors, in any building. Smoke outside and dispose of the butts properly rather than dropping them on the ground.

what's provided

Are linens and towels provided?

Yes. Hotel-quality linens, beds made before you arrive, and bath towels and face cloths for everyone. Pool towels are the exception — bring your own please, and please keep the bath towels away from the pool and the hot tub.

Is there housekeeping during the stay?

On request, mid-stay or daily. It is $35 per hour per housekeeper with a two-hour minimum. Ask when you book or once you are here.

What supplies come with the house?

Two rolls of toilet paper per bathroom, dish detergent for the dishwasher, and one garbage bag per bin to start you off. A large group goes through all of that quickly, so bring extra — including large contractor bags.

Is there firewood, and a washer and dryer?

Firewood is $10 a bundle from the shed on site, on the honour system, so bring cash. Propane for the gas grills is supplied. There is a washer and dryer on the property.

Is there wifi?

Every building has its own network. The name and how to join it are in that building's questions.

arriving

How do we get in?

Call or text 570-335-6258 an hour before you arrive, so someone can meet you there to let you in and give you the door code. The bedrooms are numbered, so the list of which bed is in which room matches what you find when you walk in.

Can we check in early or check out late?

Sometimes, but it cannot be confirmed until a few days before you arrive — it depends on who is in the building before and after you. If it can be arranged it is $150 per hour.

Where do we eat, and what is nearby?

There are restaurants in Narrowsburg, Honesdale, Hawley and Callicoon, all a short drive away, and the Delaware River is only five minutes away.

What there is to do nearby

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