Pine Hill Lodge noting 45th anniversary under same ownership

Restful Mount Pocono facility is located in the center of many Pocono attractions

By ALAN K. STOUT

NEPA’s BEST BUSINESSES

For a place with such a rich history, Pine Hill Lodge is certainly not a place focused on the past. It is all about making new memories for families and friends.

The stately and charming three-story home, which was built in 1875, continues to serve as a restful getaway retreat for hundreds of people each year. And with 16 rooms, including 11 bedrooms, visiting groups often range from family reunions to church outings. George Bostany, 83, purchased the lodge in 1971 and is thus celebrating his 45th anniversary of owning and operating the facility. Bostany, a native of Brooklyn, said he has always enjoyed Mount Pocono.

“My parents came here when I was 17 or 18,” said Mr. Bostany. “They used to rent a place not far from here. This was back in the ‘40s. And I loved this place. It was different from Brooklyn. It was really country then. And I guess I got used to it. Later, with my wife and my kids, we started coming up on weekends and staying at different hotels and motels. That’s why we picked the Poconos. I knew the place.”

Bostany said Pine Hill Lodge was first brought to his attention by his late father, who knew that his son was interested in the area and had seen that the home was for sale. He was 39 years old at the time, he had four children, and he aspired to having a “nice country life.” And so, he bought it. From 1971 to 1978, he commuted between Brooklyn, where he owned a television repair business, and Mount Pocono, where he oversaw the lodge. Finally, in 1978, after selling the family home in Brooklyn, he purchased a home in Mount Pocono not far from the lodge, took a job as a technician at the Tobyhanna Army Depot, and relocated his family.

“I liked the size of it,” said Mr. Bostany, when asked what first appealed to him about the lodge. He added that he’s always enjoyed repair and restoration work and that maintaining the facility has been a welcome challenge.

George Bostany purchased the Pine Hill Lodge in 1971

“Keeping it alive, and renovating it, and to bringing it back to how it was originally was nice,” he said. “It’s been a good life for me.”

Bostany, a veteran of the Korean War, lost his wife of 53 years, Marlene, in 2014. He has four grown children: Christine Nafash, Lisa Butowsky, George Bostany and Donna Bostany. After 45 years, he said he is now open to the idea of putting the lodge on the market and selling it to the right buyer.

“I‘d like to find a family to buy it, or someone that would like to continue doing this,” he said. “Someone could run it as a bed and breakfast, or convert it into six- family apartment, or a restaurant, or buy it as an investment. It’s also ideal for someone to just continue doing what I’m doing.”

Pine Hill Lodge is a member of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau and the Monroe County Historical Association. It is located 30 minutes from Scranton, 50 minutes from Wilkes-Barre and 90 minutes from New York. It can accommodate up to 23 people overnight and up to 30 in total. It is rented to private groups only, so those groups that stay there have the entire facility to themselves. In addition to 11 bedrooms, there is also a large living room with a stone fireplace, two dining rooms and a large fully-equipped kitchen. And for now, despite the possibility of a sale, it’s business as usual and bookings for summer getaways have begun. To note its 45th anniversary under the same ownership, special rates are being offered.

George Bostany and his daughter, Donna.

Bostany’s daughter, Donna, who currently assists him with bookings, said that as more and more attractions continue to be developed in the Poconos, Pine Hill Lodge continues to be a perfect place to visit.

“We see people leaving their crazy/busy lives behind for a weekend and enjoying nature,” said Ms. Bostany. “There’s so much nature here. There’s a hammock, so you can sleep between two trees and take the world off of your shoulders and enjoy the clouds or the constellations. The wrap-around porch is nice for families, and we’re in the middle of horseback riding, fishing, hiking and swimming areas.  It’s a place where families can talk to each other. They cook here, and they’re all under one roof. You know where your kids are. There’s a ping-pong table, and meanwhile people are playing cards in the dining room, or they’re outside at the barbecue. You can make your own fun here on the premises, with shuffleboard, or soccer on the lawn, or the wooded nature trails. There’s also so much antiquing here, and you can go to Mount Airy for the casino, or for comedy shows and bands, or Kalahari for swimming. We’re also in the heart of the ski resort area.

“There are all kinds of things to do.”

(For information on Pine Hill Lodge, call (570) 839-8060. It can also be found on Facebook.)  

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This story originally appeared in The Pocono Times in Monroe County. It also appeared in the Journal of the Pocono Plateau in Monroe County and The Westside Bulletin in Luzerne County. And it has been shared on Twitter by the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau media page.