As much as a certain set of New Yorkers may live and breathe Manhattan, there comes a time every year, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when they will happily trade their sprawling river-adjacent penthouses for charming oceanfront cottages. The Hamptons—from Westhampton to Montauk—is a stretch of quietly luxurious white-sand beaches lined with as many historic shingle-style bungalows as ultra-modern mansions.
Though the collection of impressive real estate tends to book up fast, there are plenty of rooms, suites, and private cottages still available for those looking to make a sweet escape from the sometimes punishing heat of the city. There are even new lodgings springing up, like The Roundtree, Amagansett, a quaint hotel boasting 15 rooms and suites in a 100-year-old former barn and five standalone cottages. With private pools and chef-driven menus, among other luxe amenities, there are no wrong choices when it comes to picking a stylish haunt in the Hamptons.
Gurney’s Star Island Resort & Marina
With three outposts—two in Montauk and one in Newport, Rhode Island—Gurney’s is the place to be once the temperatures rise above 75 degrees. In 1926, Montauk local Maude Gurney erected the first Gurney’s Inn, and nearly a century later all three locations still boast the seaside elegance of the original haute hotel. The Star Island locale, positioned on 15 acres along the shores of Lake Montauk, features 107 guest rooms, suites, and villas, all of which are outfitted in maritime-inspired decor. The delicacies coming out of the kitchens at Il Forno, a casual artisanal pizza place, and Showfish, a seaside spot offering locally grown and caught dishes, are reason enough to book a room at Gurney’s Star Island Resort & Marina.
Situated on two acres between the Atlantic and a historic farmstead, The Roundtree, Amagansett, which opened in June 2020, is making up for lost time this summer. The charming boutique hotel features 15 guest rooms and suites that celebrate minimalism and organic materials, plus five private cottages, one of which is more than 250 years old. “When I first saw the property, in 2019, I fell in love immediately with the tranquility of the place,” Sylvia Wong, The Roundtree’s owner, says. As for her vision, Wong wanted visitors to feel as if they’re spending a few nights in their second home, which explains the warm and utterly cozy interiors. Each guest room is outfitted with wide-plank hardwood floors, a perfect backdrop for the abundance of white furniture accented in natural wood. “In selecting the finishes for The Roundtree, I made decisions as if I were decorating my own home. Frette linens, of course, full-size Grown Alchemist bath products, and Matouk towels all further elevate that feeling of home,” she adds.
Built in the 1950s as Sag Harbor’s first resort development, Baron’s Cove is more like a massive private residence with 67 nautically-minded village-, garden-, and harbor-facing guest rooms and lofted suites. Interior designer Colleen Bashaw carefully curated each space to reflect the historic city’s nautical roots without sacrificing a contemporary edge. “I spent a lot of time reading about the history of Sag Harbor, exploring the Whaling Museum [& Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor], and soaking in all the incredible architecture in town. I felt like it was important to respect the village and make the hotel feel like it had always been there,” she notes.
Though the rooms feature an undeniable tranquility courtesy of the soft textures and cool palette, the lounge, swathed in glossy black paint, is a sharp departure. The swanky space is a cocktail lover’s moody dream complete with rich leather lounges, jewel-toned armchairs, and brass light fixtures. Of course, the lounge still manages to reference the hotel’s affinity for all things nautical with a fireplace surrounded by sailboat-decorated Delft tiles. “The goal for me was authenticity,” Bashaw says. “The new structure that we built to house the lobby, bar, and restaurant had to feel like it was a renovation, not a ‘new build,’ so we used reclaimed flooring, chunky trim details, brass lighting, patterned fabrics, and bold wallpapers that all felt like they’d been there forever.”
Most hotels’ guest rooms and suites are nearly the same, if not identical. Such is most definitely not the case at the Bridgehampton Inn, whose 12 charming guest rooms look nothing alike, thanks to the owners’ hand-selected Danish decor. The co-owners, German-born Sybille van Kempen and her mother, chef and cookbook author Anna Pump, purchased Bridgehampton Inn back in 1994 when it was just a six-room bed and breakfast. It remained that way until 2014, when van Kempen opened her first restaurant in the structure’s circa-1795 section. “The rooms, fireplaces, cozy bar, and garden created the perfect charming atmosphere,” she says. A year later, when Pump passed away and van Kempen became the sole owner, she made another sweeping change: adding six more guest rooms to the hotel.
The charming locale also has its own boutique, Loaves & Fishes Cookshop, which van Kempen and her husband, Gerrit, opened nine years after purchasing the inn. The sweet shop carries pretty much everything that a Hamptons host may need for days prepping in the kitchen and nights entertaining on the terrace.
Irish dive bar turned Montauk scene, the Surf Lodge is the brick-and-mortar equivalent of a beach vacation. The interiors feature white-washed walls, sun-bleached floors, and, this summer, artworks by the likes of Incubus’s Brandon Boyd; former Teen Vogue and Allure fashion director and current head of beauty and fashion at Snap Inc., Rajni Lucienne Jacques; and actor Norman Reedus.
Despite its impressive array of art, the Surf Lodge, which opened in 2008, earned its fame with a unique summer concert series where such luminaries as John Legend, Jimmy Buffet, Willie Nelson, Wyclef Jean, and Rüfüs Du Sol, to name a few, have graced the massive beach deck overlooking Fort Pond.
This year, the Surf Lodge is unveiling a literal treat for guests: a three-course menu curated by restauranteur and chef Paul Liebrandt, who has not one but two Michelin stars. The highly anticipated dishes will be on offer only on Mondays and Tuesdays in August. Naturally, the culinary mastermind will incorporate a bevy of seafood (think a summer lobster boil and bluefin tuna roll) to pay homage to its maritime surroundings.
Backed by the Japanese principles of wabi-sabi, this 13-room spa-centric retreat in Water Mill prioritizes integrative wellness and features such retreats as Healing Through Water, Digital Detox, and a Couples Retreat. If guests are in the market for something tailored to their specific wellness needs, they can create their own custom retreat, or even do a property takeover. Otherwise, visitors can book one of the guest studios, whose gentle palettes, soft curves, and cozy textures were carefully chosen to inspire both relaxation and meditation.
Shou Sugi Ban House’s comprehensive wellness program, which includes such tranquility-inducing services as therapeutic bodywork, artful custom massages, and hydrotherapy, to name a few, will undoubtedly turn first-time guests into regular visitors.
Any structure that’s been standing for more than two centuries has to evolve quite a bit, and the Baker House 1650 in East Hampton is hardly an exception. As its name implies, the Baker House was constructed in the middle of the 17th century. It was quickly sold, in 1650, to its namesake, Thomas Baker, one of East Hampton’s founders. When James Harper Poor purchased the house, in 1899, he changed just about everything, including the name. That said, his circa-1911 renovations transformed the Baker House (which he renamed As You Like It as an homage to his favorite playwright, William Shakespeare) into the grand yet gracious house taking up residence on Main Street today.
In fact, he was so proud of the renovation that he insisted his daughter, Mildred, get married in the house’s gardens. Her original 1915 wedding invitation and the subsequent newspaper announcement boast pride of place on the lobby’s walls.
Today, the distinctive bed and breakfast makes a case for casual luxury in an utterly intimate setting. Reminiscent of manors in the English countryside, the hotel boasts two main buildings: the Baker House, the estate’s original Cotswold-inspired 17th-century structure, and the Carriage House, a two-suite outpost that sits on an acre of lush gardens behind the main house. The property also features a renowned hand-dug spa complete with a counter-current pool, sauna, steam shower, and a soaking tub. And don’t miss a dip in the highly Instagrammed infinity pool.
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Comprising 96 minimalist guest rooms and suites decorated in an array of warm neutrals, an open communal lounge, and a counter-service café offering decadent South American fare, Marram is shaking up Montauk’s boutique hotel scene in a big way. There’s even an on-property surf shack housing a surf school helmed by the famed Engstrom siblings.
Though the hotel features plenty of coveted amenities, perhaps its biggest draw is the elegant design that subtly references the quiet city’s gray morning mist, expansive sand dunes, and, of course, the wild grass after which the hotel is named. With white oak lumber beams along the length of the guest rooms’ ceilings, hand-textured plaster walls, polished concrete flooring, handwoven and naturally dyed In Residence rugs, and reclaimed Suar wood decor, Marram’s carefully outfitted interiors emphasize the idea of “barefoot luxury.” What’s more: The rooms’ walls feature the work of surf photographer Brian Bielmann and Rhode Island musician and artist Sean Spellman, enigmatic and eye-catching reminders that Montauk is a stylishly laid-back East Coast surf town.
In some cases, the more the merrier, but in the Hamptons, less really is more. Case in point: The 1770 House, an East Hampton bed and breakfast with just six impeccably designed guest rooms in the main house and a private two-story carriage house. Originally built toward the end of the 17th century as a private home, it became an inn nearly a century later, in—you guessed it—1770. Though the historic structure has undergone a few renovations to keep up with an ever-evolving clientele, it still retains several original architectural elements, including a steep wood staircase, exposed ceiling beams, and an antique fireplace in the bookcase-lined parlor.
The 1770 House may not be one of the biggest hotels in East Hampton, but it does have two dining concepts, both of which are lead by chef Michael Rozzi. The main dining room offers a sophisticated menu of classic fine-dining dishes, including Italian milk burrata topped with summer truffles, seared Hudson Valley foie gras, and ras el hanout–spiced Australian lamb chops. The more casual tavern on the lower level is a unique eatery serving pub fare. Plus, this summer, chef Rozzi’s three-course tasting menu will be served upstairs, downstairs, and al fresco on the patio.