Flanner: I just looked up the term "biased snob" in the dictionary and there was your picture!

For the Brits - what about St. Mawes or somewhere on the Isle of Wight?

I'm not an expert - but don't think there's an equivalent - just based on the weather.

I agree that the people that would go to the Hamptons probably go to the Riviera - or the Hamptons. They may have a country house (which seems more an English thing than an American one) - but I'm not aware of any English resorts that are packed with the uberwealthy on large ocean-front estates, towns with branches of many designer stores and the trendiest of restaurants - and the same sort of two-month long party atmosphere.

"Flanner: I just looked up the term "biased snob" in the dictionary and there was your picture!"

Still using picture dictionaries, then? When you've graduated to ones with words, discussion might be worthwhile.

You could include Salcombe, a beautiful sailing resort on the south Devon coast.

Cowes is pretty snobby ime, full of the yachty types, many of whom own yachts but pay others to sail them.

Camber Sands in Sussex, in addition to holiday parks, has some pretty chic beachside property nowadays, a long way from the leaky old bungalow we used to rent when I was a kid.

And as for the weather during the British open - I was in Massachusetts a couple of years ago, mid August and the weather was worse than anything you saw during the golf!

To put my comments in perspective, I used to live on Longg Island for a few years, while I suffered the LIR through Jamaica Station, then to Brooklyn and on through the "Electric Sewer" on to Wall Street each day.

I must say that I was never very impressed with the natural beauty of the Hamptons in Summer. Undoubtedly though, there are some large beautiful homes there. The best things about eastern LI were the wineries on the North Fork and Shelter Island.

So I would have thought that the north coast of Cornwall was far more picturesque than the Hamptons and that is why we have chosen it for our next trip :)

Although, as others note, there isn't a direct equivalent, if you're looking for an area where the posh go to play with their yachts, you need to head to the south west coast.

Google Sandbanks in Dorset - recently cited as the 4th most expensive place to buy property in the world.

My wealthy friend's wealthier parents (who also own homes in the Caribbean and mediterranean) have long owned a second home on Dartmouth (Devon) where they keep their 50ft yacht and have BBQs with their equally posh friends.

Various places in Cornwall attract different kinds of well-off/upper crust visitors, for shortish periods, but there's one factor we're overlooking. I don't know whether it's peculiarly British (or should I say English), but within a short period of somewhere becoming the place for the in-crowd to be (Rock was the place a few years ago, for example), the people who don't need to be told they're the in-crowd are looking for somewhere to get away from the people trying to be the in-crowd. It's all about getting away rather than getting together.

Now I come to think of it, I saw some documentary series on a minor digital channel about people in the Hamptons - not upmarket at all. Is the same thing happening there?

As has been said - if you have Hamptons money you would probably go abroad, or have a house in the country rather than the seaside.

The Queen has lots of houses and she gave away the only one by the seaside. Says it all really.

Padstow is pretty upmarket (and dominated by Rick Stein).

Whitstable has something about it too.

Sandbanks is in much the same league as regards property prices, but it's largely populated by footballers, WAG's, and property developers so probably a bit 'downmarket' (relative to the Hamptons) as regards populus.

Cowes is probably the closest.

I don't think we really have a true equivalent....

Agree, nowhere. People with second homes buy mainly in France, Italy or Spain (i.e. somewhere warmer but not too far).

Isle of Wight ?

And I get the impression that people mainly live in Sandbanks, it's not a holiday resort.

Lymington's full of snotty yachties.

If anyone would like to donate a place at Sandbanks, then I would willingly accept as a) it is a very pleasant part of the world and b) I am a bit of an oik, so am sue I could fit right in.

http://www.primelocation.com/uk-prop...HAKC_KNI080210

There you go, Willit....

http://www.primelocation.com/uk-prop.../id/SACC125110

Actually, I prefer this one.

What's 4.5 million split between all the Fodorites?

Or this (minus the enormous plasma screen)

http://www.primelocation.com/uk-prop.../id/SACC228140

I really like the second house - so if I sold mine, hocked everything and went as ddeply into debt as I can get, that still leaves me about £4.2 Million short.

And I'd have to be sure I wasn't next to the Redknapps - Not that I am ungrateful!