flygirl

Good morning

For a first time visitor to The Hamptons, which town/area would you base yourself for a week?

This would likely be in June, not sure which week but not the final week.

I'd rather not rent a car but I could if it were the best way to get the most out of a first time visit. Thinking of a "put your feet up" vacation with a lot of down time and local wandering and eating, not a non stop on the go vacation. I'd like to mostly walk or cycle to get around locally, maybe taxi or bus if necessary.

Thanks!

Madam397

i would base myself in East Hampton but ideally you should have a car as you might want to drive to Montauk Point to see the lighthouse or Montauk Village or to Springs to see the Krasner Pollock House or farther afield to Sag Harbor. There are lots of wineries. There is also the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton. If you don't want to rent a car, Montauk Village has lots of places to stay and right on the beach, easy walking to shops and restaurants. With a car on the way to Montauk you would drive through Amagansett and you could stop at Lunch, an East End local hot spot.

ekscrunchy

Are thinking of VRBO or AIR B&B, or a hotel or B&B?
Unless you take a house or hotel IN a town (perhaps Sag Harbor), you would be compromised without a car. Is there any possibility that you could rent one for the week?

If you are not set on the Hamptons, you ought to take a look at the North Fork. The town of Greenport, for example, would suit you even without a car, as you can walk to many places, even to beaches if you like walking.

Where do you live most of the year? Do you know the Hamptons at all? I'm asking because years ago it was THE place for many summer visitors, but the North Fork has come into its own and many, many people prefer it to the Hamptons. Both areas are so large and with so many different towns and villages each with distinct character. And there's also Montauk, on the far end of the South fork, but minimum 3 hours from NYC.

What's the primary reason for the visit? Beach, sports, farm stands, immersing yourself in various "scenes," by that I mean: Glitzy nightlife, high end restaurants, art galleries, local theaters, ogling gazillion dollar properties, wine tasting, biking or hiking? Fishing?

I'm just trying to get more of an idea of where I think might suit....not trying to be nosy....

June is a good time for a visit but we've had some cool and rainy weather then in past few years....

AJPeabody

Get your lodging reserved ASAP as you are getting into high season. For a good experience, a car will be essential.
What are you expecting to do, and what are your interests. For art, the South Fork (Hamptons) are best. I prefer the wineries on the North Fork. The two forks are close enough to so where you stay is less important. The only location principle I would keep in mind is that the further out either fork , the longer the drive to the other and the worse the traffic.
Ask more questions!

HappyTrvlr

We like visiting Sag Harbor , charming town.

ekscrunchy

Agree with Sag Harbor idea....one of the loveliest towns in the area, and largely walkable. And ferry to North Fork, to Greenport.

flygirl

Hi everyone

Sorry to disappear like that. EOQ gets nuts, then I left for France after the quarter ended (I support the sales team so we are busy busy busy especially end of quarters). I am back now. I live in metro DC, and while I love going to NYC I've mostly only ever been to Manhattan. Only a few visits to Brooklyn, and never the Hamptons although I did fly over it in a small plane once (back when I used to fly my instructor hooked me up with a local pilot who wanted a companion to visit Martha's Vineyard for lunch - from DC! and we went up and back in one day).

I will confess when I first posted I was kinda sorta thinking about "why not take the laptop and work remotely from somewhere cool this summer". Not full days, but enough to stretch out the time away from home without being a hog about taking a lot of vacation time (I'm not shy about taking vacation time but I don't want to draw attention to that either).

I don't know my plans just yet. I'm leaning towards either making this "remote work" a week in NYC itself - working remotely but enjoying the week nights and two weekends just bopping around NYC - or maybe that same plan but somewhere a little more beachy.

It sounds like I might be too late to plan for June at this point?

Given that it would be my first visit to the Hamptons maybe I don't want to tie myself down so much to being on my laptop half the time. And it's sounding like June has its drawbacks - pricy and crowded. How would late September look, from that aspect?

At any rate, I know so little about the Hamptons I'd say my one goal would be to visit anything related to Ina Garten. Maybe some cooking classes, from whomever might offer those. Maybe some pottery or watercolor classes. Or just hang out and read a book in a hammock but dine well at lunch and dinner.

EKS, you asked:

What's the primary reason for the visit? Beach, sports, farm stands, immersing yourself in various "scenes," by that I mean: Glitzy nightlife, high end restaurants, art galleries, local theaters, ogling gazillion dollar properties, wine tasting, biking or hiking? Fishing?

And I have to say "yes please". LOL

Madam397

Well end of September would definitely be less expensive than June as the traditional summer season is from Memorial Day to Labor Day. But the Hamptons in general and that includes Montauk and Sag Harbor are some of the priciest places imaginable and you would need a car to really be able to get around and do the things that you are interested in doing. Last year my husband and I went in October for a midweek and stayed in East Hampton and the primary reason was to visit the Krasner Pollack house which has limited visitors allowed, advance reservations only and is open from mid-May through the end of October. We also wanted to revisit Montauk as for several years we would go after Labor Day for a week and that was ideal. More and more people however do live in the Hamptons year round, as they relocated to their summer homes or bought places during the pandemic to work remotely and sent their kids to local schools. There are indeed many high end pricey restaurants as well as more casual places, there are several art related destinations including of course the Krasner Pollack House and of course there are lots of wineries. To ogle high end gazillion dollar properties you really need to have a car to drive around. I am sure you can rent a bike. I know that the place we stayed in East Hampton, Journey East Hampton offered bikes for guests to use.