Saldarj

In my trip to NYC we are going to have 4 days avaiable to visit places outside Manhattan after 6 days there. I am thinking on renting a car and move to a hotel in Long Island that Would be easy to move to/from different places and then to JFK airport the last day. The days are from July the 6th til July 9th.

Where is the best location to stay those days so I could go to Hudson River Valley and/or the Hamtons? Is it troublesome and complicated plan or is wiser to stay in Manhattan? Sugesstions are all welcome. Thanks.

Centralparkgirl

The Hudson River Valley is north and the Hamptons are east (about two hours without traffic depending on which town). Are you looking for a few days on the beach? There are some motel type places that are directly on the beach and the Atlantic Ocean beaches are lovely. I'm not sure what time your flight is, but I would not travel from the Hamptons directly to JFK. The traffic is unpredictable and can be brutal in the summer making your drive stressful.

crosscheck

We live in LA and often travel from the Hamptons to JFK without drama. Less than 2 hours mid-day, midweek. Shop around for a car rental - some are trickier to drop off than others.

nytraveler

If you're staying on LI - then you need a hotel there and to visit there. It would be amajor trek to get to the Hudson Valley.

Long Island is - 110 miles - and the resort area is at least 60 miles or more from the city. Also you are going the weekend after Independence Day holiday - so likely many places will already be booked and prices will not be low.

There is plenty to keep you occupied there - but you should organize hotel or condo or whatever today. Also car rental - since cars can be hard to get on summer weekends.

Also make sure where you stay either has immediate access to a beach (as in the Amagansett condo colonies) or will you provide you a pass for the town beaches. ("Public" beaches are private to the residents of each town, except for Hither Hills State Park - which can be a trek from some of the towns. and the beach areas are purely dunes and beaches with extremely limited parking - not any sortaof services or amusement areas. Few of the towns are near the beach - you must drive to get to them with a very few exceptions. (Yes, this is an area of the merely wealthy and the uber wealthy - and a lot of this is not just to preserve the pristine beaches but to discourage the hoi polloi from visiting.)

panecott

The beaches of the Hamptons are not private or restricted to residents, however, most of the parking lots require resident stickers on your car.

Main Beach in East Hampton has parking for non residents during the week for a fee, however, it's fairly hefty as parking goes.
Hither Hills is a state park between the Hamptons and Montauk and parking is much cheaper there. The beach is beautiful, as it is all along the Atlantic coast.

Montauk is the town farthest east and more of a beachy town than any of the Hamptons, which are much more upscale. Beach access is much easier in Montauk.