The Hamptons, Long Island, NY
 

The Hamptons, Long Island, NY - never been there and would like to find a resort or a nice location for after Labor Day....nice pool....beach..... We like fun, color, mid priced restaurants, a bit of honkey tonk, and golf. So many towns....Where should we stay? ( Just 2 adults.....Thank you!

Sandy

East Hampton is not honkey tonk, nor are any of the immediate areas. Your idea of "Mid priced" restaurants would probably be their idea of low end. It is pricey, perhaps better after Labor Day, but when I was there a few weeks ago, things are pretty $$$ and it is pretty high end on all fronts.

Sag Harbor is probably the nearest you may get to 'honky tonk' - Enjoy where ever you choose, but the 'Hamptons' like DebitNM says - is probably not what you're after.

Hamptons don't really do "honky tonk" - if you mean a boardwalk, games, rides for kids etc., It's simply not that kind of place. It's primarily upscale, there are few places to stay right on the beach (mostly big $ rental houses or inns in the town and you drive to the town beach).

There are some condo colonies on the beach in Amagansett, though I'm not sure how long they keep their pools open. But I wouldn't call these resorts - that is no rests or bars - again you have to drive to those.

There is a lot to see and do in terms of museums, upscale shopping, wineries on the north fork - but not what I wold call colorful and fun in the sense that you seem to mean.

The Hamptons peak season runs until Labor Day. There is still a lot to see after Labor Day and the weather is often spectacular, but a lot of the nightlife will fizzle out.

The Westhampton Bath & Tennis Club does have a hotel on the beach in Westhampton at Dune Rd. Wonderful location and Westhampton is a nice town, though you're still a fairly good distance from places like Southampton and Sag Harbor that are more in the heart of the Hampton's.

I would make the caveat that this is a very propular spot for weddings and I would be very surprised if they didn't have one booked for after Labor Day in September.

I also agree that you may find the North Fork to be a better option.

The Harborfront Inn in the village of Greenport could be a nice option. You need to drive a bit for the beach but there is access to numerous wineries and you can take the Shelter Island Ferry from Greenport to the Island than the ferry on the south side to Sag Harbor.

I think you could have a very nice weekend checking into the hotel in Greenport, enjoying that area then taking the ferry across to Sag Harbor, etc.

Regardless of where you go, you will need a car.

BTW, not sure what you mean by honkey-tonk, but if you mean a wild party spot you probably want to look at the Boardy Barn in Hampton Bays. Last time I went there I was 26 and it was 1991, but I suspect it is still packed on a weekend afternoon for the cheap beer with throngs of 20-somethings.

You might look into Montauk - the farthest point east and just past the Hamptons, and an easy drive back to the towns of the Hamptons, especially Amagansett and East Hampton.

It's a little more down to earth than the Hamptons, but has the same beautiful beach, and plenty of good seafood restaurants: Gosman's, Surfside Inn, to name two.

Try the Panoramic View Resort on Old Montauk Highway. It's right on the beach and seems to meet your criteria.

There's a lighthouse at Montauk and ferries to Block Island (altho' there might only be weekend ferries after Labor Day), whale watching, etc.

I agree with panecott that Montauk sounds like a better bet for you. That's where you'll find many more accommodations on or across from the beach, a bit of honky tonk and a very good public golf course. Gurney's Inn and the Montauk Yacht Club are the only "resorts" there. Gurney's is on a beautiful stretch of beach but way overpriced imo. The Montauk Yacht Club is a bit removed from the main area of Montauk. For something more moderately priced, in addition to the Panoramic View which I think is a great idea, I'd also look at the Ocean Resort Inn http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...nd_New_York.ht

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...d_New_York.htm

There really are no "resorts" on the beach in the Hamptons apart from the Westhampton Bath & Tennis which gets dreadful reviews (over 70% give it a thumbs down). http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...ch_New_York.ht

In Amagansett, the furthese town east before Montauk, the Ocean Colony Beach & Tennis is one of the condos on the beach referenced by nytraveler. For golf, you'd have to go to Montauk.

The other idea would be Shelter Island, between the north and south forks. There's a public golf course there and a number of properties on a beach. You won't find much honky tonk though. After Labor Day it will be even quieter than usual and it's not an ocean beach.

If you really want to stay more centrally in the Hamptons, there are plenty of inns & b & b's (and even motels) in the various villages that will provide a beach pass so you can drive to the beach.

Someone please explain "honky-tonk" to me. I've always wondered.

Panoramic View, on the Montauk Highway a few miles west of Montauk itself, is situated overlooking a beautiful stretch of beach. It is just west of, and next door to, Gurney's, a somewhat livelier place.

Panoramic has changed ownership in the last several years, and the new owners have demolished some of its lesser, motel-like lodgings, hoping to convert it into a luxury resort with most, if not all, the units owned rather than rented. The current real estate market has put a damper on that plan, so there are still lodgings for rent there.

Friends of ours used to, for many years, rent a private cottage overlooking the Atlantic, the westernmost of three at the west end of Panoramic View's property. Really quite lovely. No honky-tonk, however, though, as I said, Gurney's next to the other end of the property was somewhat busier. Our friends used to rent for several weeks in early July, so I can't say what the place might be like after Labor Day. Definitely quieter all around, I'd guess.

We really miss visiting our friends out there, but I can't say I miss the long, tortuous drive from New Jersey through the Hamptons. We used to leave Madison in the middle of the night just to avoid NYC and Hamptons traffic.

p.s. From Merriam-Webster:

hon·ky–tonk
noun
\ˈhäŋ-kē-ˌtäŋk, ˈhȯŋ-kē-ˌtȯŋk\

Definition of honky-tonk
1: a usually tawdry nightclub or dance hall; especially : one that features country music
2: a district marked by places of cheap entertainment
3: country music that has a heavy beat and lyrics dealing usually with vice or misfortune

When used in relation to a beach resort honky tonk ususally refers to a boardwalk with lots of tacky fast food places, incluidng cotton candy, game arcades, souvenir/tee shirt shops and erhaps a few rides.

Think Coney Island - not the Hamptons.

Hampton Beach in New Hampshire is honky tonk. Maybe that is what OP was thinking of:

http://www.hamptonbeach.org/

nytraveler defines "places of cheap entertainment" to a, um, "tee."