Tips please about visiting THE HAMPTONS, NY
 

My husband and I have never been to the Hamptons and we would like to spend a night or two next month on/near the beaches. Which town is most central? We are looking for a hotel with a nice pool. Are there DONT MISS things to do/see? Are 2 days enough? Thank you! SG

The Hamptons don;t have a lot of hotels - there are many inns in the towns (not near the beaches) and a few motels in some towns such as Montauk, which are across the road from the beach. Amagansett has a couple of condo colonies that are right on the beach (you would have to check on the pool) - but I believe they may rent only by the week. In any case - I think you have to take 2 nights on the weekend - usually Fri & Sat - but may be able to get a single night mid week.

To get to the beaches you need to drive - but the inn yuo stay at should be ale to give you a temporary town sicker so you can park near the beach (this parking is NOT open to the general public.)

There is also Hither Hills State Park - where beaches are open to the public. Also there is a large park at Montauk Point - including the lighthouse at the tip.

I assume you know you will need a car to get around (it;s possible to get there via LIRR - but only a couple of trains per day or Hampton Jitney) - but once there if you don't have car what you can do is extremely limited.

The towns all have different personalities - but I think your budget and lodging availability might control where you decide to stay.

Here''s another source. the local news channel - ny1 news - ny1.com - just did a feature on "old is new again" in the Hamptons. Places that were older motels, had fallen into disrepair and been completely renovated. There definitely seem to be some deals 0 less than $200 per night. I would go online and look at the travel feature to see if there is anything useful there.

Caveat: I know nothing about these places - just saw it on TV as a way to do the Hamptons without staying in a big $ deluxe inn or renting a house.

The most "central" town would probably be East Hampton, with Southhampton, Watermill and Bridgehampton to the west, and Amagansett and Montauk to the east.

The only place you will really find beachfront accommodations is Montauk, the town furthest east. It is really a beach resort town, with activities like whaling trips, fishing boats, etc. The beach is beautiful, as it is all along the coast, but the town itself is a typical beach town and not really one of the Hamptons.

Just before you get to Montauk, on the Old Montauk Highway, there are a number of beach front motels with pools. This area is very scenic and quieter than the town itself. Hither Hills State Park is along this stretch as well. The Panoramic Inn and Gurney's Inn are rather pricey beachfront resorts along the Old Montauk Highway

The Hamptons are really upscale residential towns along the beach that have become popular with weekenders from the city, most of whom rent houses for the season, or crash with friends. You will not find many, if any, beachfront hotels. There are a few Inns in the towns and some cabin type accommodations outside the towns but I don't know much about them.

Main Beach in East Hampton does have daily midweek parking for non residents, but I think it runs about $25 a day. Not sure about the other towns.

There are some wineries in the area, the old whaling town of Sag Harbor is nearby, Shelter Island is reachable by ferry from Sag Harbor. The towns of the Hamptons themselves have mostly upscale shops and restaurants. If you're into it, driving around and looking at the magnificent homes can be fun. A lot of them are hidden behind high shrubs, however.

Sorry - most Hamptons towns are NOT on the beach. the beaches are either town beaches - requiring a town stitcker given only to residents of people staying in an inn in the town - or private property (many multi-million dollar mansions of the ultra rich). Walking from towns to beach is not really an option - simple too far. You might bike - if you can find place to rent one and secure place to put one at the beaches.

We prefer East Hampton - which is wealthy - but not as wildly so as Southampton - although it does have many exclusive/trendy shops - but it also has a number of galleries and a couple of small, quaint museums. Sag Harbor is more upper middle class and also has a museum - from when it was a whaling town in the early 1700s.

Montauk is more basic middle class - with state park, fishing boat dock and a lot of casuale places (versus some of the ultra trendy and big $ dining and entertainment choices in other towns).

I didn't say the town centers, or Main Streets, were on the beach. But the towns of the Hamptons certainly do run along the beach.

Folks who own the mega mansions along the beaches live in the towns of BridgeH, or EastH, or SouthH, etc.

Sorry - but for people who have never been there it sounded as if the centers of the towns were adjacent to the beaches - as is true in many places - but not the Hamptons.

As stated above there are many motels on Montauk Hwy as one gets nearer to Montauk which are on the beach. I have stayed at http://www.easthamptonhouseresort.com/ which has a pool & they will give you day passes to park at the beach.

Wow, Rhea, that place looks really nice and the prices are great. I don't think I've ever noticed it before.

Sounds perfect for Mr & Mrs Go.