The Hamptons

The beaches are why most people come. A long run of wide, pale sand faces the open Atlantic from Westhampton to Montauk, backed by dunes and shingled houses. Cooper's Beach in Southampton, Main Beach in East Hampton and the beaches around Sagaponack and Amagansett are broad, clean and rarely feel crowded once you walk a little way. The ocean is properly swimmable from July into September, reaching about 21-23°C in August, but there is real surf and the lifeguards' rip-current warnings are worth following.

For calmer water, the bay beaches on Peconic and Gardiners Bays are shallow and warm, and suit small children. Ditch Plains near Montauk is the surfers' beach. Parking at many town beaches needs a resident or seasonal permit, so staying within cycling distance of the sand makes a big difference. Outside high summer the sea is too cold for most swimmers.

Eating here is built on what the land and water produce: sweet corn, tomatoes and strawberries from roadside farm stands, bay scallops, clams, oysters from the Peconic, striped bass and lobster rolls in the seafood shacks around Montauk harbour. Bakeries and gourmet delis in each village supply the beach picnic, and the vineyards of the South Fork and, more widely, the North Fork produce good whites and rosé.

The restaurants are mostly polished, seasonal places in the village centres of East Hampton, Southampton, Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor, aimed at a wealthy summer crowd. There is little casual or cheap eating between the farm stand and the white tablecloth, and many places close or shorten their season after the autumn.

The heritage is quiet but genuine. These are among the oldest English settlements in the state, and the villages keep their greens, shingled saltbox houses, old burial grounds and wooden windmills. Sag Harbor, a former whaling port, has the most intact historic streets and a whaling museum. Montauk Point Lighthouse, commissioned under George Washington, stands at the eastern tip.

The area's other story is art. Painters have come for the light since the 19th century, and the Pollock-Krasner House in Springs, where Jackson Pollock worked, is a moving small visit. The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill and Guild Hall in East Hampton show American art with local ties. It adds up to a pleasant afternoon or two rather than a reason to come.

Nightlife is a summer affair and a social one. From late June to Labor Day, Montauk's bars fill with a younger, sandier crowd and stay loud late, while Southampton and the stretch around Bridgehampton have a few clubs and lounges with door policies and steep bottle prices. Much of the famous party life happens at private houses and charity events, out of reach for most visitors.

Outside midsummer weekends the villages go quiet early, and from autumn to spring evenings mostly end at dinner. Getting back late also means a taxi on dark country roads.

The landscape is gentle: flat potato fields and vineyards, salt ponds, oak and pine woods, and a coast of dunes that rises into clay bluffs at Montauk. The best outdoor country is at the eastern end, where Montauk Point, Hither Hills and the Walking Dunes have trails along the bluffs, and Shelter Island's Mashomack Preserve offers quiet woodland and marsh walks.

The water is the main playground. Montauk is a serious sport-fishing harbour, Ditch Plains draws surfers, and the sheltered bays suit kayaking, paddleboarding and sailing. Flat back roads make for easy cycling between villages. In winter, seals haul out near Montauk. It is a pleasant setting for outdoor days, not a dramatic one.

The best day out is across the water to the North Fork, by the small ferries via Shelter Island. There the vineyards and tasting rooms line the main road, and Greenport is an old harbour town with a working waterfront. Shelter Island itself is a sleepy place for a slow afternoon. In summer, a ferry from Montauk reaches Block Island in about an hour.

The villages within the Hamptons are worth moving between, from Sag Harbor to Southampton and Montauk. Beyond that the choice is short. New York City is usually two to three hours away and much longer on a summer Friday, so it is better as the start or end of the trip than as a day out.

For a summer with children, the appeal is simple: calm, shallow bay beaches for toddlers, ocean beaches with lifeguards for older ones, and quiet village streets that feel safe. Farm stands and pick-your-own fields for berries, pumpkins and apples, the climb up Montauk Point Lighthouse, mini-golf, ice cream and short nature walks fill the days. The Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead is the main purpose-built attraction, just west of the region.

There is no theme park or large museum for children, and everything means time in the car, often in slow traffic. Families tend to rent a house and settle into a beach routine rather than plan a sightseeing schedule.

A car is all but essential. The villages are strung along one main road, Montauk Highway, and on summer weekends traffic on it crawls. A trip of 30km can take well over an hour. Train services on the Long Island Rail Road and coach services link the villages to New York, but local buses are sparse, and taxis are expensive and in short supply at peak times.

Each village centre is easy to walk, and a bicycle works well for reaching the beach and nearby farm stands on the flat back lanes. Many beaches need parking permits, so ask your rental or hotel what is included. Arriving midweek avoids the worst of the traffic.

Shopping follows the summer crowd. Main Street and Newtown Lane in East Hampton and Jobs Lane in Southampton hold seasonal outposts of high-end fashion labels, cashmere and resortwear boutiques, and jewellers. Sag Harbor has bookshops and independent stores with more character.

The real local strength is the home: interiors shops, antiques dealers along Montauk Highway around Bridgehampton and Water Mill, and galleries selling work by artists from the area. Farm stands and weekend farmers' markets fill the picnic basket. There are no department stores or large markets, and some shops close outside the season.

This is one of the most expensive places to spend a summer anywhere. In July and August, hotel rooms and rented houses cost far more than in New York, many rentals are only by the week or the season, and there is very little cheap lodging. Restaurants, taxis, and even sandwiches from a village deli are priced for a very wealthy crowd.

The beach itself costs little once you have somewhere to park, and farm stands are fair. Visiting in June or September, staying further west or on the North Fork, and cooking in a rented kitchen all soften the bill, but it is never a cheap trip.

For a rural resort, there is a respectable summer stage. Guild Hall's theatre in East Hampton and Bay Street Theater on the waterfront in Sag Harbor stage plays, readings and concerts. The performing arts centre in Westhampton Beach brings in touring musicians and comedians. The long-running Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival fills churches with classical music in high summer, and in autumn the Hamptons International Film Festival brings screenings and talks to the villages.

The venues are small and the programme is concentrated in summer. Evenings out are more about one good show than a choice of nights.

The restorative side comes from the seaside pace more than any bathing tradition. There are resort spas, the best of them in Montauk and Southampton, including seawater pools and treatments, plus yoga studios and outdoor classes in every village in summer. A rented house near the dunes, an early walk on an empty beach and long afternoons doing little are the real cure.

Midsummer weekends are another matter, with crowded roads, packed restaurants and a social calendar that can feel anything but relaxing. June and September, when the light is soft and the villages are quieter, suit someone who wants to slow down.