Amagansett, Montauk, Shinnecock, Spagaponnack… The names are reminiscent of the Native American Indian tribes that once inhabited the hamlets on the eastern extremity of Long Island, known as The Hamptons.
This area has long been the favoured playground of New York’s rich and famous, who move to their elegant mansions at the start of the summer, stirring awake the local farmstands, quaint antiques shops and fishing flotillas. Summer renters, weekenders and day-trippers, too, make their way there by road, train, air and ferry to enjoy the stunning scenery — the walking sand dunes of the south coast, the waves of the Long Island Sound, the luminescent sunlight and the charming shingle and wood houses that sprawl along the beach, or hide behind stately hedges on tree-lined streets.
Beautiful people
A whirl of lawn parties, beach bashes, concerts, gallery openings, polo championships, wine-tastings and gala benefits are attended by financiers, dealers, filmmakers, movie stars, designers, decorators and their friends and families. Steven Spielberg, Alec Baldwin, Christy Brinkley and Paris Hilton are regulars at the local restaurants. The main streets are abuzz with chic designer stores such as Catherine Malandrino, Ralph Lauren and Calypso.
The simple pleasures
People come to the Hamptons for swimming, fishing, partying, relaxing and to experience an alternate lifestyle. For New Yorkers, enjoying the physical space of a house after living in an apartment at a dizzying height is reason enough to move there for the summer. They delight in the extra elbow room, the ability to park outside a restaurant and let the kids out into a garden. Traditionally, wives and kids spend their entire summers there while husbands come for long weekends.
Often students or groups of singles share a villa, keeping the cost down. Driving, biking or walking around the Hamptons, particularly South Hampton, East Hampton, Bridge Hampton and Amagansett is hugely pleasurable. Farms invite visitors to pick peaches, blueberries and raspberries fresh off the bushes. Picturesque stands carry the season’s offerings — piles of beefsteak tomatoes, purple plums that squirt when bitten and mountains of sweet corn. Rolling vineyards, watermills, windmills and village greens make delightful backdrops.
Beyond the Hamptons
For those who would rather commune with nature, and sight bald eagles rather than celebrities, there are plenty of treks and nature trails. Quogue National wildlife Refuge in Quogue, Red Creek Park in Hampton Bays and Elizabeth A Morton National Wildlife refuge in Sag Harbor are places to see pheasant, deer, blue herons, ospreys and red-tailed hawks. The largest of the parks is a 724-acre sprawl of pine forests and dunes in Montauk. Here, one can spot seals in the winter. Montauk Point, on the northern tip of the Long Island’s fork, is bestowed with rugged beauty and dramatic seascapes.
Known as ‘The End’, it is the United States’ easternmost point and has earned its place in the nation’s imagination. The story of a two-ton shark caught off its shores decades ago was the basis for the book and movie, Jaws. Climbing Montauk Point’s famed lighthouse, one can see the waters of the Atlantic Ocean frothing and spraying at the waves of the Long Island Sound, as though playing out an eternal vendetta.
Beyond the Hamptons
For those who would rather commune with nature, and sight bald eagles rather than celebrities, there are plenty of treks and nature trails. Quogue National wildlife Refuge in Quogue, Red Creek Park in Hampton Bays and Elizabeth A Morton National Wildlife refuge in Sag Harbor are places to see pheasant, deer, blue herons, ospreys and red-tailed hawks. The largest of the parks is a 724-acre sprawl of pine forests and dunes in Montauk. Here, one can spot seals in the winter. Montauk Point, on the northern tip of the Long Island’s fork, is bestowed with rugged beauty and dramatic seascapes.
Known as ‘The End’, it is the United States’ easternmost point and has earned its place in the nation’s imagination. The story of a two-ton shark caught off its shores decades ago was the basis for the book and movie, Jaws. Climbing Montauk Point’s famed lighthouse, one can see the waters of the Atlantic Ocean frothing and spraying at the waves of the Long Island Sound, as though playing out an eternal vendetta.
How to get there
The Hamptons are a hundred-odd miles from NY city. Drive on Long Island Expressway to Sunrise Highway to reach the Hamptons, or take the Hamptons Jitney (bus service) or Long Island Railroad.
Stay at: The historic Maidstone Arms or The Baker House in East Hampton.
Eat at: Toni and Neil’s on North Main Street, East Hampton (reservations 10 days ahead) or the casual Golden Pear deli chain.
Activities: Whale watching off Montauk Point, visiting the Shinnecock Nation culture Centre and Museum and wine tasting at Wolffer Estate vineyard.