Let the Season Begin!

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Hamptons are THE place to be. 

The 50-mile stretch of Atlantic coastline from Westhampton to Montauk is studded with pristine beaches and villages boasting pricey real estate, buzzy restaurants, and chic shops. The party never stops from casual lobster boils to fancy fundraisers. Boating is always appealing and so are golf, tennis, horseback-riding and now pickle ball. Cocktails and conversation punctuate spectacular sunsets.

For those who are not homeowners or house guests, there are more desirable hotel options than there used to be.

Renovated Gurney’s Montauk Resort and Saltwater Spa is the only luxury hotel right on the beach — and a spectacular stretch of beach it is. Its Scarpetta Beach restaurant offers Italian fine dining. A thalassotherapy experience puts wellness front and center.

Montauk Yacht Club offers accommodations with docks and a new gourmet restaurant. 

In Sag Harbor, Baron’s Cove’s 67 rooms offer harbor or village views.

In Hampton Bays, recently restored Canoe Place Inn & Cottages joins the party with its Good Ground Tavern, a new concert venue called Front Row Canoe, and a beach butler service. (The original name of Hampton Bays was Good Ground.)

What better way to enjoy local fish and seafood than at a restaurant overlooking the water. 

Bostwick’s on the Harbor, with a locally sourced seafood menu, offers stunning sunsets in a casual setting. The more upmarket SiSi Mediterranean Restaurant, where it’s possible to arrive by boat, attracts a fashionable crowd and elevates the dining scene in the Springs section of East Hampton. Roasted striped bass or Bucatini Verde with lobster accompanied by a crisp white fits the bill as you watch the sunset over Three Mile Harbor. Financier and media mogul Heath Freeman’s opening salvo was SiSi and the renovation of EHP Resort & Marina. A redo of Sunset Harbor soon followed as did the takeover of Red Bar, now Enchante Bistro in Southampton, where steak frites, salad Lyonnaise and Peconic escargot please Francophiles. This season will see added amenities and menu tweaks. EHP Resort & Marina guests will be treated to complimentary boat rides abord the luxurious 40 foot van Dutch from June through August. 

In the village of Southampton, Zach Erdem’s 75 Main (“Serving the Hamptons”) is a celebrity magnet — no water view needed. Tony Sant Ambroeus has opened an outpost in East Hampton. The Tutto il Giorno restaurant group of Southampton and Sag Harbor now has a small outpost in East Hampton, Tutto Caffé. Highly regarded Mexican chef Julian Medina made a splash last summer with El Verano whose décor evokes Mexican summer vacation homes. This season he plans “to use a lot of local, seasonal ingredients, like baked clams, zucchini flower salad, or whole lobster.” 

Most enduring of all in East Hampton is Nick & Toni’s which opened in 1988. It never fails to please or to attract celebrities with its Italian-Mediterranean cuisine, much of it cooked in a wood oven. Menu standouts include spinach and ricotta tortellini en brodo, Paccheri Bolognese, and a wood oven roasted whole fish with preserved lemon citronette.

In Sag Harbor, regulars flock waterside to The Beacon for best views of the sunset as they have been doing for 26 years. Locals are also loyal to the American Hotel and the newer LuLu Kitchen & Bar where a signature wood-roasted cauliflower is a crowd pleaser. Billy Durney’s Sag Harbor Tavern will take over the space where Dockside Bar & Grill held sway for years.

In Bridgehampton, Jean-Georges’ Topping Rose House, Pierre’s, Almond, and Bobby Van’s continue to attract. This season welcomes Arthur & Sons from Michelin star chef Joe Isidori. Guests can expect classic Italian American dishes such as chicken parmigiana and shrimp scampi.

In Sagaponack, between Bridgehampton and East Hampton sits the lovely Wölffer Estate Vineyards, home of the famous Summer in a Bottle rosé. Wölffer rosé will be poured along with some 20 other rosés at Dan’s Rosé Soiree on May 26 at the Southampton Arts Center. 

Farther east in Amagansett, the ever popular Rowdy Hall has relocated from East Hampton. Its chic black exterior has been the cause of some controversy among those who don’t like a black storefront. Its menu retains many of its popular favorites like the Rowdy burger, French onion soup, and fish and chips as well as its strong beer program. Top notch Fini Pizza was opened last year by Sean Feeney, a co-owner with Missy Robbins of Brooklyn’s Lilia and Misi. Il Buco al Mare is not just a place to eat but also to shop for beautiful tableware imported from Italy. Coche Comedor, from the team behind Nick & Toni’s and La Fondita, presents a full Mexican menu from Baja style shrimp tacos to apricot-tamarind duck. Carissa’s is THE bakery with a breakfast and lunch menu featuring such unusual sandwiches as a beet Reuben. It also has a new branch in Sag Harbor.

At the end of the island Montauk beckons. It’s especially attractive to surfers and it’s a little less scene-y although it attracts its share of party goers and celebs. Duryea’s endures as does Gosman’s Dock with its legendary lobster rolls and homemade clam chowder. Don’t fail to check out the Montauk Point Lighthouse commissioned by George Washington in 1792.

Not all of the eating takes place in restaurants. “Parties are back! And with all the bells and whistles and more!” says Art of Eating’s Cheryl Stair. “Popular hors d’oeuvres include our artichoke risotto cakes, Hamachi with grapefruit and jalapeño, and glazed pork belly served on a summer corn pancake.” And now pizza is having a moment with the Motorino Neapolitan Pizza Trailer coming out to the Hamptons for on-demand pizza parties.

Retailers must feel confident that there is once again a need to get dressed. The world’s richest man of the moment Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH who restored the flagship Tiffany in Manhattan, bought One Main Street in East Hampton for $22 million. His two-story Louis Vuitton store joins Chanel, Prada, and Valentino. Thankfully there’s also a J. Crew.

If there’s an overload of shopping and dining, the peaceful gardens at LongHouse Reserve are a welcome respite. 

For a dose of culture check out a quality production at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor or the Hampton Theater Company in Quogue or visit the Parish Art Museum in Water Mill.

The Hampton Classic horse show over Labor Day weekend is the biggest social bash of all. Trust the horsey set to present the season’s grandest grand finale

Beverly Stephen writes about design, food, travel, and lifestyle. She is co-owner of Flavor Forays, a culinary travel company..