It was our first trip to the Hamptons and it was everything we imagined and more. We seriously had the best time. We fell in love with it.
When planning, we rally weren’t sure what town/village to stay in, but were hoping to stay in East Hampton, as it seemed to have majority of shops and was central to the other towns/villages. I’ll admit, while searching for accommodations, I was actually surprised at how hard it was to find a place that was well appointed and all around a good fit our family. This was possibly due to the spontaneity of our trip (we planned it about a month out during peak season). When travelling as a family, we need a suite or a cottage, to fit us all comfortable. This makes the search even more tricky. Luckily, last minute, we found a great cottage which was also pet friendly.
It was called East Hampton Point. It has a restaurant on site, which is quite popular, but was only opened for supper. This was fine by us, as we mostly did breakfast and lunch in our cottage, as it was equipped with stove, fridge, microwave, dishwasher, etc. There was a dock on site with lots of beautiful boats – lovely for morning walks with Sadie. Also, there was a pool and a playground. Although the playground can use an update, we used the pool lots and loved how quiet it was! They also had gym & tennis court.
Our cottage was perfect for our needs. One level with a patio off to side, accessible from bedroom or living room. It was surrounded by trees and had no access from grounds, offering total privacy, which I loved. When Elle would nap, I would go out there and sunbath and work or read or just relax. The cottage also had a large jacuzzi tub, which was great for Elle’s bubble baths! She loved it! As mentioned above, it was fully equipped with a kitchen, which is something we like to look for when travelling as a family.
The beaches were absolutely AMAZING. We tried two, Main beach in East Hampton & Cooper’s Beach in South Hampton. Cooper’s waves were so amazing, but a bit much for Elle. So for that reason plus the longer drive time (half hour), we ended up sticking to Main beach in East Hampton. It was only a 10 min drive from us, which was great, as time is of the essence with a toddler. Also, the waves were big, but not sp much that I was afraid to take Elle in (they both had pretty strong under toe though). We actually spotted a whale while at Main beach, which was a first for us and pretty cool! Also, I will mention, the lifeguards at both beaches were really fabulous, which made us feel safe.
We checked out Montauk’s infamous Ditch Plains, but just for a walk down the beach before we went to supper at Gurney’s. It’s known for huge waves so lots of surfers go there. I’m not sure it would be the greatest for children, but it’s beautiful for sure and worth checking out.
For dining, we ate at the following (I will insert asterisks for my faves, as well s notable points):
- Moby’s **Diner – elegant casual/trendy – Food was great, but small menu. Service was not good – although friendly, terribly slow. Inside ambiance is okay, but the patio overlooks the harbour, which is beautiful – although we didn’t get to sit there.
- Jean-George’s at Topping Rose House *** Dinner – casual elegant – this is one of our favourite chefs. We always dine at his restaurants when we discover them on our travels and are never disappointed. We gain so much inspiration from him for our own restaurant. The ambiance on the veranda was so beautiful and the food was great. Service was also excellent.
- The Palm ** Dinner- Fine Dining: Great service, good food, historical spot, okay ambiance
- 1770 House*** Dinner – Fine Dining: slightly stuffy inside main restaurant, but delicious food and great service. We took Elle & Sadie, inside is better for no kids, as it’s very quiet & intimate – server actually joked he never served kids before – haha. Next time I would book the garden or pub area for a more laid back vibe.
- Scarpetta Beach at Gurney’s Montauk*** Dinner-Italian – amazing ambiance (beachside) service was great & food was really good. We dined here twice.
- Frenso* Dinner – New American: Service was AMAZING, ambience good, food good
- DOPO La Spiaggia East Hampton* Dinner – Italian: Courtyard is pretty, food is good, but got off on wrong foot with service.
- Citrella Gourmet Market*** Breakfast or lunch: great to grab a quick bite or shop for things to take back to eat at home
- Round Swamps Farm*** Breakfast, lunch or dinner: we shopped here a few times for things to keep in our cottage – they do amazing pre-made meals, sweets & such! Wish we had this where I live!!
- Goldberg’s Famous Bagels *** Breakfast: amazing flagels (flat bagels) & homemade cream cheese – no speciality coffee, however.
- Scoop du Jour ** Treats (donuts & ice cream) – I read this place was the best for donuts. It’s a “mom & pop” store which I love, but the donuts were nothing special. Ice cream was good tho!
For shopping, East Hampton and Sag Harbour were my faves, although we didn’t really get a chance to walk around South Hampton or Amagansett, Bridgehampton, Montauk (basically ALOT of the other little towns – haha). Here are a few stores I loved tho and think are worth checking out if you’re in the area:
- Stoney Clover Lane: I loved this store – so cute! They had totes, travel bags, make up bags, etc that you could choose your colour and the letters and they would embroider whatever you wanted on it. We got Elle her own travel bag with her name – love it! Also, they have cute headbands, bows and other accessories. You can also order online.
- Everything but Water: This is always a fave store for me – they have such beautiful and unique swimsuits & cover-ups. I always make it a point to stop into one whenever I find one! You can also order online.
- What Comes Around Goes Around: This was my second time into one of these stores. They have one in Beverly Hills, Miami and several in NYC. Worth checking out as you never know what you might find. They sell pre-loved designer bags and fashion. They purchase them via auctions. I saw a Chanel I loved as well as an LV, but with the dollar difference (CAD VS USD) I found it would be more worth it to buy new.
- White’s Apothecary: This was a great little spot for cosmetics & even carried cute accessories. Super friendly & helpful too!
- Love Shack Fancy: Possibly the cutest store I have EVER seen. I honestly wanted to take photos of everything. So romantic – it was like a dollhouse in a fairytale. Very pretty one-of-a kind pieces. Definitely check this store out!! It is in Sag Harbour.
- Reformation Beach House: Great shop for summer staples.
- Jayson Home: This was a cute home decor store. Elle actually found a really sweet Barefoot Dreams stuffy that she named Sag, after the town it’s located (Sag Harbour). The lady working was so sweet too.
- Stella & Ruby: Cutest little store for kids! So much to look at. I got Elle a few cute things in here & probably would have bought more if Elle hadn’t been running around the store grabbing everything she could get her hands on – lol.
- Orlebar Brown: Andrew LOVED this store. He got some really nice shirts, sunglasses, swimming shorts, etc.
Sites worth seeing:
- Montauk Light House: Beautiful spot. Lots of breeze. Nice Gift shop.
- Cooper’s Beach : Beautiful Beach. Take a walk and see all the gorgeous homes on the ocean – Ralph Lauren for instance! The neighbourhood is so pretty – with hedges for days. Everything you imagine in the Hamptons. They rent chairs & umbrellas if you don’t bring your own. Washrooms & food onsite! Parking fee.
- Maine Beach East Hampton: Great beach! Nice breeze & beautiful waves, soft white sand. Washrooms on site! Sell chairs for $50 each, so better off to bring your own. Parking fee.
- Spend time walking around the little towns – they are all so cute and quaint and carry their own vibe. We were there for 10 days and still have so much to do upon our return, which is so amazing. Lots to see and do!
- They have several wineries, which didn’t interest me since I”m pregnant and we had Elle with us as well, but something worth looking into.
- Children’s Museum: we heard great things about this and were going to go if we had a rainy day, but it was absolutely beautiful every single day we were there!
- Pollock-Krasner House & Study Centre: Another spot we didn’t make it to, however, I will go when we return. I love art studied Jackson Pollock in Art History during University (had to do an assignment on him) so would love to see this!
Last, but not least, here are a list of places I wanted to check out, but didn’t get the chance! There is always next time!
- Navy Beach – a restaurant that is directly on a beach. Supposed to be great for families and beautiful at sunset. We discovered it mid vacation and couldn’t seem to make a reservation work for us.
- Goop – owned by one of my fave celebrities, Gwyneth Palthrow. You may have heard of her website, Goop? Apparently this is a pop up store in Sag Harbour, which I just happened to find to about after leaving the Hamptons.
- Love Adorned
- Gucci x Melet Mercantile
- Surf Lodge: a motel/resturant/cocktail scene in Montauk, which is supposed to be pretty cool and offering live music.
- Aerin; Owned by Aerin Lauder
- One Kings Lane: Always loved their website, so would LOVE to see their store.
- Ever After – The Tot: not sure how I missed this one, but would love to see it next time if it’s around, as it’s a pop-up.
Well I hope this offers you some insight if you have never been to the Hamptons and are interested in going. We loved it so much there. We plan to return next year, but will book earlier and try find a really nice Air B&B that fits our party of five. Air B&B seems to be the thing there and would be perfect for our growing family. We did look at this as an option for this trip, but what was available seemed geared toward larger families & groups. This was possibly because we started our search very last minute and it was during the 4th of July. If you have been to the Hamptons, would love to hear some of your favourite places! Please comment below! Until next time, enjoy this beautiful day and thanks for reading!
