Montauk-filter?

June 6, 2006 8:55 AM

Where should we stay in Montauk? Is there anything that we should definitely do while we're there?

I'm thinking about taking my sweetie to Montauk for her birthday weekend and I'm looking for recommendations.

Are there any restaurants we should go to while we're there? Are there any charming hotels / bed and breakfasts that we should stay in? Is there anything specific we should do while we're there?

And, is it worth going this time of year? Will it be packed?

(We're leaving from NYC and going next weekend.)

posted by bshort to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

Lobster Roll aka LUNCH. You can't miss it as you drive towards Montauk.
posted by mikepop at 9:30 AM on June 6, 2006

The Lobster Roll is delicious. At this time of year, if you get there around lunch time you should easily be able to eat by dinner. . . . maybe . . . the next day. Seriously though, the crowd will be insane. Go early for an early lunch. There's a place across the highway whose name I've forgotten -- relatively new, tables all outside, which is almost as good and tends to have shorter lines.
posted by The Bellman at 10:03 AM on June 6, 2006

There's some bar of which I have forgotten the name or where it's located but it's out far enough on the fork so that you can view a sunset as if you are looking into the pacific. Ask around town someone will tell you how to get there.
posted by any major dude at 10:04 AM on June 6, 2006

The Montauk Point Lighthouse is worth a trip. Great views, and if the weather is nice, you can walk along the beach.
posted by Gamblor at 10:20 AM on June 6, 2006

And yes, it will most likely be crowded. It's summer in the Hamptons, and all that that implies. Book your hotel early.
posted by Gamblor at 10:25 AM on June 6, 2006

When we've gone to LI beaches recently we've gone to Easthampton, and only in the off-season, but from past experience Mrs. Enrevanche highly recommends The Breakers Motel as a place to stay in Montauk... it's really more a bunch of cabins than a traditional motel; you cross the highway and a little path across the dunes to get to the beach. (In the off-season, they're even pet-friendly.)

Here's the rate card for Breakers (in PDF format.)
posted by enrevanche at 10:28 AM on June 6, 2006

The surfing is good at Montauk. They say that it's very crowded but the one day I went out, it was busy but not insane. It's one of the better breaks I've surfed on the east coast (which is not saying *too* much because I've only surfed a few places in FL, SC, etc.). You'll probably need a shorty wetsuit this time of year. There are places in downtown that rent boards and suits.

We took the train there which was very nice. Better than dealing with all that traffic on the LIE.
posted by zpousman at 11:07 AM on June 6, 2006

Stay at East Deck. Eat at Duryea's Dock (byob). Play pool and drink at the Memory Motel, and look at the amazing pictures of the Stones, et al. Go to Kirk Beach near the IGA if you have a car -- or bike to Ditch Plains. Buy Reefs at Air & Speed. Get the best iced coffee at the Greek diner. Play tennis at the Downs, and use the pool at 4 o'clock after the beach. Bike to the lighthouse. Go to Salivar's at 7 a.m. for a greasy breakfast with the fishermen. Finally, do all this in the month of September. It's spectacular.
posted by thinkpiece at 11:14 AM on June 6, 2006

FOLLOW UP!

Ok, so we ended up staying at the Ocean Resort Inn. Ginny was very nice and gave us some excellent recommendations for places to go, things to do, places to eat.

We ate at East-Northeast and Harvest, which are both part of the same restaurant group. The food at both places was great, although the portions could have fed a modest sports team.

We took a taxi out to the lighthouse, which was pricey, but neat, and spent quite a while poking around the beach.

Thank you, everyone!
posted by bshort at 12:43 PM on June 19, 2006