Why New York’s Best Weekend Getaway Is Unmissable This Summer

A guide to what’s new and notable in Montauk.

Why New York’s Best Weekend Getaway Is Unmissable This Summer

An aerial view of Gurney’s Star Island on Lake Montauk

Courtesy of Gurney’s

Located at the far end of Long Island, Montauk is one of AFAR’s favorite small beach towns for its low-key sensibilities and spectacular oceanfront location. But with a handful of exciting hotel and restaurant openings, Montauk is about to get even better this summer. Here’s our guide to everything new worth checking out this season.

Inside a room at Gurney’s Star Island Resort and Marina

Inside a room at Gurney’s Star Island Resort and Marina

Courtesy of Gurney’s

Gurney’s debuts new resort on Star Island
For its third resort—and second in Montauk—Gurney’s opened its new Star Island Resort and Marina property in time for Memorial Day Weekend. Located on Lake Montauk, the resort features 107 guest rooms (from $350/night) decorated in a neutral blue and beige color palette that nods to the area’s nautical history. The property’s fine-dining seafood restaurant, Showfish, sources most of its produce and fish from within 20 miles of Montauk. Even though the resort has indoor and outdoor pools, it doesn’t have a beach on site. However, guests can take a complimentary shuttle service 10 minutes down the road to the original Gurney’s Montauk Resort, which has a 2,000 foot private beach. 32 Star Island Road, Montauk, gurneysresorts.com Y7 Yoga pops up at The Surf Lodge
The Surf Lodge debuted 11 years ago at its Fort Pond property, but this summer it’s opening a new wellness space downtown called The Sanctuary. From May 25 to September 2, the hip-hop yoga studio Y7 is hosting a pop-up at the brand new space. Classes cost $35 and must be reserved in advance. 716 Montauk Highway, Montauk, mindbodyonline.com

Marram, a new beachfront resort, opens in July
Hospitality company Bridgeton is set to open Marram, a 96-room resort, designed in collaboration with Brooklyn-based Studio Tack—the team behind New York’s Sound View Greenport and Scribner’s Catskill Lodge—this July. Although there are no photos or a solid opening date available yet, this is what we know: Marram will have a heated outdoor pool looking over The Terrace surf break, and three-quarters of its rooms will have ocean views. (If you were wondering, the name comes from the wild grass that grows on the dunes around the hotel.) 21 Oceanview Terrace, Montauk, marrammontauk.com

Further down the road . . .

Dine at Rosie’s in Amagansett
Memorial Day weekend also saw the opening of Rosie’s, a casual all-day restaurant located in the center of Amagansett, one of the last towns in Long Island before you reach Montauk. The menu is broken down into three meals—breakfast, lunch, and après beach—with a focus on small, shared plates made with ingredients sourced from local farms. If you’re a fan of natural and biodynamic wines, this new spot is also worth a place on your list after a day at the beach. 195 Main Street, Amagansett, rosiesamagansett.com

Tea lovers will appreciate the tea lounge at Shou Sugi Ban House that serves 25 different types, including a custom herbal blend only available here.

Tea lovers will appreciate the tea lounge at Shou Sugi Ban House that serves 25 different types, including a custom herbal blend only available here.

Courtesy of Fredrika Stjarne for Shou Sugi Ban House

Go for a spa day at Shou Sugi Ban House
Over in the hamlet of Water Mill in Southampton, Shou Sugi Ban House opened its doors in mid-May adjacent to the Parrish Art Museum. This brand-new spa and retreat consists of 13 guest studios with private garden patios, a treatment spa with roof deck, and two repurposed barns (one with a demonstration kitchen and another with a tea bar)—all run on solar and geothermal power. The food isn’t an afterthought here either. Chef Mads Refslund, one of the cofounders of Copenhagen’s Noma, teamed up with a resident nutritionist to design a menu for guests that is vegetable focused and locally sourced. Four-, five-, and seven-day itineraries start at $4,650 (all-inclusive), but half-day spa rituals are also available starting from $325 if you’d like to incorporate Shou Sugi Ban House into your Montauk weekend getaway. 337 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, shousugibanhouse.com

>> Next: Plan Your Trip With AFAR’s Guide to Montauk

Lyndsey Matthews is the senior commerce editor at AFAR who covers travel gear, packing advice, and points and loyalty.
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