Oh Montauk.
If you’ve yet to visit, I warn you, once you go there you will want to keep going back and back all summer long. Yes it may be ridiculously expensive ($400 per night in June and $700 per night for a hotel room in height of summer!) but New York summers are pretty short and so it’s understandable to want to make the most of it. I split a room with four friends in June so it ended up costing $200 each for 2 nights – not too bad at all. There are also Airbnbs and shared houses, or if you know someone who owns a place in Montauk then lucky, lucky you!
New York can sometimes be a difficult place to make friends but not in Montauk. Since everyone is in “vacation mode” it’s one of those places where you can meet lifelong friends and stay in touch with them long after the summer’s over. The beaches are great, the party is wild and I’m pretty confident that The Surf Lodge will take all of your hard earned monies. It’s definitely a place where all the beautiful people go, so pack your best blue and white outfits, your new bikinis and prepare for a fun weekend.
Here’s my guide on things to do in Montauk:
Get beers at Montauk Brewing Company
When my friends and I first arrived in Montauk it was actually raining so we decided to go to Montauk Brewing Company, which brews its own brand of beer that you will often see in bars and grocery stores around NYC. The cans are instantly recognisable with their brightly coloured designs, which tells me someone knew what they were doing when it comes to product packaging. I love the relaxed vibe at Montauk Brewing Company; it’s like being in someone’s house and there’s also a patio out front where you can enjoy beers in the sunshine. Definitely a spot to try a tasting flight and chat with the locals. I like the Watermelon Session and the Wave Chaser.
Drink at Sloppy Tuna
Sloppy Tuna can get pretty sloppy when you’re out at midnight on a Friday or Saturday night. This bar is particularly popular in the daytime since it’s located right on the beach and boasts an outdoor rooftop where you can enjoy food and beers in the sun. Night time it turns into a bit of a sh*t show although it has a more relaxed vibe and can be a lot of fun.
Watch sunset at The Surf Lodge
You simply can’t leave Montauk without going to The Surf Lodge. It’s definitely a place to “see and be seen” and it’s where all the beautiful people go to watch sunset. Just make sure you make a reservation for dinner ahead of time, as on Saturday nights it tends to be reservations only. If you haven’t pre-booked dinner, expect to get your wallet out to buy a bottle or a table on the beach. The sunsets are magical, the crowd is awesome and there are even live concerts on Sunday afternoons.
Eat bagels to cure the hangover
Feeling hungover? Walk on over to Goldberg’s Bagels to get your salmon and cream cheese on a warm, toasted bagel. These bagels may be on the pricier side ($11.95) but they’re super delicious and you’re going to bump into all the hungover people that you met the night before.
Sunbathe on the beach
Don’t let people tell you New York doesn’t have good beaches. Montauk’s beaches are clean, white and sandy and are great for sunbathing and checking out the beautiful people. If you want to relax and sunbathe in peace then sunbathe near your hotel in town; otherwise head over to Sloppy Tuna where the party gets a little more lively. Ditch Plains is also a beautiful beach, great for surfing and swimming.
Spend the day at Gurney’s
Gurney’s Montauk Resort and Seawater Spa is a sophisticated spot for sunbathing on the beach during the day. The hotel has its own 2,000 ft stretch of private beach and loungers are reserved for guests, although if you’re not staying at the hotel there are king-size day beds for rental.
Hit up all of the bars
The Point and Memory Motel get pretty crowded late at night. Rushmeyers is also a super busy spot where you can also book a table for dinner. If you’re spoilt for choice, I suggest just going to all of the bars. All of them.
Dip in the pool at Montauk Beach House
If you don’t like the feeling of being sandy then perhaps you’ll prefer to head to an awesome pool. Montauk Beach House has a great pool and often has live DJs or music on the weekends, so you can sip on cocktails to some killer beats.
Where to Stay
I stayed at Montauk Blue Hotel, which is right on the beach and you really can’t beat the location. You can book the hotel with Booking.com or Hotels.com. Hotels.com
is great as they usually include taxes and fees so there are no surprises, plus they have a rewards program whereby if you collect 10 nights you get 1 free.
How to get there
Unless you’re loaded and want to take a helicopter, you really have three options; Hampton Jitney, Train or car. Or, if you’re like us and you miss the last train due to too much partying, you could also split an Uber with a group of people all the way back to Manhattan. If you’ve ever wondered what a 2.5 hour Uber costs – it comes in at around $280.
The Hampton Jitney is the most comfortable way to get to Montauk since you’re guaranteed a seat on the coach, but you do have to take into account that there may be lots of traffic in the height of summer. The Long Island Rail Road from Penn Station is reliable because you know how long it’s going to take to get there (roughly 3.5 hours) but on the other hand, in peak hours, you could be standing. We took the train to Montauk and it happened to be the US Open that day, so lots of people were standing ALL the way to The Hamptons.