East End Travel

I know that I have mentioned it in the past, but I sort of have a love affair with the Hamptons. Lots of important milestones in my life have taken place out east, meeting Jason in our share house, his magical proposal on the beach, and our annual getaways there in the winter and summer months. Last week, I happened to be out in Sag Harbor for work, so I had Jason and the kids meet me and we headed to the most eastern part Long Island, Montauk. In the past, we’ve made day trips to Montauk, but never stayed over night.

Having heard about their major renovation, we were excited to stay at Gurney’s Montauk Resort and Seawater Spa. Surprisingly, with all the time we spend out east, it was the first experience at the famed Montauk institution.  After checking into our two bedroom, two bathroom Ocean Front suite, we made a beeline for the ocean. With picture perfect weather, we spent the entire afternoon swimming, collecting seashells, and playing a bean bag toss on the beach. There were plenty of children staying at the resort, so my kids made friends easily as they bounced around the grounds playing life-sized chess, connect four, and golf putting on the spa deck.

After sundown, we quickly showered and changed, before heading to Tillies, one of the two Gurney’s Montauk restaurants, on the property. We chose Tillies over their Italian inspired restaurant Scarpetta Beach, because the bistro style setting was better suited for the kids following an exhausting day on the beach. Our dinner consisted of lobster rolls, crab cakes, and grilled fish, which was the ideal first meal out east for the summer. After dinner, we hung out by the main lobby deck fire pit until Gemma started to doze and we made our way back to the room for an easy transition to bed. The second bedroom proved to be much needed, because it gave Jason and I had the opportunity to hang in our living room and outdoor patio, while the kids were fast asleep.

Unfortunately, the weather the following day was a complete washout, but we decided to make the best of it with a little indoor swimming. Despite the rain, the seawater pool was heated to 84 degrees, as it is all year round, and the kids had a blast splashing around.

Gurney’s Montauk has a Kids Club which offers beach time, arts and crafts, lunch and swimming in the pool. If families choose to keep their kids close throughout the day, but need a little help, they can utilize the Beach Nanny program. Nannies are available to work one on one with your family allowing you to relax on the  beach, while you kids and a nanny swim, build sand castles or play games. Beginning this summer on Saturday nights, they will offer a weekly “swim-up” family movie in the pool as well as a Pirates and Princess “dress-up” on the weekends.

As another indoor activity we drove as far east as possible to the Lighthouse Museum. The big kids climbed to the top, where just below the light tower they were given a brief  tutorial about the lighthouse’s history. We hung around the museum exploring for a while before heading back home.

We ended the getaway with stop at the famous Lobster Roll, in Amagansett for lunch, before driving back home. This family weekend was the perfect way to kick off our almost summer, and I am certain that we will be back there before the end of the season. I am tempted to grab some of my girlfriends for a weekend trip to test out some of their dreamy spa treatments.

Thank you Gurney’s Montauk Resort and Seawater Spa for a fantastic weekend!