Two hours from Manhattan, the East End of Long Island is where New York spends its summer: oceanfront estates in Southampton and East Hampton, potato fields turned into gardens, private clubs, the beaches and a social calendar that fills every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Stay
- Gurney’s Montauk Resort
- The Maidstone and Baker House 1650, East Hampton
- Topping Rose House, Bridgehampton
- Shou Sugi Ban House, Water Mill
Do
- A day at Coopers Beach or Main Beach
- The Parrish Art Museum and the galleries of East Hampton
- Dinner at Nick & Toni’s or the American Hotel in Sag Harbor
- The Hampton Classic horse show at the end of August
- Montauk’s surf and the lighthouse
Gavalia’s rules
- South of the highway (Route 27) is the address; the closer to the ocean, the higher the price.
- Rent for a season before buying; each village has a different character, from Southampton’s formality to Montauk’s surf.
- The helicopter from Manhattan takes forty minutes; the Long Island Expressway on a Friday takes as long as it takes.
The villages
Southampton is the oldest and most formal: the Meadow Club, the Bathing Corporation, the estates on Gin Lane and Meadow Lane. East Hampton is the cultural one: the galleries, Guild Hall, the Maidstone Club, Further Lane. Bridgehampton and Sagaponack hold the largest new houses on the old farmland. Sag Harbor is the village with a harbour and a Main Street. Montauk at the end is surf, fishing and Gurney’s.
The summer
From Memorial Day weekend the East End fills: the beaches, the farm stands, the benefits, the Hampton Classic, the polo. September, when the crowds leave and the ocean is warmest, is the month the owners keep for themselves.
Property
The Hamptons is the most expensive coastal market in America outside Malibu: oceanfront estates on Meadow Lane and Further Lane trade at 50 to 150 million dollars; a good house south of the highway starts at 5 million. Property taxes of 1 to 2 percent a year and staff make ownership an ongoing commitment.
The property market
Oceanfront estates in Southampton and East Hampton from 20 million dollars to 100 million and beyond; south-of-the-highway homes from 5 million; Sag Harbor village and Montauk at 10,000 to 25,000 dollars per square metre. Property tax is significant.
Try it yourself
Villa Cost CalculatorPurchase price and country: taxes, fees, annual running costs and the ten-year total, with rental income if you let it.Destination MatcherMonth, mood and budget: the three countries or regions that fit, with the season and the hotels.Questions people ask
Which is the most expensive Hampton?
Southampton’s Meadow Lane and Gin Lane and East Hampton’s Further Lane hold the most expensive oceanfront estates; Sagaponack has the highest median price.
How much does a house cost in the Hamptons?
From about 3 million dollars north of the highway to 5 to 20 million south of it and 20 to 150 million on the ocean.
When is the Hamptons season?
Memorial Day at the end of May to Labor Day at the start of September. Locals prefer September, when the ocean is warm and the roads empty.
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