Winter wonderland in a summer hot spot-- EAST HAMPTON rounded out
As we wrote before Christmas, we had a girls trip to East Hampton with our mother for two nights the week leading up to Christmas. It was honestly such a fabulous time- cozy and beautiful and uncrowded (with the exception of Ciatarella, the gourmet grocery on town, in Christmas Eve).
We adored c/o The Maidstone where we stayed and would stay there a million times over. We regaled you with tales from Day One before Christmas, Day Two was full of yoga, spa treatments, shopping and delicious food and wine.
Day Two began with our complimentary full breakfast at c/o The Maidstone. We love the Josef Frank covered dining chairs and are promptly ordering pieces for our houses!
After breakfast we drove out to Montauk to Gurney's Inn and Spa, the only full service spa in the area. We were expecting more charm from Montauk (we've all seen "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") and were disappointed with the lackluster, slightly cheesy looking town-- it seemed the opposite of the other quaint towns we'd driven through (Bridgehampton, Water Mill, East Hampton). And Gurney's has seen better days. There was an enormous portrait of the Gurney family proudly proclaiming 80 years of family owned business. Hmmm, couldn't help but think they might need a fresh start and an overhaul. The property itself sits right on the beach which is gorgeous but the facilities are old and chintzy feeling-- lots of pink fake marble and a rather depressing locker room that houses a steam room and "Roman style bath"-- a big hot tub. Our massages were quite good but the whole experience is expensive-- not a good value. Try Naturopathica Spa in East Hampton instead-- that's where we'll head next time. One note about Gurney's, the staff in the restaurant and other areas of the property were very friendly.
After our foray at the spa, we headed back to East Hampton to finish our Christmas shopping. We had great success (for others and ourselves as it turned out!) at several of the quaint shops in town. A few worth mentioning are The Monogram Shop where we got our mom a beautiful nightgown that the lovely owner said she also wears as a bathing suit cover up in the summer. We also loved the "Forced Family Fun" cocktail napkins and couldn't resist....
Scoop was a mecca of fun clothes and shoes and The Shoe Inn had a great selection as well.
In each shop we polled the local shop owners and salesgirls as to where we should go for dinner that night-- we wanted something cozy with good food. Here's how we netted out....
Festive champagne at The Palm before their fireplace and Christmas tree and dinner at hidden gem Fresno. The Palm has been around for many years and apparently has divine steaks for a pretty price. It was bustling and charming and if we'd had another night, we might have tried it for dinner.
Fresno, as it is not on the main drag, is a hidden gem and was busy with an attractive local crowd. The pasta bolognese was one of the best pasta dishes we've ever had -- our waiter informed us that people call ahead to make sure it's on the menu that night before coming! It was delicious!!
East Hampton was a delightful off season escape. For you New Yorkers, get the heck out of that slushy snow that is probably turning gross and brown and dirty by now... Guarantee you, it's still clean and bright and white in the Hamptons!! Go recharge and recuperate after the hectic holiday season.
