Montauk

Montauk sits at the very end of Long Island, where the landscape becomes wilder and the Atlantic takes over. Long before it became a fashionable summer escape, this was fishing and surfing territory, shaped by dunes, windswept beaches, wetlands and the historic Montauk Point Lighthouse. The 20th century added military structures, roadside motels and modest beach houses, creating an architectural character very different from the grand estates farther west in the Hamptons. In recent years, many of those motels and inns have been reinvented with a relaxed mix of Mid-Century references, weathered timber and contemporary coastal design. Montauk has become considerably more polished, but at its best it still feels like somewhere at the end of the road.

Food and drink follow the Atlantic. Lobster, clams, oysters and locally landed fish are served everywhere from dockside seafood shacks to ambitious restaurants, while nearby farms supply the seasonal produce associated with eastern Long Island. Summer brings a famously social scene of beach bars, restaurants and sunset drinks, but old fishing institutions and unfussy local spots remain part of Montauk’s identity. Long Island wine country lies farther west on the North Fork, making local Chardonnay, rosé and sparkling wine an easy companion to seafood and a long afternoon by the water.

Montauk’s most interesting hotels often begin with the classic American beach motel. Low-slung buildings, outdoor corridors, pools and direct access to sand have been revived as design-led retreats, joined by historic resorts, surf lodges and quieter hideaways among the dunes. At DNA Hotels, we curate the places where architecture, seafood, surf culture and Atlantic landscape come together—hotels that capture Montauk before all the salt and sand are polished away, where barefoot still works better than dressed up.