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There’s a timeless ambience to the Hamptons — its bucolic, green landscape of fields and forests leading down to rocky coves and white beaches with sand so fine it squeaks beneath your toes. It’s a magical place to explore by superyacht as you drop anchor along the pretty coastline or head into a beach club for long days of summer fun, followed by canapes and cocktails under one of the most magnificent sunsets in the Americas.
Yet the magic of the Hamptons lies as much in its legendary glamour and affluence as its tranquil beauty. In the summer months, there’s a sparkle in the air — a heady fragrance of hedonism and celebrity as the Hamptons come alive with A-lister parties in mansions hidden by giant hedgerows and friends crowd around beach bonfires that light up the summer night.
Days on charter in the Hamptons are spent visiting galleries and wineries, shopping the boutiques in pretty white shingle towns, and walking seagrass paths along the dunes to where lighthouses stand guard over the Atlantic.
There’s plenty on offer for the active charterer in the Hamptons, whether you’re surfing, sportfishing, hiking, or galloping along the beach on horseback. Get back to the yacht for water sports, relaxing, and long, lazy seafood meals — or maybe push the boat out by hosting a glittering soiree on board your charter yacht. Make your mark on the Hamptons this year with a superyacht charter in one of the great summer playgrounds in the world.
1. Waterside Bliss: The Best Hamptons Beach Clubs, Beach Bars, and Dockside Restaurants.
If you want to dine and drink the day away in a swanky spot by the sea, then the Hamptons are your paradise. Surf Lodge is a beach club with a celebrity clientele and a fantastic summer concert series, Le Bilquobet offers an unbeatable spot for a long rose’ lunch overlooking the superyachts, and Duryea’s Montauk is a place to wine and dine on the sea deck. For an all-day party, head to the Beach Club at Gurney’s Montauk, or keep things more tranquil while you sip cocktails by the water at the upscale La Fin Kitchen & Lounge.
2. Farmer’s Markets: Discover Instagram Heaven in the Hamptons
The Hamptons is a verdant, fertile area, producing some fantastic, insta-worthy produce from local farms. Your yacht chef might be doing all the cooking on charter, but that’s no excuse to at least check out the excellent Hamptons farmers markets and farm stands, whether you’re in the mood for delicious baked goods and punnets of berries, bouquets of giant sunflowers, or buying handmade gifts like soaps. Add a bottle of Balsam Farms Bloody Mary Mix to your basket for a recovery morning after a big night on charter. This delicious concoction is made from fresh tomatoes — you’ll instantly feel better!
3. Private Parties in the Hamptons: How to Get an Invite (Or Host Your Own)
As you probably know, the most exclusive invites in town are for the private house parties that light up the Hamptons’ night, attracting a heady mix of celebrities, billionaires and high society figures. Having a superyacht in the Hamptons certainly raises the chances of getting an invite — but why not make the party come to you by hosting a glamorous Hamptons yacht party?
4. Rich Fishing Grounds: Marlin, Tuna, Sharks and More.
While this fact can sometimes get lost in the area’s glittering reputation for parties, beaches and boutiques, the Hamptons offer some of the most exciting and productive fishing in the Northeast, with both shore and deep-sea fishing on offer. The species list includes blue and white marlin, striped bass, bluefin tuna, black sea bass, flounder and bluefish, and blue, brown, mako and thresher sharks. The Hamptons are a spectacular yachting destination for fishing.
5. Beaches: Relax into Beach Life in the Hamptons
Who needs a beach when you have a superyacht to swim off? As tempting as spending all your Hamptons charter on your yacht might be, the beautiful beaches will tempt you ashore with their soft sands and rockpools to scramble over. Cooper’s Beach, with its deep, golden sands, is considered one of the top ten beaches in America, while if you’re keen to surf, you’ll want to head to Ditch Plains Beach.
6. Kitesurfing: Tear it Up Ocean or Bayside.
Kitesurfing is the perfect water sport for Hampton yacht charter guests keen for some adrenaline, and the Hamptons have some epic kitesurfing spots on offer. On the ocean side, the 10-mile downwind run from Amagansett to Montauk is an afternoon you won’t forget in a hurry, while for flatwater riding, you’ll want to head to the shallow lagoon in Napeague State Park. Best of all? While the weekends are busy with people from New York City, Monday to Friday, you’ll be tearing along near-empty waters.
7. Golf Courses: Golf on Hallowed Ground in the Hamptons
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the proximity to New York City, the Hamptons know how to do a golf course. These small towns and hamlets are home to more than 15 golf courses, including the historic, storied Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, the oldest incorporated golf club in America and one of the founding five member clubs of the United States Golf Association. This is golfing hallowed ground. Other prestigious courses include the National Golf Links of America, Friar’s Head, the Maidstone Club, and the Sebonack Golf Club.
Seafood Shacks - can you even say you’ve been to the Hamptons if you haven’t visited one of its famous seafood shacks or restaurants? For a shack-style eatery, the Clam Bar at Napeague is a standout, as is the nearby Lobster Roll. Get a table at Topping Rose House by Michelin Chef Jean-Georges or Harvest at Fort Pond for seafood restaurants.
8. Bars and Clubs: Party it Up on Hamptons Summer Nights
Hamptons nightlife is an exciting mix of a rustic beach shack and an all-white cocktail lounge. If you’re ‘old-school’, the Stephen TalkHouse is an institution you won’t want to miss, with this unpretentious live music venue playing host to a ridiculous roll call of music legends over the years, including Jon Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Paul Simon.
Want a more upscale, less sweaty party with pretty cocktails? The Southampton Social Club or the Gurney’s Montauk Resort have fun and glamour in droves. (In fact, with Gurney’s ‘check in’ a little earlier and spend the afternoon at their legendary Seawater Spa before retiring to the bar.) If you’re after a nightclub, there are no superclubs here, but AM Southampton is a nightclub known to attract an A-list crowd.
9. Shopping: Fill Your Suitcase with Hamptons Treasures
One of the great delights of a Hamptons yacht charter is the boutique shopping, as the area comes alive with summer pop-ups from great fashion houses like Dior, Cartier, Chanel and Valentino, as well as a host of iconic permanent stores, including Goop, Brunello Cucinelli, Eres, Orlebar Brown, Zimmerman, Shan, and Vilebrequin. Local one-off boutiques synonymous with Hamptons shopping include Love Shack Fancy, Joey Wolffer, Merlet Mercantile, Edward Archer, Blue One, and Everything But Water. You’ll also find some fabulous pop-up fashion boutiques at venues like the Surf Lodge and Gurney’s.
10. Art Galleries and Museums: Walk into History
The Hamptons have a legendary art scene, where New York artists have come to find their muse away from the city, and art collectors come to shop. Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Lee Krasner are just a few of the artists who have called the Hamptons home, and the Pollock-Krasner house is now a museum where you can visit the artists’ studios. Charter guests can see exhibits of significant works at leading Hamptons galleries, including the Parrish Art Museum and the Guild Hall. For Native American museums, visit the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum, while the Montauk Lighthouse and Museum is a must-visit for maritime history.
Do your summer plans involve a superyacht charter in the Hamptons? The Hamptons are one of the world’s great superyacht destinations for many reasons. To book your Hamptons charter, chat with the Bluewater charter team.
