Weekend in The Hamptons with Kids

Where we Stayed

Because we were only staying in the area for 2 nights we decided to get a hotel that was a good value. Many properties to rent require longer stays in the peak season. So we stayed at the Hyatt Place in Riverhead, NY. The location was good for us considering we were just spending one day checking out the area. If I were to stay for a week I would choose a location closer to the beaches or sound. We were able to use World of Hyatt points and got an amazing deal at around 4.5 cents per point at the Hyatt Place! As I’ve mentioned before we love to stay at Hyatt Place’s because they have great room set ups for our family of four. These hotels also tend to be on the newer side and are super clean.

What we Ate

The only thing bad about a quick weekend trip is not getting to try as many restaurants as you want to. But within our 36 hours we tried a few restaurants near our hotel and where we were exploring.

Cowfish

We stopped here before we even checked into our hotel, just because our drive in took a lot longer than we expected. They only accept reservations for parties of 10 or more, at least for the day we were eating there. We were prepared for a long wait considering it was a Friday night. Luckily there was a little play ground outside for the kids to keep busy on and the view of boats on the water was so nice! The food was great here and a big plus was that they had a kids menu and great drinks 😉

Tacombi

This was our first time to this specific location of Tacombi, we had visited them in Manhattan a number of times. So we already knew that this was good and it was right in the middle of Montauk. We came here for an early lunch and had great quick service. The kids love their cheese quesadillas and Mexican sodas!

Rumba

Our second night in the Hamptons we chose this rum bar style restaurant for dinner because of its proximity to our hotel. We did make a reservation in advance which was totally necessary because the place was packed. They do not have much parking, so we had to park down the street. They have a bus to shuttle people to and  from this parking lot. The bus is actually 100% worth it because it is decked out in an island theme and had loud music blaring! The kids loved the bus ride the most – it was a party in itself! Rumba was perfect for us in that it was casual, had a great kids menu, and lots of yummy cocktails!

What we Did

So honestly, we spent way too much time in the car. I would not go back to the Hamptons again unless I was staying put in one of the little towns and for a longer time. Otherwise there is just too much traffic to be in the car driving around, taking up valuable beach time! But we made the best of it and still had a great time.

Montauk Lighthouse

We decided to get up early and head to Montauk Lighthouse before traffic got too heavy which worked out well. Only thing was we were a little too early and the lighthouse wasn’t open yet. It was also incredibly foggy out and you really couldn’t see much at all until after the lighthouse had officially opened to the public. While we waited for the lighthouse to open we spent some time down by the water walking around the rocks. There was also a great playground for the kids as we killed time.

The fog really bummed me out when we arrived because you really couldn’t see much out into the ocean. I am glad we stuck around though because once the sun burned off the fog, the views were out of this world. Once the lighthouse opened, we paid admission and entered the grounds. My older daughter (6 years old at the time) and my husband climbed to the top of the lighthouse. Kids have to be 41″ to climb the top of the lighthouse. While they climbed, my younger daughter and I explored the grounds and watched the boats out in the ocean. This was a perfect way to spend a morning in the Hamptons and I am glad we got to visit Montauk Lighthouse.

Montauk Beaches

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Kirk Park Beach, right in the heart of Montauk. There was ample free parking in lots a block off the beach. Bathrooms and feet showers were also right in the parking lot which were convenient. The beach was clean but very busy, as expected  considering it was a Saturday in August. My girls always love going to the beach and playing in the sand. Heads up – the waves here are strong and the undertow is dangerous. My girls at 6 and 2 years old at the time could not stand in the waves without the undertow pulling them back in the water aggressively. So we played in the dry sand a lot for this particular beach trip!

There were many other things we didn’t have time to visit during our short trip to the Hamptons in Long Island. If we had more time I’d take the kids to the Long Island Aquarium and spend much more time at the beach. And finding more ice cream places of course 😉