The Girlfriends Guide to Montauk

After spending most of the summer quarantining and scrolling instagram seeing people venturing upstate and to nearby beaches, I knew I wanted to plan a quick staycation. Rose and I headed to Long Beach for a quick beach day and it was so lovely. You can watch that vlog here. We went in the middle of the week and the beach was pretty much empty so we immediately planned another trip but this time to Montauk, NY. I’d seen a few of my favorite bloggers heading to Montauk and the Hamptons to get a taste of summer and after checking out all of the covid precautions I booked a quick stay in the sleepy oceanside town of Montauk, NY. Here’s everything you need to know about the trip and stay tuned, next Sunday the full vlog of my experience will be up on my YouTube Channel. Friday’s blog post will be all about everything I wore in Montauk as well. 

COVID MEASURES IN MONTAUK

A mask is required in all indoor establishments. When entering an indoor restaurant you must wear a mask until you are seated 6 fix away from people and then you are able to remove your mask to eat. A lot of the main restaurants in town have indoor and outdoor seating and they will ask your preference. I ate indoors for the first time since Covid in Montauk and felt completely safe and was seated well away from other people. Of course indoor dining is restricted for capacity. Masks are required in all public spaces unless you are 6 feet away. Even when entering the beach you are required to wear a mask until you get onto the shores and find your spot. They have people at the main entrances of the beach making sure you are masked. I felt very safe in Montauk. A lot more safer than I feel in New York City. People were abiding by the rules and wearing masks. 

Enjoying a Frozé at The Surf Lodge

BEST TIME TO GO TO MONTAUK IN THE SUMMER

Weekdays are the best time to visit Montauk in the Summer.  If you book a stay I’d recommend booking between Tuesday and Thursday. Montauk is pretty much empty during the week. The beach isn’t as crowded nor are the outdoor restaurants and shops. If you are leaving from the New York City metro area I’d recommend leaving before 10am to avoid traffic if you are driving. Friday-Monday are the busiest days in Montauk. The population pretty much doubles and perhaps even triples during that time with people escaping the city for the weekend. Friday at 11am the beaches are completely packed and they remain that way until Monday. It’s hard to make a reservation for dinner or any meal for that matter during that time people. Avoid the weekends if at all possible. The rates for rooms are also much cheaper during the week than the weekend. Traffic on the way back to New York is horrible Friday-Monday. Expect for it to take an extra hour to get back to the city. 

GETTING TO MONTAUK

By car it took us about an 1.5-2 hours to drive to Montauk. We left relatively early as well (before 11am) and made it out of the city without much traffic at all. We returned on the weekend and the traffic was pretty much nonstop all the way from Montauk back to the city. It was horrible. I’d recommend coming in on a Monday evening and leaving no later than Thursday to avoid traffic if driving. You can also take the LIRR from the city to Montauk and hop in a car for a 7 minute ride to the city center. Please note the train ride is about 4 hours and you are required to wear a mask the entire time. 

WHERE TO STAY

If you want to be within walking distance to the beach, the best restaurants and shops stay as close as possible to The Plaza which is a circular roundabout in the city center. Nearly everything is within walking distance from this spot. There are tons of places but I’d recommend: The Montauk Beach House, Royal Atlantic Beach Resort, Montauk Blue Hotel, Sole East Beach, Daunts Albatross and a Wave Inn Resort which are all super close to the city center and less than 3 minute walks to the beach. They are all pretty affordable too. We ended up staying and Daunts Albatross and really enjoyed the service and our stay. I also loved that we are less than a 5 minute walk to some of the best shopping and eateries in town. Even if you come by train if you stay in this area you won’t need a car. 

WHERE TO EAT

We essentially ate our way through Montauk so here’s the low down on the best eateries in Montauk

Bravo Toast for the best Avocado Toast and Oat Milk Mocha Latte

MTK Lobster House for a savory pot of mussels and chilled Rosé

Sel Rose for a lovely sunset dinner and a fresh lobster roll

Duryea’s Lobster Deck for a very fancy meal in a picturesque setting on the water where everything on the menu is delicious but go for the calamari, any salad and sparkling Rosé

The Surf Lodge for an amazing Frozé on Fort Pond and the perfect playlist (the kitchen is closed in the summer and they only serve drinks on their gorgeous deck) Go midday to have the place to yourself

WHERE TO SHOP & WHAT TO DO & SEE IN MONTAUK

The 8th Drifter is another super cool store for knick knacks from bathing and body products to flowing beach dresses.

Montauk Lighthouse is stunning and its on a lovely rock beach. It’s definitely worth driving out to check it out

Walk the strip of stores along the main road Montauk Hwy or take a bike ride through town. Most places have bikes your can use for free to discover Montauk. There are tons of stores filled with little knick knacks, clothing, decor items, bags and more along Montauk Hwy.

Go to the beach! It’s so much to do in Montauk you can actually miss making it to the beach. It’s lovely to go around 4pm a few hours before the sun sets. It’s a bit cooler and the breeze off the water is amazing. Make sure to catch a sunset too. Montauk has some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. 

Jacquemus Skirt |Forever 21 Hat SOLD OUT | Gueras Fatim Top | Bottega Veneta Mules | Christian Dior Saddle Bag | Chanel Earrings

GET THE LOOK


That’s it! Stay tuned for the Montauk Vlog on Sunday on my YouTube Channel and a post with details on everything I wore in Montauk on Friday. If you’ve been and you have some favorites please do drop them below in the comments. I’d love for this blog post to be a great resource for anyone looking to visit Montauk. And if you just can’t wait head over to my Instagram Reels to check out a few cool videos like this one, this one and this one from my trip to Montauk.

xx

Monroe 

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6 Comments

  1. Kawana Smith Coy
    August 24, 2020 / 1:56 pm

    Sounds like a wonderful time Monroe. Thanks for sharing the details
    Ive seen the CC pieces you purchased
    STUNNING. I would drive out there just for the vintage shop
    So glad for you that you were able to get away.
    Lastly, this look is Beautiful. Love the colors together

  2. Sherese Jackson
    August 24, 2020 / 6:03 pm

    This information is gold and I can’t wait for the full vlog experience. You gave us all the deets and I appreciate you so much for it. BTW, you and Rose killed it with the outfits. Those pics were SICK!

  3. Teresa
    August 24, 2020 / 11:23 pm

    You are such an inspiration. I enjoy watching live your best life as I get myself together so that I can mine.

  4. Linda Mitchell
    August 25, 2020 / 8:36 am

    Monroe,
    Loved the Montauk Guide. It was filled with excellent bits of information. I am tempted to drive out for the vintage shopping. Looks like you had a great experience at Wyld Blue. I can see why! Girl, you are working that vintage Chanel belt and earrings. BEAUTIFUL. Thanks for adding the links. “Cause you know we want to know.” Take care.

  5. August 25, 2020 / 11:14 am

    Thanks Monroe this is a must do for me… I’ve been looking for a cute little getaway spot. I’m in Maryland but I see a road trip in the near future

  6. Renee Hampton
    August 25, 2020 / 6:28 pm

    Feeling a little jealous. Been stuck in Milwaukee since February. Glad for you. Sounds like you had a good time. Love vintage things. You look great.

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