East Hampton is arguably the most famous—and inarguably the most luxurious—beach town in America. It’s where a Gucci sits on Main Street while beach fires with s’mores happen every evening on Sag Main Beach; where gray shingled homes belonging to Ina Garten and Robert Downey Jr. co-exist with famous artist studios; and where the best place to grocery shop is always the farm stand.
Below, Vogue’s guide to East Hampton.
Where to Stay
The owners of The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach have refreshed The Hedges Inn, a beloved landmark right on the cusp of East Hampton town. While a full renovation will come later next year, already they have instituted a full service concierge, a beach butler buggy that comes stocked with chairs, towels, and coolers, and added a buzzy new restaurant. (More on that later).
“The decor, courtesy of Unionworks designer Poonam Khanna, was largely inspired by the natural Hamptons landscape: earthy hues of sand, green, blue, and peach. The guest rooms are marked by plush beds made with Frette Linens and clawfoot tubs in the bathroom; cottages boast quaint living areas and private gardens. Tata Harper skincare fills the gift shop, alongside a selection of Giulivia Heritage pieces,” Vogue editor Leah Faye Cooper wrote in her first hand account of staying at The Maidstone, which last summer, was glamorously revamped by LDV Hospitality group. Plus, its in-town location means guests are walkable to the town’s famous restaurants and shops.
EHP is spread across five waterfront acres on Three Mile Harbor, the north of the highway marina where Hamptonites regularly dock their boats—or yachts. You don’t need either to stay in one of their light and airy cottages, which feel more like quaint homes than hotel rooms.
They also have plenty of amenities: there’s a swimming pool, tennis and pickleball courts, as well as bikes, kayaks, and paddle-boards. A gift shop, meanwhile, carries beachy homewares and designer dresses. Si Si, their restaurant, is the perfect place to catch the sunset while drinking rosé. This year, buzzy French-Indonesian restaurant Wayan is also popping up on the hotel grounds.
Where to Eat
Spend your afternoon shopping on Main and Newton Streets then have a leisurely, spritz-filled lunch at Sant Ambroeus, the Milanese café that also has locations in New York and Aspen. We’re partial to their penne arrabbiata, branzino, or chicchirichi panini, but you can’t go wrong with anything on their menu. It’s also open for breakfast.
Inside The Hedges Inn is Swifty’s, a reincarnation of Upper East Side restaurant that served a dedicated and well-heeled group of uptown New Yorkers until it closed in 2016. (Its owner, Robert Caravaggi, was also maître d’ of the beloved Mortimer’s.) Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Swifty’s offers everything from jumbo Lump Maryland crab cakes, chilled lobster salad, and meatloaf, many dishes made with ingredients from local farms.
Nick Toni’s has been an East Hampton staple for over 37 years; go there for a classic Tuscan meal—think wood-fired pizzas, lumache with ramp pesto, and pan seared halibut—as well as excellent people watching. (It’s known to be one of the most popular celebrity haunts out east.)
East Hampton Grill, with its dark wood and green interiors, feels like a tavern or country club grill room. Depending on your mood, that’s a good thing—as there’s no better place to drink a martini and a medium rare steak in town. Run by the cult favorite Hillstone Group, patrons will notice the same beloved menu items as offered at their own restaurants like the prime French dip, the kale and rotisserie salad, and crispy chicken sandwich.
For a more casual, grab and go meal, go to Carissa’s on Newton Lane. (Although casual doesn’t come at the expense of quality: Carissa was a 2025 James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery.) Get their Jambon Beurre sandwich or raisin snail—as well as a box of breakfast pastries to go for the next morning.
New York’s critically acclaimed pizza joint opened Camp Rubirosa, a seasonal pop-up at 31 Race Lane in East Hampton. Enjoy thin-crust tie-dye pizza and house-made pastas served in a summer camp-inspired setting.
The gourmet farm stand offers some of the freshest produce in the Hamptons, and then some: people love their prepared foods, which include chicken salad, warm berry muffins, salmon salads, and sandwiches. (Oh, and more hearty fare like fish tacos, poke bowls, and bao buns.)
Where to Shop
There’s no shortage of designer boutiques in the Hamptons—just stroll down Main Street and Newton Lane, and you’ll find only the highest of high end brand names like Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. Below are a few of our favorites.
The Hamptons have always been a muse for Ralph Lauren. So much so that their brand staged their spring 2025 show there: “The Hamptons is more than a place. It’s a natural world of endless blue skies, the ocean, green fields, and white fences, rusticity and elegance with a quality of light that drew artists here decades ago. It has been home, my refuge and always an inspiration,” the designer said of the choice. Fittingly, their East Hampton store is a destination for its effortless exudation of East Coast elegance. There’s no better place to pick up their famous American Flag sweater.
Lean into the Hamptons’ inherent preppiness with The Monogram Shop, a charming boutique that offers customizable home items, baby presents, and partywares that you can embroider with your initials or some sort of short quip. (Take some cocktail napkins that say “Forced Family Fun.”)
Our favorite boutique in East Hampton belongs to Kirna Zabete, which offers a curated beachy assortment of designer clothing, such as Johanna Ortiz dresses, Pucci bathing suits, and matching Zimmermann sets. Go to get a glamorous summer statement look… you’re in the Hamptons, after all.
The New York Post recently broke the news that famed art dealer Larry Gagosian is now the owner of Bookhampton, the charming town book store that’s been a community staple for decades. Expect it to carry beach reads, literary classics, and an impressive array of art books.
A concept store is a bit of a nebulous, well, concept—but that’s exactly what Clic is, which just sells beautiful things in an impeccably curated space, where Casa Amalfi dinner plates sit alongside Alemais dresses and Assouline books.
What to Do
Longhouse Reserve, the 16-acre sculpture garden and home of late textile artist Jack Lenor Larsen, is a must visit East Hampton. The grounds include works by Yoko Ono, Willem de Kooning, Ai Wei Wei, Daniel Arsham, and more.
There are a few beaches in East Hampton, but East Hampton Main Beach is the sandy beating heart of them all. Although word to the visiting wise: You’ll need a beach permit to park there.
The former home and studio of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner in East Hampton Springs is a national historic landmark, and for good reason: the studio floor is splattered with Pollock’s paint as he made American masterpieces like Autumn Rhythm and Convergence, giving an unparalleled and poignant view into the artists’ workflow in the process.
