Hotels

Accommodations range from small motels to extravagant resorts to tiny historical inns. The latest top-end addition, opening in summer of 2009, is sleepy Amagansett's Reform Club, 23 Windmill Lane (tel. 631/267-8500), which combines a modern, design-y aesthetic with a laid-back beach-house feel; rooms start at $700 per night. Another splurge-worthy option: the elegant Arts and Crafts-style Baker House 1650, 181 Main St., East Hampton (tel. 631/324-4081). The more affordable (and decidedly hipper) Solé East, 90 Second House Rd., Montauk (tel. 631/668-2105), offers recently renovated bungalow-style rooms in a low-key Zen-like setting, while East Deck, right next to Ditch Plains, Montauk (tel. 631/668-2334), is a bare-bones but clean and friendly option beloved by surfers and relaxed families. Another wallet-friendly choice: The Inn at Baron's Cove, 31 West Water St., Sag Harbor (tel. 631/725-2100).

Campgrounds -- Hither Hills State Park, Montauk (tel. 631/668-2554), is a gem of a beach park without the pretension of the Hamptons. It also has a rarity: camping just steps from the 2-mile-long white-sand beach. A campground in chic East Hampton seems like an anomaly (and it is), but Cedar Point County Park (tel. 631/852-7620) is set in a densely wooded area of East Hampton overlooking the Long Island Sound. The 190 campsites, which are a few minutes' walk from the water, can be used for tents and campers, though none have electric hookups.