It’s the first day of summer and all I can think about is booking my next trip. Everyone seems to love the idea of a “girls trip” and this past week I had the pleasure of attending my first. A few of my girlfriends and I had the pleasure of sprinkling some daily doses of #BlackGirlMagic up and down the streets of the Hamptons. Here’s a recap of our trip…
How we got there:
We flew into NYC and rented a sprinter that we dubbed “Big Red” for the duration of our stay. We drove from the city, up the Long Island coast and found our way to the infamous Hamptons. My only tip for taking this route is to make sure everyone has a morning flight into the city. Afternoon traffic in NYC turned a 2.5 hour drive into almost 4 hours. Thankfully we had good music, liquor (not me) and lots of laughs to keep us busy!
Where we stayed:
One of my girlfriends took on the challenge of finding our super bomb rental house. It was so modern and posh, perfectly located in a quiet corner of the East Hamptons. For me, the house had everything you need for a relaxing vacay; comfy beds, lots of towels and toiletries, a heated pool and close to the beach. I would definitely recommend staying there if you have a large enough group!
Where we ate:
Immediately upon our arrival to East Hampton we stopped for dinner at Bell & Anchor. I enjoyed the Pan-Roasted Scottish Salmon w/ Grilled Asparagus. I subbed the cous-cous for sautéed spinach because I’ve never been a fan. Otherwise my food was amazing, so much so that I scarfed half of it down before I remembered to take a pic. If you’re a dessert kind of girl the Brownie Sunday, the Key Lime Parfait and Strawberry Short Cake were super yummy too. We ordered one of everything, so I pretty much tried them all. To top off our evening, there was a gentleman nice enough to send over 3 bottles of champagne for us to enjoy. Cheers!
Over the weekend we tried a few different breakfast/brunch spots but my faves were Estia’s Little Kitchen and Joni’s. Baby love and I enjoyed Joni’s so much that we went back a second time. Whether you’re a meat lover, vegetarian, vegan or gluten free they had something for everyone; it was like being in fresh food heaven. The breakfast wrap, fresh fruit waffles, morning smoothies and their perfect little cranberry walnut cookies are all choices I’d recommend.
Bostwick’s Chowder House is a great place to try for lunch or dinner. They have the best Lobster Bisque that I’ve had in my life; it was so perfectly creamy and filling. Their crab stuffed flounder was really good too. Don’t let them serving their food on a paper plate deter you! LOL
Where we hung:
#BeachPlease! Our first beach day was spent at Navy Beach in Montauk, which doubles as a beach and restaurant location. They have super comfortable patio/lounge chairs out on the beach so no towels are needed. Please note that the beach is pebbled instead of sand so you will definitely need shoes. We kicked back on the lounge chairs and enjoyed the breeze along with a ton of appetizers and good cocktails. During one of our mini photo shoots the lovely Mel Barlow approached me, asked me for my phone and told me she’d take pictures for us. After she was done she mentioned that she was one of the shooters for Serena Williams wedding. She was so sweet and she really got some bomb photos of our group. To say we were excited is an understatement; we were super thankful!
Our second beach day was spent at Atlantic Beach which is also located in Montauk. Coming from Texas we weren’t sure if 78 degrees would make for good beach weather but it was absolutely perfect. It was warm enough for us to lay-out but there was a nice breeze of the water to keep us from getting too hot. I would be sure to bring towels, beach chairs and umbrellas. There was a chair and umbrella rental company on the beach but it cost me the arm and leg of my unborn child! LOL The water was ice cold so there was no swimming for us but the locals were #unbothered by the chilly water temps.
In between beach days we partook in the lunch wine tour at Wolffer Estate Vineyard. Our tour and tasting lasted about six hours total. It consisted of a tour of the vineyard and fermentation areas. Along with information about how different types of wine grapes are picked, processed and then stored. We were then seated in a private tasting area and had the pleasure of sampling a few wines including their signature Rose. I was surprised that I could still participate in the tasting while pregnant. Yall, I had the best fancy white grape juice ever! Their Verjus definitely started a party in my tummy! LOL
During the tasting were also given a few different cheese boards, pickled veggies and hummus to snack on. I absolutely loved the Spanish sheep cheese and pickled red peppers but the trays weren’t as filling as we would have liked. Either have a big lunch before going, stash snacks in your purse (don’t judge!) or plan for lunch/dinner immediately afterwards. If you do decide to take a group tour please ask for Ms. Pam as your guide. She was soooo super sweet and extremely patient with our group once the wine started to kick in! LOL
We spent the last night of our trip at EMP Summer House which is an Amex pop up restaurant. Due to their partnership they only accept Amex or cash payments. The location gave super cute, summer party vibes and they have really yummy guacamole and shrimp spread. As far as their cocktails the Pickled Watermelon is highly recommended but you can never go wrong with a shot of water on the rocks!
All in all we truly enjoyed our time in the Hamptons. Give me a good beach, friendly people, some good food and I’m sold. There was so much to see and do that I think I will be taking a return trip. What trips do you have planned for this summer? Anyone taking a girls trip? Drop me a line in the comments!
This trip was not sponsored and as always all of my opinions are my own.