A historic Hamptons inn, The Maidstone, has been purchased by cannabis tycoon Irwin Simon.
Courtesy of Maidstone
For some visitors, Long Island’s East End is a place to breathe in the fresh air on the weekends before letting off steam, shelling out $1,500 for a chaise lounge on Montauk Beach, or vying for an on-air appearance by dining at 75 Main while the next season of the HBO Max series is filming. Selling the Hamptons spin off Serving the Hamptons.
75 Main during the filming of “Serving the Hamptons”
Zach Erdem, owner of 75 Main
But for many residents, the area is a sacred place, located just a few hours from New York City but spiritually light years away from the cacophonous urban center, its crime and its hustle and bustle. That’s why Hampton residents have never allowed their enclave to be accessed by a two-lane road. For them, the Hamptons are the antidote to a city that never sleeps.
So when New York City’s private club Zero Bond, which has hosted Mayor Eric Adams as well as Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, Tom Brady and Kim Kardashian, announced its intention to take over the quaint 18th-century Hedges Inn in East Hampton, the news sparked a wave of backlash. It’s a particularly bucolic neighborhood, just a stone’s throw from the homes of Steven Spielberg and Martha Stewart.
In a series of town hall meetings led by the village mayor, residents attempted to shut down Zero Bond, and in May they succeeded in enacting an 11 p.m. curfew for all hotels in the city (this one had been zoned for a 10 p.m. curfew for some time), effectively shutting down the club, at least for this season. Zero Bond owner Scott Sartiano was undeterred and quickly changed course, announcing this week that he would convert the space into an outpost of his restaurant, Sartiano’s, whose flagship restaurant is in Manhattan’s Mercer Hotel.
“Mr. Sartiano has watered down his proposal greatly to just being an Italian restaurant, and if that’s the case, we’ll roll out the red carpet, but if his ultimate goal is to open another Zero Bond, I think the neighbors should be very cautious,” said East Hampton Village Administrator Marcos Baladrón. The Hollywood Reporter.
Just up the street and across East Hampton’s picturesque little pond, another historic inn, The Maidstone, was purchased by pharmaceutical and cannabis industry boss Irwin Simon and hotelier Mayank Dwivedi. It’s now run by LDV Hospitality, the owners of Scarpetta, a lively nomadic restaurant with a downstairs club, and an outpost at Gurney’s Montauk Resort, known for its lively scene.
In Southampton, KyKy Conille, who ran the New York nightclubs Provocateur, PM and Bijoux and whose clients include Leonardo DiCaprio, Gisele Bundchen, John Legend and Lionel Richie, has taken over the former Blu Mar restaurant and transformed it into a branch of his New York club-style Italian restaurant, Il Pellicano, run by chef Rocco Dispirito, a TV presenter. “It will cater for people from 25 to anyone who can still walk,” he says. But there will also be a club at the back that will be decidedly less democratic.
“We will choose the clientele of the salon,” Conille said. “My doormen will choose based on their attire. We don’t want people coming to the salon in the evening in shorts. I want to bring back elegance, for people to be happy to dress up.”
KyKy Conille, whose New York nightclubs attract Leonardo DiCaprio and John Legend, is bringing his Italian restaurant, Il Pellicano — with TV chef Rocco Dispirito at the helm — to Southampton.
Courtesy of Il Pellicano
Other Hamptons Events:
Also in East Hampton, Cédric Vongerichten (Jean Georges’ son) and his wife Ochi are hosting a pop-up opening of their popular Southeast Asian restaurants Made and Wayan, while Jean Georges himself will open a pop-up opening of his Latin concept, ABC Cocina, this weekend at the Topping Rose House hotel in Bridgehampton, where he already owns his eponymous restaurant. A restaurant similar to Arthur and Sons, a popular West Village Italian-American restaurant, also just opened in that city, with Chris Cuomo, Matt Lauer, and Donny Deutsch already spotted there.
On the fashion front, there were plenty of new stores opening this summer, including new East Coast stores Grey/Ven, based in Los Angeles, and ME&EM, the classic clothing brand Veronica Beard, and Eric Emanuel, beloved by Justin Bieber and Kevin Hart.
Los Angeles fashion line Libertine is activating this season at the charming Sag Harbor boutique Sage & Madison, where Oscar de la Renta recently opened and Juliane Moore and Beyonce have been known to stop by. You can find everything from couture gowns to beautifully curated hostess baskets.
Sag Harbor is still a hub of activity: Baron’s Cove, a mini-resort in town with live music on the lawn, has partnered with Veuve Clicquot and Wolffer Vineyards to offer cabanas with free-flowing Champagne.
The area west of Southampton has always been less expensive, but it’s become more popular recently, including the reopening of Hampton Bays’ Canoe Place Inn as a posh hotel in late 2022, hosting conferences from Naomi Watts and Candace Bushnell. This season, The Hampton Maid, a family-friendly hotel on 12 acres in Hampton Bays, added a Spanish restaurant, R.AIRE, as well as a poolside eatery.
Getting from New York to the Hamptons has always been a challenge, but Blade, which offers fast seaplanes and helicopters to avoid traffic, has just gone head-to-head with the legendary Hampton Jitney ($49), its slightly more comfortable Ambassador ($72) and the Hampton Luxury Liner ($34-$60). The roomier seats on the new Blade coaches, outfitted with cashmere blankets, motion-reclining seats, carefully curated amenity kits and a fully stocked bar, cost $195 to $275, and morning passengers will be served breakfast courtesy of Pop Up Bagels, the behemoth backed by Paul Rudd, Michael Strahan, Constance Schwartz Morbid and John Davis. Best of all, you can bring your dog.
Blade doesn’t just take care of the dogs, who are notoriously spoiled back East. They’re pampered with swimming lessons and massages offered by Edward Alava and his Dog Store in Wainscott, a menu of doggie truffles at Bistro Ete in Water Mill and regular “Yappy Hours” in the hamlets. This summer, house-sitting veterinarian Dr. Cindy Bressler decided to bring healing therapies to the area’s furry residents, opening a dog sanctuary called Wave Wellness Center and Pet Boutique, which offers red light therapy and sound baths for dogs.
Wellness is also big on the Eastern side for humans. Xavier Salon in Sag Harbor, a favorite of Joy Behar, Julie Andrews, and Alexa Joel, has added lymphatic drainage and microcurrent facials from cult-favorite brand Biologique Recherche; and a new spot called Blue Water Spa has opened in Southampton, offering weight-loss techniques like Cryo T-Shock therapy, the Icoone machine, and fat analysis.
A major health club has opened in East Hampton. With a $35,000 entry fee and a $250,000 lifetime membership fee, it offers social aspects like its lobster bake launch party for members. But it also offers sports like paddle tennis and pickleball, as well as cold tubs, red lights and compression stations. It’s called Bond Lifeclub, and it’s certainly not to be confused with Zero Bond. That one has been welcomed with open arms.