The Hamptons may have a reputation for being a playground of the rich and famous, but you don’t actually need to be independently wealthy or work at an investment bank in order to go there. We’re not saying it wouldn’t be nice to be able to vacation at your parent’s summer home, but there are plenty of ways you can do the Hamptons on a budget.
Take the LIRR
Don’t have enough cash to hire a Blade helicopter? The cheapest way to get to the Hamptons is if you know someone with a car, but if you’re stuck with public transportation, we’d recommend taking the train aka the Long Island Rail Road. The Hampton Jitney is also affordable and a little more comfortable, offering free bottled water and cereal bars to keep you going. Expect a prepaid ticket on the Jitney to cost around $29 one-way.
Split a hotel room with friends.
Hotels during the summer months can cost around $700 per night, but the good thing is, they will usually have one queen bed and one pull-out bed, so you can technically fit 4 people in one room. Suddenly that $700 per night becomes a much more affordable $175 per night. We love Montauk Blue Hotel in Montauk because it’s right on the beach in the center of town, but you’ll be able to find plenty of great hotel deals on sites like Booking.com and Hotels.com. Try calling the hotel up directly too to see if they can give you a special rate.
Rent a house
Another way to save in The Hamptons is to get a a bunch of your friends together and rent a house from places like Airbnb or VRBO. Or, you may know of someone who has organized a shared house for the summer, who has paid the entire amount up front and will invite friends of friends and strangers. You’ll pay to stay (most likely on Venmo) and most likely be sleeping on a bunk bed or air mattress. It’s not glamorous but it’ll allow you to save your cash for other things, like wine spritzers.
Drink wine at home
The Surf Lodge is likely to take all of your hard earned money, so wherever possible it’s advisable to pre-drink at home. Get yourself down to the liquor store when you arrive and stock up on vino and other booze. That way you’ll at least be slightly inebriated before heading out of the house.
Skip the restaurants, eat pizza
In Montauk you could choose to dine at restaurants such as The Crow’s Nest, The Surf Lodge, Scarpetta or Ruschmeyers OR you could just skip the meals altogether and dine on bagels from Goldberg’s Bagels or pizza from Sausages Pizza & Pastabilities. If you’re renting a house, you can bring your own groceries to the Hamptons and cook up your own BBQ.
The Hamptons is never a cheap vacation but it is definitely something everyone should experience once during the summer! Imagine a place where everyone from Manhattan is in vacation-mode and out to have a good time…you’ll definitely make new friends that you’ll keep for a lifetime.
