Accommodations

Nestled in the heart of Southampton [1] is the Tudor-style Southampton Inn (91 Hill St., at First Neck Ln., 631/283-6500, www.southamptoninn.com [2], $389–489 d July–Aug., $129–489 d Sept.–June), offering 90 spacious rooms done up in easy-on-the-eye earth tones and pastels, some accented with African motifs. All rooms have cable TV, phones with data-ports, and ceramic-tiled bathrooms, and some have separate seating areas.

The inn offers free shuttle-bus service to nearby Coopers Beach, a heated outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, five acres of grounds on which crafts fairs and other special events are staged, and a cozy courtyard patio where breakfast is served in fair weather. Voted “The Best Inn in Southampton” by Dan’s Paper, the resort is especially popular among families and wedding parties.

Also an excellent choice is the historic, 70-room Southampton Village Latch Inn (101 Hill St., 631/283-2160, www.villagelatch.com [3]). Summer weekend rates run $295–450, with a three-night minimum, weekday rates are $250; prices are about one-third less in the off-season. Now owned by a local group of artists, the inn was once an annex to the then-famous Irving Hotel, Long Island [4]’s oldest established hostelry, which has since burned down.

Tall hedges frame the mansion’s green-shuttered front, while outside are a swimming pool and tennis courts. Exotic crafts such as Burmese puppets and African masks hang on the walls. Many rooms have refrigerators and some have private patios.