We recently took a mini family vacation to Montauk and we absolutely loved it! We stayed at Haven Montauk and it was one of the coolest little boutique motels I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t sure what to expect upon our arrival- I’d done my due diligence in online research, looked at photos of the hotel online, checked out the town as best I could from behind a computer screen, but I knew Montauk was past the Hamptons and therefore I was expecting a little bit of the uppity stereotype that goes along with the area. I was pleasantly surprised when I was 100% wrong. Once we got through the Hamptons (which were beautiful, by the way), it was a decent stretch of road until we actually made it to Montauk. And they don’t call it “Montauk, End of the World” for no reason. When we got to the road we needed to turn on to get to the hotel, directly in front of us we could see water. With nothing but water on the horizon. It was breathtaking. Water views are my absolute favorite and this one did not disappoint. There’s something about standing in front of the ocean that makes me feel small and puts everything in perspective. And there was water everywhere.

We pulled into the cutest little ocean blue hotel with hanging baskets of brightly colored blooming flowers and a white gravel parking lot. There were also really cute blue cafe tables and chairs out front. Once we got out of the car, we could see the water across the street and just kind of stood in awe of it all for a few minutes (and stretched a bit after that long car ride!). I walked into the office to check us in while Joe got the kids out of the car and it wasn’t long before we were in our room. The hotel has the cutest decor, white with pops of color in the rooms and very surfer-chic, that emits such laid back vibes it just feels like vacation. There were also multiple spaces to hang out outdoors including a pool area, a picnic area, and a firepit. They had bikes you could use, free beach passes (to the main beach in town), and plenty of towels to use for the pool or the beach.

The first night we went to Gosman’s Dock and ate at the restaurant there. It was a short (between 5 and 7 minutes) walk from our hotel which was really convenient for us. From there we walked up the street to Ben & Jerry’s and then home, all the while walking along the water’s edge. There were amazing sunset views on the little beach across the street from Haven Montauk.

The next morning we woke up early and walked along the beach again to a food truck parked outside of the dock. We got breakfast sandwiches and coffee (and tater tots) and ate breakfast on the beach. Eating on the beach isn’t Joe’s favorite thing to do (he likes to eat at a table) but he agreed that it actually worked out well and you couldn’t beat the view.

tee: Everlane, pants: Free People

After breakfast, we drove up to the Montauk Point Lighthouse which was pretty incredible and had even more incredible views with water on 3 sides when you stood at the edge. It’s the oldest lighthouse in the state, commissioned by George Washington in 1792 and built in 1796.

Afterwards, we stopped in Montauk Town where we did some quick shopping and picked up sandwiches and Montauk Watermelon Ale (we also grabbed their Summer Ale to bring home- we loved both!) for lunch before heading back to the pool. Having an outdoor pool was really important to me when looking for a place to stay because I knew that with kids, we wouldn’t be able to spend ALL day at the beach and I wanted to be able to be close to the room without having to be in our room for at least part of the day. The pool area was super cool, clean, and accommodating. There were lounge chairs, regular chairs, benches, beds with umbrellas, and floats and they also had cold water with fresh orange slices available just outside the pool (which Amelia loved).

The morning we left we stopped at John’s for breakfast in town. They had the best pancakes! We walked on the main beach in town, too, just to see what it was like and it reminded me very much of our Jersey beaches but the sand was a little different.

It took us about 5 hours to get there and to get home but we stopped both ways (on the way up we had to stop to buy a cheap stroller since we forgot one and on the way home we stopped for coffee). It was a really cool drive as you drive right through New York City and you get a really great view of the skyline. The kids were really good both ways so we’re ready for another trip!

The only thing I would caution you against, if you’re planning a visit, is getting too close to any of the brush and pretty flowers on the sides of the road or the edge of the beach area in some places. Joe was taking photos of me and Amelia on our second night and we didn’t know any different so we were right up against the flowers and later that night while we were at dinner, we found a tick on her dress, one on my arm, and two on Joe. Needless to say we hurried back to the hotel to check our clothes, the baby (nothing on him, thankfully!), and shower and bathe the kids.

dress: Old Navy, bow: Pali and Paper c/o

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Thanks so much, Haven Montauk, for hosting us! We had the most wonderful time and will be back soon!

❤Britt