Any building that has been in existence for more than two centuries needs a lot to evolve, and the 1650 Baker House in East Hampton is no exception. As the name suggests, the Baker House was built in the mid-17th century. It was quickly sold to its namesake Thomas Baker, one of the founders of East Hampton, in 1650. When James Harper Poor bought the house in 1899, he changed pretty much everything, including the name. However, his renovations around 1911 transformed Baker House (which he renamed As You Like It in homage to his favorite playwright, William Shakespeare) into the grand but graceful house that now resides on Main Street.
In fact, he was so proud of the renovation that he insisted that his daughter, Mildred, marry in the garden of the house. Her original wedding invitation from 1915 and the newspaper announcement that followed adorn the lobby walls.
Today the distinctive Bed & Breakfast stands for casual luxury in an extremely intimate setting. The hotel is reminiscent of mansions in the English countryside and has two main buildings: Baker House, the original Cotswolds-inspired building from the 17th main house. The property also has a renowned hand-dug spa with a counter-current pool, sauna, steam shower, and bathtub. And don’t miss a dip in the infinity pool, which is heavily indexed.
Marram is all about minimalism.
Photo: McKendree Read
With 96 minimalist guest rooms and suites decorated in a range of warm neutral tones, an open communal lounge, and a counter-service cafe serving decadent South American cuisine, Marram is shaking up the Montauk boutique hotel scene on a grand scale. There is even a surf hut on site that houses a surf school run by the famous Engstrom siblings.
Though the hotel has many coveted amenities, perhaps its biggest draw is its sleek design, which subtly evokes the calm city’s gray morning mist, sprawling sand dunes, and of course, the wild grass that the hotel is named for. With white oak beams along the ceilings, hand-textured plaster walls, polished concrete floors, hand-woven and naturally colored In Residence carpets and reclaimed Suar wood decor, the carefully furnished interiors by Marram underline the idea of “barefoot luxury”. . ”What’s more, the walls of the rooms show the works of surf photographer Brian Bielmann and musician and artist Sean Spellman from Rhode Island, which are a puzzling and striking reminder that Montauk is a stylish, relaxed surf town on the east coast.
