“The Hamptons” is synonymous with luxury. The very name conjures up images of pool parties, lavish waterfront properties, and endless days at the beach socializing with the upper class. But before this famous peninsula became the summer haunt of high society, its forty miles of rolling sand dunes provided the perfect landscape for English settlers. As New York high society learned of its charming villages and salt air, its members—from the Fords to the Vanderbilts—soon transformed the Hamptons into a summer oasis. Next came the creatives looking for solitude, a place to write and sketch away from the city noise. John Steinbeck in Sag Harbor. Jackson Pollock in the Springs. And Andy Warhol in Montauk. Now Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Calvin Klein, Madonna, Alec Baldwin and Martha Stewart all enjoy Hamptons properties. They may come from different backgrounds, but what do all Hamptonites, honorary or official, agree on? The place has a unique appeal – one that changes to meet the desires of its next seasonal guest or lifelong resident.
Hamptons Private invites readers to peek behind the manicured hedgerows in Amagansett, charter a yacht off the coast of The Springs, experience the surfing paradise of Ditch Plains and attend a polo match in Bridgehampton. Each page sketches the quintessential leisure of the Hamptons and showcases the unique quality of light that artist Willem de Kooning called a "miracle." You can almost hear the thwock of tennis balls at the Meadow Club, the whispers of exclusive parties, the rhythms of sea music at the Surf Lodge - even the first bite of a lobster roll at lunch. At once a retreat to nature and a hotspot for A-list celebrities, the Hamptons exude a boho-chic spirit that is reflected in its beautiful people and sublime surroundings.
