In this, its second summer of operation, will last year's massive Montauk hit Surf Lodge have better luck avoiding the headlines? Not if its first weekend of the season, which just finished, is to be believed: the East Hampton Star reports that the Lodge kicked off with a "jovial, low-key tepee-building contest that was to benefit the Montauk Skate Park," and all was well and good until a fire marshall arrived and ordered the tepees broken down, and slapped Surf Lodge with a $1k fine for good measure. Good times.
But hey, shit happens. And as it happens, we've got the word on what's new (and what's not) at Surf Lodge this year. Read on.
Hotel: They've made no changes to the overall decor of the place, which is why this photogallery from last summer still suffices. The online booking service is new and streamlined, though, and pricing is said to be more consistent than last summer's big rate swings. (A search for the weekend of August 7, chosen at random, pops a $400 nightly rate.) If you want to get a summer weekend in here, book soon—the biggies are sold out and a bunch of others are close, we're told. (The weekend of August 14, for instance, comes up to us as sold out.)
Restaurant: Top Cheffer Sam Talbot remains at the stove. (No, really. He's the rare celeb chef who cooks most every night.) The restaurant vibe and decor are unchanged, but the menu scores an overhaul; Hamptons blog Guest of a Guest has the full run-down on that front. We're told sourcing from the food has gotten even more local.
It probably sounds like we're in the tank for this place, to which we plead guilty. Dude, it's Surf Lodge. Catch you on the veranda at dusk.
· Teepees trigger bad vibes, fines at Surf Lodge [EH Star]
· Surf Lodge [Official Site]