TRAVEL: Montauk after the crowds: the rhythms of a quieter season

MONTAUK, N.Y. — The Montauk Point Lighthouse was completed in 1796, less than two years after it was authorized by George Washington.

But the eastern tip of Long Island always has been a beacon.

And it becomes even brighter in autumn. The crowds depart and the appeal grows, whether you’re intent on recreation or ready for Montauk’s most seductive attraction — doing nothing.

Montauk encourages you simply to watch the waves. This is, after all, a beach town, even in the off-season. And the main reason you come here at any time of year is to enjoy the rhythms of the ocean.

Walk along the beach on a brisk, sunny day. See how hypnotic it becomes under a full moon. Yes, there’s a lot of shoreline on Long Island, but none quite this magical, this removed from the rest.

Montauk has been inhabited for more than 4,000 years. Native Americans, the Montauketts, welcomed the Dutch and the English. Visitors ranged from Captain Kidd to Theodore Roosevelt. This fall, it’s ready for you.

Top of the lighthouse: 137 steps.

Old Montauk Highway, where resorts dot the beachfront, became a road in the 18th century. It was used by cattle ranchers. Montauk itself was grazing land. By 1895, a railroad linked Montauk to Sag Harbor. And in the last century, Carl Fisher, known for developing Miami Beach from a mangrove swamp, tried to make Montauk, then a fishing-and-hunting destination, into its northern twin, a summertime Miami Beach.

It never happened.

Fisher, an Indiana businessman and builder with an affinity for real estate, bought more than 10,000 acres for about $2.5 million. He developed a lot of them starting in 1926. Montauk Manor opened the next year. But the 1929 stock-market crash finished Fisher’s plans.

The tall office building in the center of town is one of his monuments, along with Montauk Manor, what’s now Montauk Downs golf course and the yacht club on Star Island, among others. During World War II, Montauk served as a naval base. Motels and hotels date back many decades, Gurney’s Inn to the 1920s. But the surge didn’t occur until the 1960s.

Although it’s part of the Town of East Hampton, Montauk never has been “Hamptonized” in the boldface-name style. Yes, more stylish restaurants have opened in the last decade. Celebrities including Robert De Niro and Ralph Lauren own residences. And the federal government has just found a buyer for Bernard Madoff’s beach house, for more than the $8.7 million asking price.

But, generally, the paparazzi won’t find you here.

Gosman’s still steams lobsters. So does Duryea’s. Shoppers can find T-shirts and beachwear, sweatsuits and sweaters, essentials and souvenirs. Big-name boutiques, however, haven’t overrun the downtown stores. There is one movie theater. It shows one movie.

If you go: where to stay

Montauk is seasonal: pre-, post-, high-, off-. At many places, rates dipped after Labor Day and are poised to drop again after Columbus Day. Weekdays are cheaper than weekends. And, of course, studios are less expensive than two-bedrooms. Following are a dozen of Montauk’s mainstays, with rates current as of press time.

• BEACH PLUM RESORT MOTEL

797 Old Montauk Hwy., (631) 668-4100, beachplumresort.com

Rates: $95-$360.

Situated across the road from the beach. Studios, one-bedrooms apartments, two- and three-bedroom cottages. Suitable for families.

• BEACHCOMBER RESORT

727 Old Montauk Hwy., (631) 668-2894, duneresorts.com

Rates: $135-$280 ($105-$210 after Oct. 12).

Across the road from the beach. Studio efficiencies; one- and two-bedroom suites. Suitable for families.

• HARTMAN’S BRINEY BREEZES MOTEL

693 Old Montauk Hwy., (631) 668-2290, brineybreezes.com

Rates: $199 for two nights through November.

Renovated studio apartments; Hartman’s Briney Breezes in on the north side, across from the ocean.

• MEMORY MOTEL

692 Montauk Hwy., (631) 668-2702

Rates: $49-$99 ($125 Columbus Day weekend).

Are you a Rolling Stones fan? This motel on the main street downtown inspired the song on the 1976 album, “Black and Blue.” Twin- and double-bed rooms available.

• MONTAUK MANOR

236 Edgemere St., (631) 668-4400, montaukmanor.com

Rates: $110-$275 ($99-$245 after Oct. 12); through December, you can stay four consecutive nights (Sunday-Thursday) for the price of two.

Historic site, landmark building on a hill overlooking Montauk. Studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. Suitable for families.

• MONTAUK YACHT CLUB

32 Star Island Dr., (631) 668-3100, montaukyachtclub.com

Rates: $149-$229 midweek ($199-$329 weekends); $229-$529 Columbus Day weekend.

Restored and refurbished landmark, which includes water-view rooms and two suites. Suitable for families.

• OCEANSIDE BEACH RESORT

626 Montauk Hwy., (631) 668-9825, montaukmotel.com

Rates: $115-$325 weekdays ($135-$395 weekends).

Doubles to suites with Jacuzzis; second-floor ocean-view rooms. Suitable for families.

• PANORAMIC VIEW

272 Old Montauk Hwy., (631) 668-3000, panoramicview.com

RATES $225-$325 weekdays ($295-$395 weekends).

The oceanfront resort has studio apartments and one suite.

• ROYAL ATLANTIC BEACH RESORT

126 S. Edgemere St., (631) 668-5103, royalatlantic.com

Rates: $125-$340 ($70-$250 in October).

The resort includes ocean-view and oceanfront rooms, one-bedroom suites, town houses. Suitable for families.

Tags: faces and places, montauk point lighthouse, features, travel