A Chic Boutique Hotel in Westhampton, New York, Just Opened Near Some of the Area's Best Beaches-With Rooms for Less Than $300 a Night

"When the Westhampton SeaBreeze Motel opened just off the Montauk Highway in 1956, the heyday of the motor lodge was nearing its peak. Car ownership was on the rise- road trips, too. Each new segment of the Long Island Expressway, then in the early days of construction, made it progressively easier for the ever-growing number of tourists to reach the seaside towns out East."

"Gone are the clapboard siding, linoleum-tiled floors, mini-fridge kitchenettes, and wide parking lot that once edged up to the guest room doors. Instead, a gut renovation reimagined the original building. Ceilings are higher, windows and doors are wider, and though the key count remains the same, the 12 units have been reconfigured to create a handful of larger rooms and suites."

The SeaBreeze Motel opened in 1956 near Montauk Highway during the motor-lodge heyday and provided affordable year-round lodging in Westhampton. The property aged as traveler tastes and local wealth changed, and the motel was listed for sale in late 2023. New owners Elizabeth Bakhash and Randall Stone undertook a gut renovation, reconfiguring 12 units into larger rooms and suites and modernizing interiors. A new Barn structure now houses reception, breakfast, a cafe, a boutique, and a lounge. The parking was relocated and the former lot transformed into 1.6 acres of perennial gardens planted with wildflowers and native grasses.

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