Is there still time to plan a Memorial Weekend summer escape to the Hamptons?
Newsflash. Memorial Day Weekend is 10 days away. That's right, if you want to be packed up and in the car heading somewhere on Friday, May 25th, you might want to think about trying to find someplace to go right now if you haven't already done so.
Unfortunately, the reality is that most of the top places on Long Island — and probably in most resort communities — have been booked long ago. A call to The Montauk Yacht Club and a few other East End hotspots revealed a "no vacancy" response, but a quick search on the Internet showed there are indeed some places with rooms available.
Expedia.com is reporting close to a dozen properties on the East End of Long Island with at least one room available. Rates start at $159 per night at the Budget Hotel East End Riverhead (you're not really in The Hamptons) and go up to $499 per night for stays at The Atlantic or The Bentley Hotel in Southhampton -- both of which received only two out of five stars.
Whenever you are booking a hotel that you are not familiar with, it's a really great idea to check out the reviews on TripAdvisor.com. For the most part, these are real reviews posted by real people who have recently stayed at that particular property so it gives you a good idea if a hotel is a place you might want to try or you should definitely avoid.
It's what you'd expect to hear at the cocktail hour for a wedding at the Montauk Yacht Club. It draws heavily from afro-pop, a genre at first you'd think