Baker House 1650
Winner of the 2019 Conde Nast Johansens Award for luxury hotels, spas, and venues
Living in New York City, I would like some peace and quiet! I don’t want to be shoved around going through our awesome never-delayed subway system trying to get to work. I don’t want to listen to my fellow metro passengers club/house music through their colossal headphones at 7:30am. I don’t want to deal with people that haven’t had their cup of happiness (coffee) yet. I don’t want to be honked at or ran over by a yellow taxi cab advertising the gentlemen’s club. I want the weekend away from this glorious place.
For New Yorkers, the ever so convenient destination to go to is The Hamptons. You don’t have to take a plane. You don’t have to prep a whole car, get gasoline, be stuck in traffic, and make it a whole ordeal. You can just hop right into the train at Penn station and 20 bucks & 3 hours 30 min later, voila! The Hamptons is regularly thought of as a place to go to in the summer with all your friends/family to go to the beach. Although that does sound wonderful, I wanted to go check it out during off -season. For me, off-season meant barely any people and no waiting or making reservations for dinner. I did my scavenger hunt for the best hotels and found the historical Baker House 1650 and off I went.
East Hampton was inhabited by the Native Americans long before the arrival of Puritan farmers in 1648. In the late 17th century, Chief Wyandanch the chief of the Montaukett people sold off an Island to Lion Gardiner. Now you know where the name Montauk comes from . Chief Wyandanch sold that island for "a large black dog, some powder and shot, and a few Dutch blankets." Ultimately, the Chief continued to sell off land with the colonists until a deal was reached that although it would be the colonists land; the people of Montaukett could always farm, fish, hunt and harvest the fins and tails of whales that beached upon the East Hampton Shores. Along with the immigrant’s excitement for a new life, they brought over tools, guns, gunpowder, attire, and the infamous disease of small pox. The Native-Americans were not immune to this foreign disease which led to an epidemic nationwide and eventually wiping out a vast majority of the Montaukett people.
On a much brighter note, the Baker House 1650 is fortunate to be on these beautiful grounds and keep history alive with their 17th century architecture! During our stay the staff was happy to share with us the stories that lurk through the halls of the hotel and carriage houses. Ask for yourself, you wont be disappointed, I promise you that.
Each room is equipped with your very own fire place. Arian and I felt like we were in some oldies black and white movie… and we were loving every second of it. Speaking of movies, they have a whole cabinet with classics such as Breakfast at Tiffanies, There’s no business like show business, and a lot of the new and fun movies too, don’t worry! If you are looking for a complete escape with a cozy fireplace, this is the perfect place for you.
I cannot forget to mention the Baker Spa. Although modern in every aspect, builder/designer David Tosher and design consultant Gary Jay Paul created a relaxing, organic space that seems to always have been there. To accommodate the lap pool, pink granite boulders deposited by the glacier were hauled out by hand. The flooring was created with multihued Chinese limestone. To create the showers, substantial brick arches supporting the south chimney were enclosed in glass.
The spa includes:
Endless Swimming Pool
Steam Shower
Changing Room
Sauna
Soaking Jacuzzi Tub
Frette Linens & Bathrobes
I had such a wonderful time at Baker House 1650 and am already dreaming of my next trip to the Hamptons. Please let me know if you have any questions, I would love to answer!
Bisous,
Léanne