In short… A design-conscious, retro-vibed stay on Long Island’s North Fork with incredible sea views and a pool, set on a primo private beach.
The surroundings… The Sound View Greenport rings a quarter-mile crescent of private waterfront on the eastern end of the North Fork. Greenport is just a 5-minute drive away—a walkable town of restaurants, shops and galleries and the ferry to Shelter Island, with a touch of coastal Maine. The view of the Long Island Sound that earned the hotel its name is simply spectacular, especially at sunset over the water.
The Backstory… Formerly known as the Soundview Inn, the hotel was built in 1935 and retains its retro bones in the low-slung motel façade that faces the street (from the beach side, the entire structure is hoisted precipitously on high stilts, which surely take a beating during high-tide storms). A few years ago, it was acquired by Erik Warner, co-founder of Arbus Hospitality (whose portfolio also includes other retro-chic acquisitions, including The Anvil and Turpin Meadow Ranch in Jackson, WY), and thoughtfully renovated by Brooklyn-based Studio Tack to preserve the original charm, in 2017.
The vibe… is a mix of Dirty Dancing-era nostalgia (a faded shuffleboard court in the breakfast area) with modern design touches (blond wood, shiplap and sisal rugs), and a refreshingly democratic mix of guests for Long Island’s East End. We encountered families with young kids toting armfuls of sand toys and floaties, couples young and old (a few conspicuously with their “service” dogs, which the hotel allows), and two groups of millennial women apparently on hen weekends. The resort is large and spread out, and there’s something for everyone.
The rooms… Every single room overlooks the sound and is just steps down to the beach, which is amazing. The interiors are bright and simply designed, with Standard room options up to Hot Tub Suites (with wood-fired cedar hot tubs outside). Our Junior Suite had a living room with a modernist-style couch (that could be as an extra bed), tulip coffee table, terrace with Adirondack chairs, kitchenette with the basics—fridge stocked with beer, rosé, iced coffee; microwave and table—and a king-size bed, and some beachy artwork by Brooklyn artist Marliegh Culver. (The hotel draws some décor from its artist-in-residence program.) Normally I don’t touch the TV in a hotel, but I was glad for a screen in each room for World Cup viewing. Our bathroom was small but solid (Waterworks fixtures, including a strong shower) with Malin + Goetz toiletries. Unfortunately, the bedroom is on the back (street) side and the whizzing cars on the road in the morning might disturb a light sleeper, so bring ear plugs. The hotel is remarkably long—we were in the block of rooms farthest from the main building/restaurant and closest to the pool—but the hotel provides bicycles if you’re in a hurry, and golf cart rides are offered regularly by staff.
The food & drink… On our first night we ate at The Halyard, a seafood restaurant that sources from local farms and fishermen and attracts a crowd inside and out with that gob-smacking sunset view. After much debate, we settled on baked clams with sausage and paprika, a local farm greens salad (which this week included kale, radishes and fennel with shaved ricotta salata), steelhead trout in lemon butter with broccolini, and a Maine-style lobster roll—all excellent. They have a deep wine list (including an array of North Fork bottles), but I was craving a martini, so tried their herby in-house gin made in collaboration with local Matchbook Distilling. Next door is The Piano Bar, whose fantastically old-school look—dark wood paneling, shaded sconces and nautical details (boat painting, captain’s stools)—makes you want to stop by each night for a cocktail or nightcap (a piano player is recruited to make use of the baby grand on Wednesdays), but unfortunately it was closed both nights we were there (staffing shortage, we were told—always a challenge in early summer). Down on the beach, the Low Tide Bar comes to life a couple of evenings a week in summer with live music and a crowd that settles into Adirondack chairs, feet in the sand, to watch the sunset. Jack’s is a little drink and snack shack by the pool. Breakfast, which is included in your stay, is a basic buffet of breads/bagels, yogurt/overnight oats, hard-boiled eggs and juice/coffee, taken on the Sound side of the reception area in comfortable couches.
The wellness… There’s no spa or gym (those who are inclined can work out at their sister property, The Harbor Front Inn, nearby). But yoga is offered a couple of mornings a week by the pool, which I found to be a lovely spot for it.
The kid-friendly factor… This is a great place for kids, with both pool and oceanfront in close proximity. I wish it had been open when our kids were younger!
Be sure to… Sign up for the hotel’s new Be A Farmer For A Day program, a 2.5-hour outing offered a few times a summer in collaboration with KK’s the Farm. It was fantastic. KK’s was founded more than 25 years ago by Bronx native Ira Haspel and his wife, KK, who were pioneers of biodynamic farming (she passed away 11 years ago, but her can-do spirit is invoked frequently). Now run by Ira with help from biodynamic farmers Sonomi and Gordon, the farm supplies Sound View and several other businesses in the area. I was picked up by van in the morning and given a welcome kit of a sun hat and suede gardening gloves, which I will definitely reuse. Ira brought us up to the rustic barn attic to share his passion for the practical and mystical aspects of biodynamics. Conceived by philosopher Rudolf Steiner in 1924, at its core it’s about growing nourishing food on land that is treated as a self-sustaining organism, and governed by lunar and cosmic cycles—basically, way beyond organics. (Abstruse but inspiring.) We then went out for a hands-on session pruning tomato vines near the ground to prevent mold, harvesting chubby ripe snow peas, and touring the rows of strawberries, carrots and kale as well as their apple, Asian pear and persimmon orchards. (The farm also has three irresistibly cute rescue cows, who do their part for the biodynamic cycle.) The experience finished with lunch at farmhouse tables (with uninhibited chickens circling our feet), including a grilled vegetable focaccia with charred asparagus, delicious farm greens and farro salad, and an outrageously good chocolate-chip cookie (not grown on the farm:). On my way out, I bought two “hydrosols,” healing botanical distillations of yarrow and rose gardenia made by Sonomi, who has the delightful creative energy of a wood sprite, and all of the day’s crop is sold in the barn.
The tour is offered once a month and is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn more about biodynamics, and for kids to get hands-on in the garden; it’s bookable through this link and costs $250pp.
Parting words… I’m so glad to have found this place—the rooms, while not cheap (starting around $400 on weekdays in summer), seem like a decent deal for access a huge private beach and pool (plus you can use the facilities after check-out if you are making a tight turnaround). And being so close to the North Fork Wine Trail, as well as the charming towns of Greenport, Southold, and Mattituck, you can squeeze a lot out of two days.
Dates of stay… June 25-27, 2026
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