We've had a place in East Hampton for 50 years and I love the beaches, but not Main Beach. Once a calm and lovely spot, it is now an overpriced, overcrowded venue for daytrippers and pushy parvenus. If you don't want to pay for parking and are looking for a better spot, hop on a bicycle and visit Georgica Beach about a mile south of Main or peddle to any one of the accesses to beaches north of Main all the way to Montauk. Any of these are nicer and offer a quiet,beautiful experience. The drawbacks, I would call it an advantage, no bath house or snack stands. Even more tranquility and better views are on the bay side. I laugh at the reviewers who said they didn't see waves. Yes, it's calm sometimes, but not that often. Don't tell me about Long Beach, the area lacks greenery and it's crowded. New Jersey? Even more crowded and dried out and they make you buy and wear a metal tag to go on the sand. Nowhere else in the U.S. does this. I've been to beaches in Hawaii, the Costa Brava, Maine and Florida and the East Hampton beachfront (minus Main Beach) is a pretty good match. Just avoid the people- there are plenty of sparsely occupied places.
Pros: Great area for natural beauty, greenery as well as sand. Close to nice beaches
Cons: Main Beach ,crowded, overpriced,
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