I'm a native Long Islander. Montauk is a far cry from The Hamptons in many ways . Montauk is far more down to earth than The Hamptons (East Hampton being the closest of the Hamptons, a 20 minute drive or so). The Hampton's are very upscale with expensive shops. Just stick to the speed limit (strictly enforced), and keep heading east! There are some great activities, such as Camp Hero which offers a beach, fishing, hiking, a bridle path, biking, and cross-country skiing. It is the former site of a historic military instillation, Montauk Lighthouse State Park is a beautiful place to explore. Walk carefully around the front of the lighthouse, where the Long Island Sound meets the Atlantic Ocean. Beautifully scenic, and cool to check out what the surf-casters are catching. Visit Deep Hollow Ranch, the oldest cattle ranch in the U.S. They offer horseback riding on trails, including on the beach. Check out Ditch Plains Beach, famous among surfers. Gosman's Dock and it's surrounding area is a great place to check out. A lot of fishing boats depart from here, and there are restaurants serving up fresh seafood.

I've always loved Montauk. Unpretentious, laid back, down to earth. Relax and enjoy!!

Montauk itself is pretty bare as there are not many trees, mostly dunes . There are hiking trails, surfing beaches, but you need a car to get to any of those.

Hotels in Montauk are of three types:

- those who cater to young party goers (very barebones, motel-like)

- those who cater to hipsters (same as above, but better decoration and more expensive). Surf Lodge or Rushmeyers

- those who cater to families

None of these strike me as a particularly good honeymoon kind of place. Perhaps the hipster ones if you can afford.

You may want to look instead at B&B's in East Hampton. Maidstone Arms comes to mind, but there are several others. They will be a lot cosier (typically century old houses), you will be in a cute town, some will lend you a bike, there will be nice restaurants nearby. And if you want to get to Montauk, it is only a 20 minutes drive.

To clarify, Montauk is indeed technically part of East Hampton (as are amagansett, wainscott, and part of sag harbor). Living in Montauk you pay taxes to East hampton town, and your streets are patrolled by the east hampton police. Parking at the beach requires you to have an east hampton parking sticker. Yes, for a long time, this village was less fancy than the others, as it was harder to reach, but this is changing fast with the hipsters that started coming in in the last few years. Now it is really Williamsburg East. It is about 15 mile drive from east hampton village to Montauk village.

I think Montauk is a lovely honeymoon location. A friend of mine was married in front of Montauk Lighthouse. The guests stayed at Gurney's Inn and were quite pleased. She said that there was plenty of parking with beach access, no permit required. I have also had no difficulty finding legal parking for beach access without a permit.

As a visitor, the difference between the Hamptons and Montauk will be quite obvious to you.

You will find plenty of wooded areas between Montauk village and the lighthouse.

By the way, on your way to Montauk, you will see a place called "Lunch" on the roadside. If you are a fan of Lobster Rolls, you might not want to miss this place! Worth every penny.

Whatever part of the East End you choose, I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon!

Montauk is one town; the Hamptons are a series of towns about 20-40 mins. west of it. Montauk has many more rental accommodations at all prices vs. the Hamptons. One of the nicest places to stay in Montauk IMO is the Panoramic View which does have self catering apts. and is on the beach. But staying there, you really need a car as it's too far from the main part of the town.

http://goo.gl/maps/hOJGR

It's not far from Gurney's Inn, more of a resort with a spa etc. It is possible to stay in Montauk without a car and use bikes and taxis to get around, but if you do that, you're somewhat limited to the motels right in the town, many of which are noisy. The Ocean Surf Resort is one place that's in town, on the beach.

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g48194-d566177-…