The Bellport Inn, a Small-Town Family Getaway Just 60 Miles From NYC

Sponsored By Bellport Inn

Bellport Inn is uniquely suited to host single travelers, couples, and families, and can also host retreats, events, and reunions. An ideal getaway in the heart of a historic sea side village with lots to do throughout the year.

Created By Brownstoner

Located just 60 miles from Manhattan on Long Island’s Great South Bay, Bellport’s ocean beaches and towering sea grass are the idyllic backdrop for tourists drawn to its small-town charm and friendly atmosphere.

The Bellport Inn gives them a front-door view to all of it — year-round. Fall season brings pumpkin and apple picking, the celebrated Gateway Haunted House, beer festivals, and more. Winter guests enjoy the fire pit and outdoor wood burning hot tub, museums, art exhibits and taking time to unwind.

Proprietors Ivana Tagliamonte and John Newman take great pride in the Inn’s sense of place — meaning, local. They first saw the property for sale in the winter of 2020 — they’re Bellport residents who had time during COVID to walk about. With only two months to prepare the property in time for the first summer, the local community rallied.

“Our neighbors pitched in by dropping off treasured objects that fit the vibe, helped us choose and hang art, painted murals in the garden suite, brought us antique mirrors, trunks, furniture, and portraits,” said Ivana. “One friend even helped us re-pebble the driveway. It was a community project through and through. We even had a neighbor give us his collection of lobster fishing buoys to decorate with.”

By partnering with local makers and artists, the couple can offer guests an experience curated within a few nearby zip codes. Work from artists and photographers such as Myron Greene, Patrice Cassanova, and Jan Shannon decorate the walls. Kitchens are stocked with locally made Rogue Kitchen treats; the bar offers Macari and Croteaux wines from the North Fork; the bookshelves hold treasures by local authors such as Stephanie Clifford and Tricia Foley. Even the shower curtains, Adirondack chairs, coasters, and fire pit are designed and made locally.

Guests can experience dinners with local chefs, paddle boarding on the Great South Bay or Carman’s River, beach excursions to Bellport’s own Ho-Hum Beach on Fire Island, surfing, paddle boarding, kayaking, kite-surfing, golfing, tennis, sailing, and more. There’s also an outdoor shower under a wall of towering bamboo.

Ivana and John wanted each piece of furniture to tell a story. Some pieces were inherited from previous owners, and the locals in the neighborhood had come to cherish them — the piano, the old-fashioned radio, the bar, and some of the furniture in the bedrooms. The couple had them restored to add to the Inn’s narrative. 

The story began in 1889, when the property was built. Today the Bellport Inn offers four unique bedrooms in the main house, a garden suite with two bedrooms, and a private, newly updated one-bedroom private cottage. Located at 160 South Country Road in Bellport, N.Y., the entire property can be booked for private gatherings, weddings, retreats — you name it.

The Inn’s gardens, curated by Oz Jardim, aim to create a sense of tranquility. “Our goal in creating the Bellport Inn was to provide an escape that felt comfortable yet elegant,” said Ivana. “We wanted to provide an inspiring place to rest, gather, and celebrate.”

That they did, and there’s golf on the water too!

For more information go to the website.