Great Late Summer Getaways in the USA

Receive free travel updates

we will send you a myFT Daily Recap email gathering latest Travel news every morning.

Low-key luxury on Long Island’s North Fork

Long Island’s North Fork isn’t exactly what’s up against the Hamptons; he is too rich for that. But it’s his own, rather laid-back, version of East End life, with simple houses and residents alike, vineyards (over 60) and farms, and plenty of remnants of its past as a prosperous 18th- and 18th-century whaling center. XIX. and shopping center. A long-standing property recently acquired, expanded and overhauled by the owners of Croteaux, the award-winning vineyard in nearby Southold, the Hotel Moraine is the place to go for those looking for clean, simple design.

All rooms are light wood and have large sash windows, many opening to views of Long Island Sound (just below the bluff is 200 feet of private beach; paddle boards are free). The hotel’s several acres of green lawns are dotted by a large saltwater pool and barn-like lobby, where guests can gather in various sitting rooms, if it’s chilly, by one of several fireplaces. The restaurant favors summer comfort food, from mezze and lobster rolls to a fancy version of the banana split. hotelmoraine.comfrom $350

---

Tent living in Treebones

California’s Big Sur coast has plenty of stunning scenery, but unless you’re camping, there are quite a few places to stay. The handful of fine hotels here include The Post Ranch Inn, with its legendary food and views (and equally impressive rates). Much further down the coast, a couple of miles from Limekiln State Park (great hiking here), is Treebones. When it opened in 2004, it enjoyed near-instant success, thanks to a combination of sustainable operations and quirky design: both ends serviced by the light-sized yurts that were the resort’s main accommodation (although over the years the owners have augmented them with campsites and a great cabin where you can bring your own sleeping bags).

This summer, a small collection of stylish and spacious free-standing tents have been added; each one has 50 m2 of interior space, bathed in sunlight that filters through its canvas dome, and 27 m2 of exterior and deck space. Each is independently solar powered and eminently private, yet still within walking distance of Wild Coast Sushi, Treebones’ popular rustic omakase bar. treebonesresort.com; Yurts $360, tents $950

---

Waikiki without kitsch

The wildfires that devastated parts of Maui in August were one of the worst natural disasters in Hawaiian history, and the recovery will be grim. You can help support the state’s recovery efforts by spending your vacation money on your other islands. Oahu, for example, a perennial beach destination with a surprisingly wide and varied tourist demographic, whose hotels range from the cheap and cheerful to the iconic (see: the must-see pink palace facade of the Royal Hawaiian). The new 228-room Wayfinder may lack a direct beachside location, but it makes up for it with an attractive design masterminded by local women-led architecture firm The Vanguard Theory, which sits behind some of the bars and liveliest restaurants in the city.

Colors of tropical fruit, woven grass, and gleaming wood abound, as well as hothouse geometric and floral prints, softening the building’s brutalist lines with a bit of tiki-hut exuberance. There’s an all-day, old-school diner, a cocktail lounge by the 70-foot saltwater “lagoon” pool, and an outpost of Redfish, the poke-raw cafe concept created by chain Foodland. of Hawaii’s homegrown retro-cool supermarkets (for the Wayfinder branch, they’ve put together a signature menu). It’s cool without being kitsch and is excellent value for money. wayfinderhotels.comfrom $229

---

Remade on Martha’s Vineyard

Kelley House has long been one of the oldest and most beloved establishments on Martha’s Vineyard. Undertaking a renovation that includes a gym, jacuzzi pool, swanky retail partners, and decidedly Soho House nuances would seem to require a lot of courage—and capital—and commercial real estate experience and knowledge of the hotel market. Enter Blue Flag Partners, the Boston-based development company with multiple such projects to its name in Boston and Cape Cod.

The result, now called Faraway Martha’s Vineyard, is sparkling, elegant, comfortable, and worldly: Byredo toiletries in the bathrooms, Italian Bellino linens on the beds, and craft cocktails and nigiri at Pelican Club, Faraway’s destination restaurant. The views of Edgartown and Chappaquiddick (and, wisely, The Newes from America, the hotel’s colonial pub) remain unchanged. farawaymarthasvineyard.comfrom $950

@mariahollenbarger