Living the surfer life in Montauk

Forget Maui; Montauk is the place you want to go to get in touch with your inner surfer - even if you never knew you had one.

Surfers always have flocked to Montauk, if only to ride the waves at the world-famous Ditch Plains Beach. This summer's new fixation is The Surf Lodge, a hotel, bar and restaurant with a "Top Chef" finalist in the kitchen and a major celeb vibe.

While Montauk boasts a genuine downtown area (a party-hearty warren of souvenir shops, surfing stores and informal eateries), it's really a spread-out kind of place.

Drive into town on coast-hugging Old Montauk Highway. Or head a bit north to Lake Montauk, with its bars, fishing boats and the touristy Gosman's Dock. East, you'll find Theodore Roosevelt County Park, where you can go canoeing, fishing or even horseback riding. In the end, it doesn't matter whether you hang ten or just hang where the surfers do; the Montauk lifestyle is yours for the tasting. Here are a few places to find it.

Although nonresidents of East Hampton need a parking permit at Ditch Plains Beach, most local hotels and motels provide those for guests. Turtle Cove, which some surfers do use, is actually closed to the public. Camp Hero State Park, however, is accessible; there's a $6 parking fee and you have to walk down a steep incline to the beach itself.

THE SURF LODGE

For all its hype, The Surf Lodge (183 Edgemere St., 631-238-5190, $275-$425) is no poser place. Sure, celebs such as Billy and Katie Lee Joel, Tyson Beckford and Harvey Keitel make the late-night scene, and Julian Marley has been one of the featured musical acts. Still, at the end of the day, this is an unpretentious place run by surfers with surfers in mind.

It's really a refurbished motel, situated miles from the surf on Fort Pond, actually a lake. The lobby, unlike any I've ever seen, has a sunken mini-theater with a projection screen that runs surfing films all day long (there's also an outdoor film festival on Sundays, when a projection screen is set up near the fire pit). The bar, a few steps away, looks as though it's made almost entirely out of tree trunks. Then, there's the restaurant, airy and tropical in décor, whose dining deck is shaded by a canopy of baskets. Breezy and casual.

But, as I soon learned, the place is still a work in progress. I had to secure a room by showing up and asking in person, since the phone system was temporarily down.

The rooms

Any inconveniences seemed trivial once I saw the vista from the room. The space was tiny, true, and without so much as a hanger (which a true surfer wouldn't need anyway) or a house phone. The bed's headboard was the back of a chest of drawers. Who cared? With one wall almost entirely made of glass, it felt as though you were on a cruise ship, the water gently lapping at the rocks below.

Front desk manager Gregory Hahn was glad to oblige when I asked for a chair for the terrace, which was equipped with only a hammock - fine for a single occupant, but awkward for two.

The extras

You can ask for a free DVD for the small flat-screen TV in the room, the choices (such as "Gidget," "Blue Hawaii" and "Jaws") all apropos to the surfing life.

On-site is the chichi Tracy Feith boutique. Feith, it turns out, is not only a fierce fashion- design talent but also a die-hard surfer. His clothes do come at a price; an adorable little sundress I almost tried on was $740.

To go with the clothes, one needs the right hair. Conveniently, the lodge also houses the salon called TRIM, where haircutter Danny DiMauro makes tresses surfer-chic.

Activities director Zach Bliss can set you up with surfing lessons ($150 an hour) with resident surf guide Tony (just Tony). Hahn said that plans are in the works for beach tours later this season, complete with a chef who makes a picnic.

There's free transportation for those who don't drive or don't want to spend the gas. An old Swiss Army truck (called a Pinzgauer) takes guests into town for breakfast as well as to the railroad station and beach. There are also bicycles for rent, including tandems ($10 an hour; $50 a day).

With all that, it seems as though the last thing you'd want to do at The Surf Lodge is sleep. But, take it from me, the beds are quite comfortable.

The restaurant

Sam Talbot may not have taken first place on "Top Chef" in season 2, but he probably won the hearts of most female viewers with his rock-star good looks. When I ate at the restaurant - first for brunch and, the next day, for dinner - Talbot still was finding his way. He surely would have been booted off the show early on if he'd served the mayo-heavy lobster salad sandwich ($19, brunch; $21, dinner) I sampled. But then, he turned out a kick-butt mac 'n' cheese laced with ham and peas ($15). And, at dinner, red-hot blackened Montauk squid with Vidalia onions and pickled cherries ($14), followed by a velvety coffee-rubbed filet mignon with cappuccino butter ($32). Instead of the whole flounder special I ordered, the waiter mistakenly brought a boring filet from the menu; I politely protested and was rewarded with a fab whole fish with curry oil and (Talbot's pet ingredient), pickled cherries.

Where to shop

Air and Speed Surfshop 795 Montauk Hwy., 631-668-0356, airandspeedsurf.com

Buy or rent a board at this centrally located in-town shop, which also offers surfing lessons.

Sunset Surf Shack 76 S. Elmwood Ave., 631-668-2495,

Another popular spot for everything a surfer needs.

Plaza Surf & Sports , 716 Main St., 631-668-9300, plazasurfnsports.net

Not just a surfing store (they've got gear for myriad sports), this Montauk institution has all manner of surfboards and such.

For clothes and footwear:

Calypso 99 The Plaza, 631-668-4999, calypso-celle.com

You'll find summery, stylish dresses, separates, beachwear and accessories at this Montauk outpost of a 36-store empire.

Kai-Kai Sandals , 771 Main St., 631-668-4499, kaikaisandal.com

Comfortable, colorful sandals that take a surfer from the beach to whatever the night has in store.

Where to eat

Ditch Witch Ditch Plains Beach (East deck parking lot), no phone

Uber-popular wagon for breakfast burritos, creative panini and wraps.

668 The Gigshack , 782 Main St., 631-668-2727

Owned by a mom whose surfer sons help out. Chef Terri Montilio offers "global surf cuisine" such as quesadillas, ribs and even a paella.

Joni's , 9 Edison Dr., 631-668-3663

Favored by the surfing set for its healthy sandwiches, wraps and salads, many of them vegetarian and even vegan.