Fire Island, N.Y.

1 hour 35 minutes to Bentley Hotel

Fire Island is a thin barrier island on the Atlantic Ocean and off the southern shore of Long Island, New York. It’s known for its protected beaches and seasonal resort communities. On the West end, Robert Moses State Park offers picnic areas, pitch-and-putt golf and access to the 19th-century Fire Island Lighthouse.

On the East end is Smith Point County Park and in the middle are seventeen car-free communities, most strictly residential with a few offering shops and nightlife.

The 32-mile-long strip of sand has about four thousand homes and its year-round population of about four hundred residents grows to an estimated twenty-seven thousand during summer months.

The island is dotted with villages that are accessible by ferry. Covered by boardwalk paths, these communities are home to classic cottages, contemporary mansions and a handful of hotels and commercial areas. Dominating the center of the island, Fire Island National Seashore is home to dunes, wetlands and the Sunken Forest, where centuries-old holly trees grow. Campgrounds can be found at Smith Point County Park.

There is lots of fun to be had on the island, including lifeguard-supervised swimming on Sailors Haven, Watch Hill, Davis Park and Atlantique. The bar scenes in Ocean Beach and Kismet draw crowds of young professionals, while Cherry Grove and the Pines thrive with a vibrant LGBTQ community.

1 hour 13 minutes  to JFK International Airport