MILL HOUSE INN

An hour after scheduling my dreaded but necessary ankle replacement, my husband Paul and I booked a pre-surgery sojourn. The getaway choice was a no-brainer. For the past six years when in need of pampering, rejuvenation and a spiritual pick-me-up, we return like homing pigeons to this cozy 10-room, year-round Bed and Breakfast in the heart of East Hampton Village.

Located across from the 1806 Hook Windmill, the Inn has never failed to provide us with a luxe sojourn replete with an endless supply of home-made chocolate chip cookies, hot apple cider and a drool-worthy breakfast featuring seven different coffee beans ground fresh daily. (Breakfast orders must be placed by 8 PM the prior evening.) The most important ingredient: the convivial staff’s passion for doing whatever it takes to make guests feels like family. Here’s looking at you, Dawn!

Originally constructed in 1790 as a Cape Cod “Salt Box’ style private dwelling, by 1860 a new owner had transformed the house into a community hub. Services were offered to local Catholics ranging from farmers to former first lady Julia Gardiner Tyler. With the 1895 arrival of the Long Island Rail Road, Mill House officially became one of the Hamptons’ first inns.

Subsequent renovations and expansions over the years - the sole original remnant are the beams in the ground floor ceiling - modernized the Mill House without diminishing its singular character. Each room in the three-story main house boasts an individual theme and includes a fireplace, frette sheets and feather mattress bed topped by a stuffed black dog. Want to bring Fido or Fifi? Book a dog-friendly suite with a private entrance. At check in your fur baby will receive homemade treats, poop bags, bowls and doggie bed.

An adjacent property is the Graybarn Cottage, transformed in 1969 from a potato barn to a four-bedroom, four-bathroom estate with multiple living areas, stocked gourmet kitchen, wine fridge, reading nook, hot tub, private 40’ heated saltwater Gunite swimming pool, gas barbecue and access to a personal assistant.

Some quirky Mill House lore: in 1999, when Gary and Sylvia Muller purchased the Inn, the fire department requested an address change – from 33 to 31 North Main Street. A few years later the couple purchased the building behind the Inn, necessitating another address change. The guest rooms, once tagged with names like ‘America’s Cup’ and ‘Hampton Classic’ are currently known by numbers. This has led to a seemingly ersatz arrangement sans Room One, Two or Three, with Room Four located on the second floor and Suite Eleven on the ground floor.

There might be some musical rooms during your stay: General manager Kenny’s motto is: “I upgrade everybody unless we’re sold out.” Proviso: Don’t expect this treat during high season.

YOUR WISH, THEIR COMMAND
Before your arrival, expect to be asked what you’d like to experience during your stay – beyond the standard accoutrements such as complimentary parking permits for nearby Egypt Beach, towels and chair, along with lining up your dinner reservations. Kenny, who laughingly explains, “Guests are food oriented,” typically recommends nearby, won’t-break-the-bank eateries like East Hampton Grill (home of scrumptious rosemary buttermilk biscuits) local favorite Rowdy Hall and Bostwick’s Chowder House’s lobster rolls. The most requested reservation is for the Tuscan-themed East Hampton institution Nick & Toni’s.

In the weeks leading up to our summer 2021 visit, Personal Assistant Dawn kept my inbox filled with potential East End activities such as a Full Flower Moon Hike sponsored by the South Fork Natural History Museum and Nature Center and a wine dinner at Wölffer estate.  

This was the weekend when the Mill House gang won my heart forever by sending up chocolate covered strawberries after hearing this was my first outing since successfully completing treatment for breast cancer which had been diagnosed at the beginning of the COVID lockdowns.  

While I’ve never requested (as has one beloved pop star) one red rose next to the nightstand at all times, as well as a specific lightbulb in the lamp, it’s comforting to know practically any wishes would be granted.  

I’m easy to please. My best Mill House moments are reading and munching homemade cookies on the Inn’s spacious front porch, followed by a soak in our room’s deep, two-person tub staring at the stars through the skylight. Now, that’s healing!  

For more information about Mill House Inn, go to millhouseinn.com or call 631-324-9766. 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S NOTE: It is important to note that Gary Muller passed away last year. I had personally met both Sylvia and Gary in the early 2000’s at an event I was hosting in the Hamptons. Both were the warmest, genuine and most approachable people I had met in a long time. On behalf of New York Lifestyles Magazine, please accept our sincerest condolences to such a kind and wonderful family, both Muller and Mill House Inn, on the passing of Gary.