Silver Sands

Silver Sands

Walk down to Pipes Cove at Silver Sands and the first thing guests notice is the quiet: no idling generators, no hum of gas boilers, just the tide moving against 1,400 feet of private shoreline and an oyster farm working fifteen acres offshore. This beloved 1957 seaside motel in Southold, on the North Fork of Long Island, has been rejuvenated into a design-led waterfront retreat, and it holds a distinction few hotels anywhere can claim: one of only two fully electric hotels in the United States, its 45 acres run without a drop of fossil fuel. The 33 rooms keep the mid-century bones, full doubles, blackout blinds, the odd water view from the Standard King Studio, while the grounds lean into the landscape: an 18-acre protected marsh on one side, gardens and a boardwalk on the other. Food carries real weight here. Executive Chef Finn O'Hara, formerly of Michelin-starred The Four Horsemen in Brooklyn, oversees three kitchens, from Eddie's open-air waterfront tables under a century-old oak to Nookies, the restored 1950s diner Condé Nast Traveler named among the world's best new hotel restaurants in 2024. There's a spa overlooking the marsh, a conference hall for the rare guest who brought work, hiking and a picnic area for those who didn't, and a private beach that needs no dressing up. This suits travelers who want their comfort tied to a specific place rather than a brand template, who'd rather eat oysters grown offshore than order room service. It will frustrate nightlife chasers or skyline seekers: New York City is 90 minutes off, but Southold keeps its pace. Pets stay home. Everyone else gets 45 acres that ask nothing more than attention. Silver Sands turned a 1957 motel on Southold's North Fork into one of only two fully electric hotels in the US, with 1,400 feet of private shoreline and its own oyster farm. Chef Finn O'Hara, ex-Four Horsemen, runs three restaurants across 45 acres. Nightlife seekers should look elsewhere.