Gurney's Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa

This year's winter weekend at Gurney’s was frustrating and disappointing. My husband and I have made it an annual tradition and usually look forward to it, but the stay lacked preparation and attention to detail. We arrived for a scheduled couples massage to find no robes in the locker rooms, and waiting for someone to bring them made us late. The therapist seemed visibly annoyed, which set an unpleasant tone. Later, blankets for sitting outside were scarce, the tea station was empty and poorly stocked, and there were no towels when we went to the bathhouse. We choose Gurney’s to relax, but the disorganization left us aggravated instead. I hope this feedback helps address it, because this wasn't the quality we've enjoyed before.

I LOVE GURNEYS and can't wait to go back. I live on Long Island's North Shore, so it's under two hours away, and the location is pristine. My girlfriend and I have stayed there last February and this past November. The February visit was thoroughly enjoyable. In November, our one-bedroom suite wasn't oceanfront, though it was beautiful and had more space than the oceanfront rooms. We wanted an oceanfront room, and the manager and staff did everything they could to make us happy. We loved the room they found for us. Raphael at the bar made tremendous drinks, and I remembered him from our previous trip. His old fashioned was delicious, and my gal loved her Cosmo. The dining room, which had been under construction on my earlier visit, has reopened and looks beautiful; the bar is really nice and long too. Mimmo was in charge of the dining room and couldn't have been more gracious or accommodating. Such a lovely man. Thank you again, Mimmo.

For what we paid, the stay was simply unacceptable. The bath house was closed without clear advance notice, and the advertised movie night in the pool never happened. We'd planned our whole day around it. I understand plans can change, but nobody called, posted a sign by the pool, or gave us any update, so we had no chance to adjust. When I raised it Saturday night, the manager was rude and dismissive, with no apology, accountability, or effort to make things right. We were extremely disappointed, especially given Gurney’s pricing and reputation. If they want winter guests, they need service to match the high-end branding. This felt like false advertising and poor service, not a luxury stay. Double and triple check before you make the trip that the resort is running and the advertised services are available.

We loved the massages and thought the spa was worth every penny, but the room situation made us happy to leave the next morning. Maybe the hotel isn't meant to offer rooms in winter, though it was off-season and this might not apply in summer. On arrival, they upgraded us to a ground-level room with a sofa, but the heat struggled, then stopped at 1 am with a burnt smell. Reception said it was strange and didn't pursue it further. At some point overnight, the window door swung open, and by 6 am the room was 56F. The empty room next door also had its window door fully open. Dinner was okay; breakfast was sad. The next night I was in bed fully dressed and wearing a winter hat while maintenance tried to fix the heat until 10 pm, when I asked to change rooms. They moved us, thanks to maintenance.