It comes as no surprise that 2 of the Top 10 Beaches in the Nation are right here on Long Island, and for those of us fortunate enough to live here on the East End.. right in our back yard!

Yes, Cooper’s Beach in Southampton ranked #3 and Main Beach, East Hampton #6 in the entire United States according to Dr. Beach… coastal expert Stephen P. Leatherman, Director for Coastal Research at Florida International University.

The #1 most beautiful beach in America goes to Hanalei Bay on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

According to Dr. Beach, he rates them via factors such as water quality, sand texture, safety, facilities and maintenance of the surrounding environment.

Being an East Hampton resident, I am partial to our local beaches… even after visiting almost all the beaches on Dr, Beach’s list.. which include Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Florida; Coronado Beach, San Diego, California; Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii; Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks,N.C.; Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Florida; Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass; Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C. I’d like to invite Dr. Beach to visit some of my personal favorites like the hidden ones in Montauk & Sag Harbor… then let’s go watch the sunset from Southold!

Newsflash: even a last remaining hurdle for the economy on the East End to thrive -not enough places to stay-  seems to lessen as the summer heat is about to arrive; a few great hospitality companies are now discovering the East End and North Fork Wine Country:

Bryan de Luca of the Atlantis Aquarium -co-founder of the new East End Tourism Alliance, bridging the North and South Forks, and its  East End Getaways website   told me that HYATT (appearing before the Riverhead planning board today for final approvals for parking requirements) is opening up next door to Atlantis Aquarium, giving the Riverhead Down Town a needed shot in the arm! Another part of this needed Down-Town development is a hall for expositions similar to South Street Seaport, certain to reinvigorate Down Town Riverhead, and to attract people to the East End alongside a fabulous plan to allow better access to the beautiful Riverhead river-water-frontage behind Main Street. Almost the only thing left would be the re-opening of the Riverhead theater!

The Atlanta based luxury hotel chain INDIGO is also planning a new Riverhead property coming soon. This all is added to the recent Best Western, Hilton Gardens (opening soon) and Holiday Inn Hotels in Riverhead. (see Long Island Business News)

The hotels that are coming will help enormously as part of the needed improvements in tourism infrastructure, necessary for an economy that can sustain our North Fork Wine Country, while maintaining the nature and character of our hamlets, and protecting a fragile environment of our waterfront communities. It is also important for everyone to know how much the families who brought these hotels to Riverhead have become a beneficial part of our communities, they have proven to be great corporate citizens for our towns and hamlets, contributing generously to our communities.

The implications for Real Estate on the North Fork are obvious: development is going to be carefully managed, increasing desirability of existing housing. The more people come to visit, te more people will experience that sad Sunday-night feeling of "gotta go". Renting for the summer, or a purchase of a second home are the solution to preventing that feeling -that’s how I ended up here myself- and : we can help you find a rental or home ideally suited for your needs and budgets: call Town and Country in Mattituck at 631 298 0600 or in Southold 631 765 0500, or email joan@1townandcountry.com

All of us here at Town & Country would like to extend a warm welcome to our visitors. We look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts and will reply accordingly and timely. best, Judi A. Desiderio, CEO