While the North Fork of Long Island is often referred to as “the fork less taken,” a new low-key, full-service bayside property in Southold is helping to change all that.
Owned by a group of longtime local residents, The Shoals — named after a community of fish that swim together — opened in April, on Peconic Bay just across from Shelter Island.
“We are set apart from other properties by location,” explains partner Johnny Donadic of the first “boatel” of its kind in this picturesque hamlet known for oenology, aquaculture, and agriculture. “During the summer months, from dawn until dusk, you can see the movement of boats and sails in front of our marina and beyond” as guests arrive from land and sea.
At The Shoals, designer Thomas Juul-Hanson and architect Andrew V Gimbertone honored the area’s maritime culture through thoughtful design choices, such as — in a nod to New England modernism — using cedar shingles to clad the building and playing up waterfront views. Inside, The Shoals’s 20 expansive suites come equipped with working kitchens, dining areas, living rooms, and private patios that leave guests feeling completely at home.
For those taking a vacation from cooking, The Shoals Food Truck — parked to the side of the lawn and lorded over by Italian sculptor Oriano Galloni’s towering sculpture, Rise of Mars — serves guests a nice range of bubbly and wines. Also on the menu: lobster rolls, Caprese sandwiches, and oysters from the on-property, female-owned Little Ram Oyster Company.
Every Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. during the summer months, Little Ram Oyster Company flips The Shoals Food Truck into a “Shuck Truck” and hosts an oyster happy hour, allowing those lodging at the hotel as well as the general public to slurp up oysters and drink in the coastal views with their wine.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to share The Shoals with guests in the light that we experience it,” partner Jonathan Tibett says. “We’ve set out to create a space that is sophisticated yet unpretentious.”
He adds, “Being Southoldians, we love this special place, and our hearts are full of appreciation for it.”
Visitors to The Shoals and beyond will likely leave feeling the same way.
The Shoals Suites and Slips
61600 Main Rd, Southold, New York 11971
Tel: 631-765-5121
