Daunt's Albatross
44 South Elmwood Avenue
Montauk, NY
Three generations of Montauk hospitality, reimagined.
About Daunt's Albatross
The Daunt family bought the Albatross in 1977, and three generations have run it since. Frances and Rich Daunt started it, their son Jim took over in 1999, and grandson Leo Daunt stepped in fully in 2019 after summers spent, as family lore has it, running the pool. In 2021 the family brought in Brooklyn design firm Home Studios for a full redesign shaped by their own history and Montauk's, reopening a property that feels rooted rather than rebranded. It sits in downtown Montauk, about a hundred feet from the ocean, a short walk from the village center. Across the street is The Bird, Leo's restaurant, a reworking of the town institution known for four decades as Bird on the Roof. The result is one of the most genuinely local stays in Montauk, held by a family that has been part of the town for fifty years.
What Daunt's Albatross Is Known For
Daunt's Albatross does something few renovated motels manage: it modernized without losing itself. The Home Studios redesign is genuinely good, but the deeper achievement is that a third-generation family used it to deepen the property's roots rather than paper over them. Fifty years of the Daunts in Montauk, a restaurant that carries a forty-year town institution forward across the street, a courtyard and pool built for gathering rather than posing. It is the rare Montauk stay where the design pedigree and the local soul point in the same direction. Recognition in the MICHELIN Guide only confirms what the courtyard makes obvious: this is a Montauk landmark run by people who mean it.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- WiFi
- Saltwater swimming pool
- Courtyard grill for guest barbecues
- Fireside courtyard seating
- Complimentary beach cruisers
- The Bird restaurant across the street
What Guests Love
- The 2021 Home Studios redesign brings stone floors, colorful tile, and vintage wood that feel both contemporary and rooted in Montauk.
- A saltwater pool, an outdoor grill, and a fireside courtyard turn the grounds into a genuine social hub after sunset.
- Complimentary beach cruisers make the hundred-foot trip to the ocean and the ride into the village effortless.
- The Bird, the family's restaurant carrying forward the beloved Bird on the Roof, sits right across the street.
Worth Knowing
- The property runs a warm-season calendar, and off-season stays may be available at different rates. Contact the property directly to confirm current dates.
- Pets are welcome in a limited number of rooms. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts, availability, and any restrictions before booking.
- Guests in adjacent or upstairs rooms may be audible; a quiet room request at booking is worth making if you are a light sleeper.
- Downtown Montauk books up fast in peak summer. Reserve well ahead for July and August weekends.
The Room
The 2021 Home Studios redesign gives the rooms a warm, textured, distinctly Montauk feel rather than a generic beach-motel look. Stone flooring, colorful bathroom tile, vintage wooden dressers, and mid-century-leaning furniture read as considered and contemporary at once, with materials that nod to the coast without leaning on cliche. Each room has its own exterior entrance and private bathroom in the classic drive-up motor-court layout. The palette is calm and grounded, built for salt-damp swimsuits and sandy feet, and the overall effect is a room that feels designed by people who actually love the place rather than styled for a brochure. Comfortable beds and clean lines make it easy to fall back in after a full day between the pool and the surf.
The Grounds
The heart of the property is a courtyard built for lingering: a saltwater swimming pool, an outdoor grill for guest barbecues, and fireside seating that pulls people together after sunset. Complimentary beach cruisers wait for guests who want to pedal into the village or down toward the water, about a hundred feet away. Free parking sits on site. The two-story building keeps its exterior-entrance bones, with balcony space and a lobby and fireside area that function as the social living room of the place. Across the street stands The Bird, the family's restaurant, so dinner is a walk rather than a drive. Everything is arranged to keep guests outdoors and together, which is exactly how a Montauk summer is meant to be spent.
The Experience
A stay here feels like being folded into a family that has hosted Montauk for half a century. Days start with a swim in the saltwater pool or a cruiser ride down to the ocean, and end around the fire in the courtyard with something off the grill. The design makes you want to be outside, and the scale keeps it friendly: you end up talking to the people in the next room. Dinner is a stroll across the street to The Bird, where the family's restaurant carries forward a forty-year town tradition. What guests remember is the sense that the people running the place actually belong to Montauk, and that a stay here connects you to the real town rather than a version staged for visitors.
Details
Montauk, NY 11954
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Daunt's Albatross have EV charging?
No, Daunt's Albatross does not have EV charging.
Does Daunt's Albatross serve breakfast?
No, Daunt's Albatross does not serve breakfast.
Does Daunt's Albatross have WiFi?
Yes, Daunt's Albatross has WiFi.
What is there to do near Daunt's Albatross?
Montauk village beach (Atlantic Ocean): 0.1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Montauk Point Lighthouse: 6.5 miles, about a 15 minute drive. Montauk Harbor: 1.8 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there.
How far is Daunt's Albatross from Montauk village beach (Atlantic Ocean)?
0.1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is Daunt's Albatross from Montauk Point Lighthouse?
6.5 miles, about a 15 minute drive.
How far is Daunt's Albatross from Montauk Harbor?
1.8 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there.
Does Daunt's Albatross allow pets?
Yes. Daunt's Albatross welcomes dogs in a limited number of rooms. Contact the property directly before booking to confirm current pet fees, room availability, and any restrictions.
Does Daunt's Albatross have a pool?
Yes. Daunt's Albatross has a saltwater swimming pool at the center of its courtyard, alongside an outdoor grill and fireside seating.
How far is Daunt's Albatross from the beach?
Daunt's Albatross is about a hundred feet from the Atlantic Ocean beach, a short walk or a quick ride on one of the property's complimentary beach cruisers.
Who owns Daunt's Albatross?
Daunt's Albatross is a third-generation, family-owned Montauk hotel run by the Daunt family, who have operated it since 1977.
Is there a restaurant at Daunt's Albatross?
The Daunt family's restaurant, The Bird, sits directly across the street. It carries forward the beloved Montauk institution long known as Bird on the Roof.
Does Daunt's Albatross have free parking?
Yes. Daunt's Albatross offers free on-site parking within a short walk of downtown Montauk's Main Street.
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Things to Do Near Montauk
Montauk village beach (Atlantic Ocean)
0.1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
0.1 miles, about a 1-minute walk from the door. The Atlantic Ocean surf beach is roughly a hundred feet away, easily reached on foot or aboard one of the property's complimentary beach cruisers.
Montauk Point Lighthouse
6.5 miles, about a 15 minute drive.
6.5 miles, about a 15-minute drive east. New York State's oldest lighthouse, authorized by George Washington, stands at the very tip of Long Island with a museum and sweeping ocean overlooks.
Montauk Harbor
1.8 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there.
1.8 miles, about a 5-minute drive north. Montauk's working harbor is lined with dockside seafood, fishing charters, and some of the best sunset views on the East End.