Review: Topping Rose House in the Hamptons Using Hilton Points

This is a (very) updated version of my original review of Topping Rose House when it was bookable with Hyatt points as part of their SLH partnership. Of course, Hyatt and SLH broke up and now the Topping Rose House is bookable via Hilton points and even Free Night Awards. 

During peak times, which would be late spring to early fall, cash rates at Topping Rose House are generally over $2,000 a night (yes, it’s a very high end property in a great area of the most expensive summer destination for New Yorkers). So, this is tremendous value.

And, if you are in the NY area with expiring Hilton Free Night certificates, there has not been much in the way of huge value – so this is a great addition.

What are “The Hamptons”?

If “The Hamptons” aren’t your thing, then this deal won’t change your mind. But if you live in the NYC area, there’s a good chance that you would love to spend a summer weekend or two in the Hamptons but find the cost to be far out of reach (or at least, insanely expensive for what they are).

If you aren’t familiar with the Hamptons, they are the farthest point east in New York State at the very eastern end of Long Island. While one could argue that the Hamptons start as far west as Westhampton, most people that really want to spend time in the Hamptons are looking from Southampton on the western boundary and all the way east to Montauk where the lighthouse marks the “end of the world.” (Next stop, England!)

The Hamptons are also home to some of the best beaches in the Northeast (I like Coopers in Southampton) and, if you like an upscale, uncrowded, weekend getaway with a beach within easy driving distance to New York City, the Hamptons are a prime choice. There’s definitely a “See and be seen” scene with an ever changing roster of both dining and clubbing hot spots and I’ve run into a number of celebrities over the years.

The Cost to Stay in The Hamptons

While I used to do the “summer share house” thing in the Hamptons when I was younger (where you pay maybe $400-$500 for a whole weekend but get just one bed in a room with probably 3 other random people), an actual adult weekend there has been extremely rare due to the cost.

For the uninitiated, there has historically not been any chain hotel at which you could use points in all of the Hamptons and we are talking about cash rates in high season, which runs May to October, of $1,000+ for a nice hotel and rates of $500+ for 2.5 star motels.

Since I won’t spend $1,000 for what is essentially a nice hotel near a beach in Long Island, I’ve rarely spent more than one night “Out East” as they say.

But if I could use points…..

Topping Rose House – Bridgehampton

The Topping Rose House in Bridgehampton is a boutique 22 room ultra-luxury hotel, featuring a swimming pool, hot tub, spa, and a Jean Georges restaurant.

The location is probably the #1 selling point. Bridgehampton is, unquestionably, my favorite town in the Hamptons. It’s sort of in the middle of it all, where you could day trip out to Montauk and have dinner in Southampton or Sag Harbor. You could even check out Shelter Island pretty easily from here. And, compared to staying in Montauk, your car or train ride is a full hour shorter here.

Booking a Room at Topping Rose House

Room rates rarely drop below $995 plus tax and service charges and they often exceed $2,000 a night on summer weekends (where 3-4 night minimum stays are sometimes also required – YMMV).

Points prices seem to range from 120,000 – 130,000 but of course the best value will be using a Free Night Award certificate from a Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card or a Hilton Aspire credit card. The Surpass awards a FNC after $15,000 in spending a calendar year while the Aspire awards one annually at renewal of your annual fee.

The room type that is considered Standard and therefore bookable with Hilton points is the Cottage Twin/King. The two twin beds are pushed together to make a king and while that is no doubt the reason this is the standard award room, let me assure you that unless someone told you it was two twins connected, you would never know. I promise. So don’t let that bother you and don’t make a big deal about it.

Note that if you booked the first few days that Hilton allowed bookings you may have been given a House King. They will most likely move you to the Cottage room.

The Cottage room is BETTER because it includes the backyard. So don’t sweat it.

We have stayed in both (this was our 4th stay) and definitely prefer the Cottage rooms. We’ve also never been upgraded to a suite because the hotel is ALWAYS sold out on summer weekends.

Breakfast is included for Gold and Diamond guests, per the SLH / Hilton guidelines. The way it works (always subject to change!) is that you order whatever you want and the meal is deducted from your bill entirely except for a 20% gratuity. So, for instance, our bill was $150 for breakfast (hey, it’s a Jean Georges restaurant!) and we only paid a $30 gratuity. 

Here’s an example breakfast meal:

The Cottage Room

The rooms are beautiful. To enter the Cottage rooms, which are on the ground floor of the Cottage area, you open one door which is a hallway leading to just two rooms. The bathroom featured both a shower and a soaking tub. There’s the king bed (or twins made into a King), a small couch in front of the bed, a small two-person dining table, and a mini-bar. All items in the mini-bar, including water, soda, snacks, and Tate’s cookies are included in your room rate.

Outdoors, you’ll find different furniture depending on the room. You might have a couch, lunge chairs, a table, etc. It varies.

The one thing that surprised me was the lack of outlets. There were just two outlets on each side of the bed and each one had something plugged in – a phone and lamp on one side and an alarm clock and lamp on the other. So you literally can’t plug anything in to charge unless you unplug something. This could be easily solved by installing one of those power strip USB combos we’ve all come to expect at newer hotels.

The hotel is also pet and child friendly. In fact, the crib they gave our son was by far the most luxurious he’s ever been given in his many hotel stays, including a super soft blanket.

Jean Georges Restaurant at Topping Rose House

It’s just fantastic. Our first night, they were doing an ABC Cocina popup, which was fabulous. 

The second night we had the regular “Jean Georges Restaurant at Topping Rose House” menu.

I had an off menu burger which is now a two patty smash burger.

And at lunch I had their unbelievably amazing truffle pizza. 

None of this comes cheap, though – with our martinis at $28 a pop. I’d say our average lunch for 2 plus a toddler was $100 and dinners were a bit over $200 with one drink each, one shared app, and two entrees with a kids meal. Just setting expectations especially since area restaurants won’t actually be much better. That’s a “feature” of the Hamptons 😉 

The Topping Rose House Amenities

The pool and jacuzzi is a gem in such a coveted part of the Hamptons. Even on the one day it rained, we took some time to soak in the jacuzzi. There’s also a full bar in the pool area.

And if you are in the main house and want to relax outdoors, there are plenty of picnic tables and Adirondack chairs out front to lounge around or have your own picnic (pictured earlier in the post).

The Topping Rose House also has several bikes available for complimentary use by hotel guests. We took them out one day for a nice ride to a nearby preserve and down to the beach.

They do have a spa, but we pass this time. We did try them once before and we found the basement level facility and treatments to not really be worth it.

Last but not least, the Topping Rose staff are happy to either transport you to a local beach or provide you with a beach pass – no small perk in an area where nearly every beach requires a town resident’s permit for entry.

One thing I must note is that the staff were all wonderful. I may have commented in the past that I didn’t think their staff was at the level of a 5 star, $2,000+ a night hotel but they are now! Every staff member we interacted with over two days was spot on with regards to the level of service one would expect.

In the Area

The Wolffer Estate’s Winestand, which requires reservations, is just a mile or so up the road and an idyllic vineyard setting.

I also have to share that my favorite Starbucks is in Bridgehampton, just a 2 minute walk from Topping Rose. Aside from having nice leather couches and plenty of space, it has a ton of history as a former bank. And when they converted the space, they kept the vault!

Overall

You can’t beat the combination of location and value for Hilton points or certificates if the Hamptons are your kind of summer weekend.  It’s a lot of points, no question about it, but it is a tremendous value for what it is.

Do keep in mind that the prices are as much about the location and season as the property, so don’t expect the Maldives, but they will take excellent care of you and you’ll be enjoying the Hamptons in a style that you likely otherwise could not afford (or be willing to pay – which, to me, is what miles and points are all about.)

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