As the season gives way to Indian Summer in Montauk, the Citiots' weekend shares expire, the Paskowitz family comes to town, and September swells rise with the warm waters off the Atlantic as if to say: "Will the real surfer boys please stand up?" And the group behind the town's new hip -- but not too hip -- Surf Lodge is hoping to be among them. Known for raising CAIN in Southampton (SHHH!) and the equally raucous Gold Bar in Manhattan, partners Jaime Mulholland, Jayma Cardoso, and Robert McKinley have left their velvet rope past behind with this 30-room weekend retreat overlooking serene Fort Pond.

"It's not about bottles of Crystal. It's not about jumping on tables listening to house music," says Mulholland. "It's about the real things of being healthy and getting out in the water." In other words, it's more Walt Whitman than Walt Disney. Don't let the hair salon, the Tracy Feith boutique, or the restaurant run by Top Chef's Sam Talbot fool you. The vibe actually is laid back, i.e. it's okay to use the word vibe. A recent visit revealed a sun streaked blonde in the open-aired reception area, appropriately named Summer, and an eclectic crowd that included Bruce Weber, at least one pony-tailed dad, a few full-fledged families, one leggy brunette and one tattooed bad-ass, all spread across the back porch. They were doing something dangerously close to lounging and listening to a reggae band while real wave riders showed their chops on a projector screen in the lobby. So the Surf Lodge set may not be the most hard-core Ditch Plains-devotees, but the surfing day was done and the balance required to keep locals happy while catering to the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Ralph Lauren has to count for something. --LIZ McDANIEL