Best places to stay.(Suffolk County's North Fork)

All accommodations on the North Fork are close enough to the wineries to include them in your agenda. Room rates generally fall between $150 and $180. The B&Bs usually have only queen beds so it's advisable to inquire if you want otherwise.

 
ACCOMMODATIONS PRICE SCALE 
 
Price scale is based on the cost of a standard 
double room, two people per room on a weekend, 
and does not include the 9 1/4% hotel tax. 
 
Inexpensive   under $130 
Moderate      $130-$200 
Expensive     $201-$300 
Deluxe        more than $300 

Hotels & Inns

Jamesport

RED BARN B&B

733 Herricks Lane

Jamesport

[telephone] 631-722-3695

www.northfork.com/redbarn

Moderate

Would you like to stay in a 19th-century farmhouse with weathered red barns surrounded by fields as far as the eye can see? Perhaps the grueling life of a farmer and smell of manure doesn't appeal to you. Well, in this case the two-story house was lovingly restored and the guest rooms are spacious and airy. In place of cows to milk or chickens to feed you're treated to terrific gourmet breakfasts made from local produce.

Pets are sometimes welcome at Red Barn; ask in advance.

Red Barn opened as a B&B in September 2001. Former Glen Cove residents Linda and Jim Slezak spent three years restoring the 1877 farmhouse once owned by Lemuel Beecher Hallock, grandson of one of the founding families on the North Fork. The main floor retains the original doorframes and wood floor.

The house is on two acres, surrounded by vineyards and tree farms. The one suite and two guest rooms all have private baths. The decor is country and the wide pine plank floors absolutely glisten. There is a common sitting room for guests and a TV downstairs.

Linda loves to bake, and her mushroom tarts and coconut bars are superb. In warm weather, breakfast and afternoon tea are served on the porch. Jim is an amateur astronomer with professional-quality telescopes who'll happily show you the stars (some New York City residents have never seen them!).

Guests can relax in the hammock, borrow a bicycle or head for the beach on either Peconic Bay (1 1/2 miles) or Long Island Sound (one mile). Beach passes are available. Red Barn is across from Martha Clara Vineyards, a 66-mile drive from the Throg's Neck bridge. Take the LIE to Exit 71. Make a left onto Edwards Avenue and continue north for about four miles to Sound Avenue. From there, go east about nine miles to Herrick's Lane (about a half-mile past the sign for Hallockville Farms and Museum) and make a right. Open April-October and winter weekends on request.

Mattituck

MATTITUCK MOTEL

2150 Bay Avenue

Mattituck

[telephone] 631-298-4131

www.mattituckmotel.com

Inexpensive to Moderate

The Mattituck Motel is more like an inn than a typical motel, so I've placed it in this section. All 19 units are nicely decorated, comfortable and have wood-paneled walls, TV, telephone and refrigerator. The rooms range in size from standard to spacious and include a two-bedroom apartment and three one-bedroom apartments.

The new owner, a general contractor by trade and an experienced innkeeper, has plans to upgrade the two-acre property, installing new beds, sundeck and handicapped-accessible rooms.

Inquire at the Mattituck Motel about monthly promotions tied in with local attractions.

With a wealth of information on the North Fork, he seems to have infinite patience in helping guests with their travel plans. Guests have access to the tennis courts across the street. Two passes are available for guests, one for all beaches in the Town of Southold and one for those under the jurisdiction of the Southold Park District (the bay beach and …