Fantasy-grade beach houses near NYC that make for ideal getaways

By Jennifer Laing | July 17, 2015 - 2:59PM

In honor of Escape from New York week here at Brick, today's Covet is moving out of the city and onto the beach. (Can we literally make this happen?) Here, a roundup of summer homes we'd scoop up in a second—if only our (very) modest budgets allowed:

This four bedroom, three-and-a-half bath in the Pines on Fire Island asking $3.5 million has a modern glass exterior and a great room with double-height ceilings that overlooks the pool and deck (with plenty of room for lounging, grilling and dining). Beyond is a stunning—not to mention calming—view of the bay.

For a little bit more (okay, a lot more), you can scoop up this landmark Hamptons estate overlooking Mecox Bay in Water Mill for $85 million. With 11 bedrooms, 15-and-a-half baths, a private dock, pool, a pool house and a carriage house as well as main-building guest quarters, plus 15 acres of waterfront beach, it's got plenty of room for spreading out and entertaining in.

Closer to home in Belle Harbor, Far Rockaway (that's NYC proper for the uninitiated!), this two-family, on the market for $2.599 million, features a pair of 2,200-square-foot apartments that can be combined into a single oversized home. Located just one house from the sandy beach, it's got water views from virtually every window. Best of all, you can commute there by MTA.

The glass curtain walls of this award-winning four bedroom modern home overlooking the Long Island Sound in Greenwich, Connecticut (on the market for $5.596 million) make it the perfect place to convene with nature from the extreme comfort of your living room.

It's all about the open views at this seven-bedroom colonial in Cutchogue on the North Fork (a relative bargain at $2.95 million compared to the rest of these listings), where you can take in 20 acres of farm land from the private tennis court and miles of Long Island Sound from the beach-front infinity pool.

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The New Yorker's guide to the North Fork

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