The Surf Lodge: The Party That Became a Place

Before The Surf Lodge Montauk Changed Everything

The building at 183 Edgemere Street has always been about the party. In August 1946, the East Hampton Star announced the opening of the Lakeside Inn, a modest establishment perched on Fort Pond’s western shore. By the 1960s, it had become Giordano’s Lakeside Inn, painted pink and serving Italian-American food to families who drove the extra hour past Southampton. Then came Ken & Nancy’s Lakeside Inn in the late seventies, followed by a disco called The Place in the mid-eighties, where the rooms doubled as worker housing for Gurney’s Inn down the road.

The property changed hands repeatedly, each iteration a little more tired than the last. By 2008, it was a roadside motel that most investors wouldn’t touch. Consequently, when a young Brazilian entrepreneur pitched the idea of turning it into a boutique hotel with live music, her real estate broker called her delusional. Nevertheless, Jayma Cardoso saw something different—she saw Brazil.

The Surf Lodge Montauk Origin Story

Cardoso had come to America at seventeen after her father died, landing in Newark with her mother and a fierce determination to work. At nineteen, she enrolled at Fordham University and took a job checking coats at a SoHo restaurant to pay tuition. Subsequently, she moved through the front of house—hostess, bartender, cocktail waitress at Lotus in the Meatpacking District—learning every position except the kitchen and the DJ booth.

There, she met Jamie Mulholland, a South African bartender who shared her ambition. Together, they opened CAIN, a safari-themed club in Chelsea that became a celebrity magnet. Then came GoldBar. Then Lavo with the Tao Group, which Cardoso later called her “Cornell School of Hotel Administration.” However, what she really wanted was a hotel of her own. “I always go to Montauk,” she told investors who thought she was crazy. “It felt like Brazil.”

Six Weeks to Opening Day

Cardoso and her partners closed on the Lakeside Inn property just six weeks before Memorial Day 2008. The total investment came to approximately $3.5 million—a considerable bet during what would become the worst financial crisis since the Depression. “Cars were pulling up and we were still finishing cleaning the bathrooms for guests to check in,” Cardoso later told the New York Post. In the early days, she cleaned rooms herself. Her partner Robert McKinley remembered the chaos differently: “There were cars two miles in each direction, there were bottles everywhere.”

On opening night, Ziggy Marley took the stage. In addition to local surfers and fishermen, the audience included Manhattan club kids, fashion editors, and hedge fund managers who’d heard whispers about something new at the end of the island. Within weeks, The Surf Lodge Montauk had accomplished what no amount of marketing could buy: it became the place you had to be if you wanted to matter in Montauk.

The Sound That Defines Montauk Summer

The Surf Lodge Montauk concert series didn’t invent the sunset show. But it perfected it. From the beginning, Cardoso understood that music wasn’t entertainment—it was the product itself. The small deck overlooking Fort Pond became a stage where the setting sun provided production value no lighting rig could match. Initially, she booked surf staples like Donavon Frankenreiter. Before long, the calls started coming in from managers who’d heard their clients mention they wanted to play “that place in Montauk.”

“I have my ear out for new artists too; we have a history of showcasing up-and-comers at The Surf Lodge, many of whom go on to win Grammys.”
— Jayma Cardoso, Founder

The legend-making moment came when Willie Nelson finally agreed to perform. Cardoso had pursued him for four years, booking his son and seemingly everyone else on his label before his manager relented. Then Jimmy Buffett, who owned a house in St. Barts and knew the lodge well, jumped on stage to join him. “It was hard to top that,” Cardoso admitted. In fact, Buffett later suggested she open a Surf Lodge near his St. Barts surf break—a plan that remains in development.

The roster since then reads like a Grammy preview: Lauryn Hill, John Legend, Solange, The Flaming Lips, The Kills, Courtney Love, Patti Smith, Jenny Lewis. Specifically, John Legend’s 2019 performance—presented by his LVE Wines label at sunset—was called “the most magical night in Surf Lodge history” by guests including Christie Brinkley, Donna Karan, and Don Lemon. Moreover, what makes the series valuable isn’t just the headliners. Cardoso booked Leon Bridges three years before his Grammy nomination, Gary Clark Jr. before he broke through. As a result, agents now pitch The Surf Lodge Montauk as a career-making appearance.

Summer 2024: When Celebrities Became Performers

The 2024 season pushed the concept further. On one weekend, Tinashe performed the viral “Nasty” before Erykah Badu took over the decks to spin Drake and Too Short. Jason Momoa’s band ÖOF TATATÁ performed in a downpour, the Aquaman star playing bass while rain soaked the crowd. Kate Hudson took the stage to perform songs from her debut album. Furthermore, the message was clear: The Surf Lodge Montauk isn’t just where celebrities vacation. It’s where they work.

Twenty Rooms and the Whole World

The property remains remarkably intimate. Twenty rooms with Fort Pond views, balconies, espresso makers, and the kind of design that makes Instagram effortless. The two-bedroom suite offers a king and full bed, en-suite baths, living room, kitchenette, and a private deck for watching sunsets that turn the pond gold. Free bikes wait by the lobby. Complimentary minibars stock the weekends. Surfboards hang from the ceiling at the bar, classic surf films play silently in the lounge, and two fresh bars of board wax appear on your pillow at turndown.

“I wanted a place where fishermen, incredible musicians, PR girls, and hedge fund guys could coexist and put their hair down,” Cardoso has said. “It’s so New York, which is the best part about the intermingling of these groups.” On any given summer Saturday, the deck might hold Leonardo DiCaprio and a surfboard shaper from Ditch Plains. Malia Obama and Tiffany Trump have been spotted in the same season. Zoe Kravitz, Alexander Wang, Neil Patrick Harris, Alexa Chung, Claire Danes—the boldface names blend with the anonymous beautiful.

The Art of Controlled Chaos

Success at The Surf Lodge Montauk has always come with friction. During that first season, the fire marshal shut them down for overoccupancy. Local restaurant owners complained that Cardoso was “taking 300 settings from us every Saturday night.” By 2012, the venue had accumulated over 900 zoning violations and faced a $100,000 fine from the New York State Liquor Authority. Some longtime Montaukers still blame The Surf Lodge for changing their sleepy fishing village forever.

Cardoso’s response has been strategic accommodation. Doormen track capacity. Sound systems calibrate to town ordinances. The chaos remains, but it’s curated chaos now. Meanwhile, the property values around Fort Pond have increased exponentially. The restaurants that once complained are fully booked by spillover. Montauk’s transformation from blue-collar fishing outpost to Hamptons hotspot was perhaps inevitable, but The Surf Lodge accelerated the timeline by a decade.

Summer 2026 and The Surf Lodge Montauk Empire

For Summer 2025, Cardoso partnered with Paris streetwear brand Casablanca for a 4,000-square-foot beach transformation. Architect Antonio Di Oronzo of Bluarch conceived the redesign, featuring ombré hues of deep blues and light teals across lounge chairs, umbrellas, and private cabanas. In addition, Casablanca-branded towels, pillows, and surfboards adorned in sea-inspired gradients now define the aesthetic. Select pieces from the brand’s Beach Club capsule collection are available in the boutique.

The concert series opened Memorial Day weekend with London tech-house star Michael Bibi, who returned to performing after beating CNS lymphoma. His residency partners with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for summer-long fundraising. Subsequently, the lineup includes Kaytranada, Chance the Rapper, Daya, and Surf Lodge favorites Sofi Tukker returning for a Fourth of July weekend set. Land Rover Defender returns as the official vehicle, offering guests access to explore Montauk’s hidden beaches. Meanwhile, Ned’s Club—the private club from The Ned hotel—curates an artist residency program throughout the season.

Beyond Montauk: The Snow Lodge and What Comes Next

The Surf Lodge Montauk model has proven exportable. In 2019, Cardoso opened The Snow Lodge at The St. Regis Aspen Resort, applying the same formula—dining, art, music, experiences—to ski season. The 2024-25 winter marked its fifth year, featuring collaborations with Revolve, a country music series, and sold-out sets from Diplo, Bob Moses, and Guy Gerber. Cardoso even convinced the hotel owner to hand over the Presidential Suite, which she transformed into The Snow Lodge Suite.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Cardoso has hired full-time year-round employees. “Now we can retain a solid group of crazy people like me, who want to work with us and go on this journey,” she told Business Traveler. “And now, we can look at adding a third property.” St. Barts remains the goal—Jimmy Buffett’s suggestion from years ago. California looms as a possibility. For Summer 2026, expect the Montauk formula refined to perfection: sunset concerts, fashion partnerships, celebrity appearances, and the eternal promise that you might be standing next to someone who matters.