Sunset Beach – Shelter Island, New York – Unsurprisingly, this Frenchified hotel and beach club by André Balazs is one of de Gorïanoff’s favorites. ”It really does bring a sense of St. Tropez to the East Coast—so effortless cool,” he raves. “This isn’t just about the stunning setting, but the crowd he always manages to attract.” Out on the far tip of Long Island’s East End, Balazs rehabbed an unloved old motel, making it more a love letter to the Cote d’Azur of the 1960s with his typical time-warping touch.

Half-close your eyes on its patio restaurant on a bustling summer weekend, and it’s easy to imagine Brigitte Bardot sauntering down the beach, glass of wine in hand—just make sure that wine is the house rosé, André Balazs Reserve, made specially by the hotelier. For maximum impact, de Gorïanoff recommends arriving via StndAir; the charter makes the trip from Manhattan a 45-minute, traffic-free breeze and lands in the shallow waters by the beach.

a bucket of wine bottles