Play area: Designer motel goes surf style

The 12-room designer motel and bar, which opened in July, has become an urban beach club for hip young Millennials. Located in a renovated 19th century building on Long Island’s Rockaway Beach, Playland features a deck bar, a restaurant, a pizzeria and a boutique, all done in impeccable surfer style. Deckchairs are de rigueur and bare feet are actively encouraged.

A different artist designed each room in the hotel, whose prices start at $159. Architect Nektaris Ioannidis created a forest-inspired den while design duo Robbie & Apples placed the bed in their room under a paint-splattered tepee. After the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, Rockaway Beach is becoming a destination in its own right, with this type of collaboration typical of the area.

This laid-back hotel combines Brooklyn hipster cool with the vibe and style of a West Coast beach club. For more on the revival of surf culture, see our microtrend City Surf.