Are you planning a family vacation in St. Augustine? We know it’s not easy being the designated planner: you’re trying to figure out a great place to stay, one where everyone is comfortable, and no one has to wait too long to use the bathroom. You want a big enough place for you to all hang out together, but you also want space to slip away and be by yourself if you want to. (Or if you have teenagers–you probably want a place for them to slip away by themselves).
Then you also have to remember that your parents don’t want to do steps, your aunt needs a tub to soak her hip, and your friends don’t want to be in the same room as your baby niece. Why is it that you volunteered to plan everything anyway????
We’ve got the perfect answer to your family beach vacation woes! Our sister property, the Beachcomber Cottages on Vilano!
First, let’s start with their location: the Beachcomber Cottages are a little more than 3 miles from our downtown location. Do you know where the Usina Bridge is to A1A? The one just outside the historic district in St. Augustine? Take a Right at the carousel there, as if you’re traveling to A1A North.
At the bottom of the bridge, you’ll take a Left and then an IMMEDIATE Right. Seriously, it’s almost kitty-corner to the bottom of the bridge, so don’t drive past it! That’s Beachcomber Way. There are six houses on that street, and we have four of them (plus we rent the other two for our neighbor, so if you have a really really big crowd, give us a call and we can describe those to you too!)
As you drive into the street, you’ll see a bright blue cottage with yellow accents–that cottage belongs to our neighbor. The next house is what I call our Orange House–the Lagoon Cottage and the Saltwater Suite are in that house. The next house is a light yellow and blue house–our neighbor lives there, and we rent her third floor apartment for her. Next to that, there are two periwinkle colored houses–they house the Oceanview Cottage, and the Royal Palm and Dunes Suite. Finally, you’ll see a bright yellow house with bright blue shutters. That house is three different suites–the Sandpiper on the first floor, the Atlantic on the second floor, and the Lookout on the third.
Got that?
We know it’s a little confusing, so let’s look at each house by itself.
In our Orange House (40 Beachcomber Way):

The Largest Suite on our property, and the furthest from the beach (it’s about 20 yards to the dunes), it’s the Lagoon Cottage. A master bedroom on the second floor, and a queen bedroom and twin bedroom on third floor (in separate rooms). There is a full bath on each floor, plus a powder room next to the living room. Three bedrooms plus two and a half baths means NO WAITING!! The house has a living room with a 55″ television, plus a full kitchen, and a small eating area. This is the suite with the private pool with a waterfall. It sleeps 5 people.
In the same house, you’ll find the Saltwater Suite. It has a separate entrance, but is in the same house, on the first floor. It has a queen bed, and it also has a small plunge pool in front of the room. This is the smallest suite at our Beachcomber Cottages–it sleeps 2.
If my math is correct, that means there’s room for 7 total in the Orange House.
Still on the left side of the street, but about 30 feet closer to the water, you’ll find two blue (periwinkle) raised cottages.
In our First Blue House (closest to the beach and located at 10A Beachcomber Way):

The Royal Palm is the largest suite in this house. It has a king bed and full sofa bed. It has a full-sized fridge, oven and dishwasher, and a small breakfast bar. It sleeps 4. It can be opened to the Dunes Suite, right next to it.
The Dunes Suite has a queen bed and a twin bed (in separate rooms). It sleeps 3. Again, it can be opened to the Royal Palm next door.
That gives you room for 7 total in our first blue house.
In our Second Blue House (10B Beachcomber Way):
This house is one full suite–the Oceanview Cottage. It has two bedrooms; one has a king sized bed and one has a queen bed. It has a full kitchen (full sized fridge, oven, dishwasher), a small breakfast bar, and a medium sized living space with a large tv. It sleeps 4.
There is room for 4 total in our second blue house.
In our Yellow House (21 Beachcomber Way):

This house has three separate floors. The first floor is the Sandpiper Suite. It is a king bed; it has a separate entrance from the rest of the house (you enter on the ocean side). It is big enough for an air mattress if you’d like. Sleeps 4 comfortably.
The second floor (the Atlantic Suite) has a king bed and a queen sofa bed. It has a full kitchen, and open living space and dining area. It sleeps 4. As an added bonus, it can be opened to the house’s 3rd floor–allowing your group to share the big kitchen and dining area.
The third floor (Lookout Suite) has a king bed. It sleeps 2. Again, it can be opened to the 2nd floor Atlantic Suite.
Room for 10 total in our yellow house.
All houses are on the same street–so even if your group is split in several houses, they will all be close together.
Have a question on our Beachcomber Cottages? Or want to know what would best fit your group? You can book online now or call us at 904.824.4301–we’re happy to help you plan your family vacation in St. Augustine!