Grab your camera and some sunscreen, it’s almost time for the annual St. Augustine Florida’s Birding and Photo Fest! Florida’s 2019 Birding and Photo Fest takes place April 24-28, with speakers, classroom sessions, field workshops, and tours and excursions in St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach. This year boasts over 110 separate sessions–with events for … Read More
Since we bought the cottages on Vilano Beach, we have been lucky enough to work with scores of families planning their St. Augustine family vacation! It’s always fun to meet the families when they come into town…there are so many happy reunions between relatives who do not see each other very often. There’s lots of … Read More
A future guest recently asked us a great question: “What are the best desserts in St. Augustine? Bonus points for anything easy to get to from the inn. My wife loves sweets, and I’d love to surprise her with a different dessert every night!” Great question, Peter S.!! And great idea…what a wonderful way to … Read More
Writing a blog is inherently self-indulgent, but this one is more so than usual, so I hope you will indulge me for a bit. My grandmother passed earlier this month, and today is the memorial service for her. The hub and I were not able to get home for the luncheon thanks to Winter Storm … Read More
Have you dreamed of downtown living in St. Augustine? You know how much you love visiting St. Augustine–but what if you actually lived here? What would your life be like? Imagine a regular morning downtown: you take an early run along the seawall, watching the sun climb over the water as you breathe in the … Read More
Looking for a great brunch recipe to make for your family during the holiday season? Quiche is delicious, easy to make the day before, and can be served warm or at room temperature. Soon after we bought the inn in 2010, I went in search of good quiche recipes, for the exact reasons listed above. … Read More
St. Augustine is nothing short of magical this time of year, with over three million white lights greeting visitors during our Nights of Lights Festival. How magical? Last month, House Beautiful named St. Augustine one of the best Christmas towns in America. To make the magic even more magical, our St. Augustine hotel is running … Read More
Using a wheelchair or scooter doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy lots of the attractions in St. Augustine! Although many of our buildings are historic, a surprising number of attractions are wheelchair accessible…and many even offer discounted admission prices to handicapped guests. I became very aware of accessibility issues when my grandmother came to visit a … Read More
Friends don’t let friends use booking sites. I know; I know: You’ve seen the ads on television–a blandly handsome man jumping on a bed and telling you to book a room through his website if you want the lowest rate on a clean room with a great view of the city. He even guarantees that … Read More
If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know that my mother has lupus, and a list of food allergies about as long as my leg. She seemed a little depressed when she was first diagnosed–after all, it’s not fun to hear that a lot of the foods your taste buds love are bad … Read More