Hotel of the Week: St George’s Inn, St Augustine, Florida

Bev Fearis and family checked into the St George’s Inn in historical St Augustine, Florida’s oldest city.

If you’re in St Augustine to discover its history, which most visitors are, the St George’s Inn couldn’t be better located. It’s set in a leafy square at one end of St George Street, a pedestrianised street in the heart of the historic downtown and in the heart of all the action, day and night.

The atmosphere is laid back and super friendly. We’re welcomed by Dean (the owner’s son I think) who helps us unload our luggage from the Hertz hire car right outside the lobby. He then gives Warren a free pass for the car park just opposite, a two-minute walk away.

The hotel’s lobby is set in one corner and then its 25 rooms and suites are scattered around the square among restaurants, cafes, and little boutiques selling souvenirs, sweets, cakes, vintage clothes and cigars.

Many of the bedrooms have wooden balconies and some have views of the Castillo de San Marco, the City Gate, The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse and Matanzas Inlet. Ours looks over the square and is located above a sweet shop (much to Freddie’s delight). In the mornings, we lie in bed and watch squirrels scuttle from balcony to tree, tree to balcony and listen to the sounds of the shop keepers opening up for the day.

Breakfast is a simple continental affair – yoghurt, toast, croissants, pastries, cakes, bagels, jams, cheese and cold meats. It’s all laid out in the small lobby and we help ourselves, toasting our bagels in the toaster and trying to make our tea as strong as possible. Irving, the hotel’s owner, is always around at breakfast and kindly fetches us cold milk for our tea (we’re typical Brits abroad when it comes to our morning cuppa!).

There’s no restaurant, but instead there are cast iron tables and chairs scattered in the square around the fountain. It’s all very pleasant and makes a nice change from the usual bland hotel breakfast rooms. Apparently if it rains (it doesn’t rain that often here and if it does, it’s usually in the afternoons) the tables and chairs are tucked away under balconies and trees, so whatever the weather you still have breakfast al fresco.

Freddie chases the squirrels as he sips his morning hot chocolate and I try to resist going back inside for another slice of delicious choc chip breakfast cake. The trolley bus tour, to the city’s 22 main attractions, leaves just outside the lobby and the city’s best restaurants and bars are all within walking distance. It’s refreshing to be in a US city and not to need to drive anywhere. There’s even a bus to the beach.

During the day, we do the historic sites and can easily pop back to our room to change or get more water or re-apply sun cream. At night, we venture into St George Street and take our pick of the bars and restaurants and, best of all, after we’ve put Freddie to bed, we sit on our rocking chairs on the balcony with a beer and people watch, listening to the gentle music from the bars below – Crosby Stills and Nash and Neil Young. It’s heaven, and we wish we could stay another week.

For more information, visit www.stgeorge–inn.com, but the photos really don’t do this place justice.

www.visitflorida.com

www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com

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