St. Augustine in December (Tampa, Gainesville: hotels, camping, restaurants)

[Badbird2000]

Hello all,
I am debating taking the family on a trip between Christmas and New Years. My wife and I used to visit St. Augustine quite often when we started dating years ago. We moved from Tampa to east Tennessee in 2008, and haven't been back since. I would like to surprise them with a trip. Our 8 year old daughter has never been. I think she is old enough now where she would enjoy it. Without any of us having a crystal ball to see where we will be with things in regards to COVID in December, how are things now? Are most places open? Do the trolleys still run, perhaps with limited passengers? We always stayed at B&B's before, but from a quick search I don't believe many if any cater to kids (understandable). Possibly do a VRBO or hotel, if I could find something close and not outrageous.

Any suggestions welcome. Thanks!

[wizrap]

We're in Gainesville about 2 or so hours away and we like to take long weekend trips to St. Augustine. We love the beach; you can park your car right on the edge of the beach and unload your gear and enjoy. The beaches are also dog-friendly as long as your dog is on a leash so we love to bring our dog along too.

We've also been keeping an eye out as to what is open, and what is not. We haven't been to St. Augustine since the coronavirus so I can't speak to the trolly system or any attractions. We've checked to see what restaurants are open and it seems like some are, with limited indoor capacity (I think either 25% or 50%). If you love the farm to table type of gourmet dining, I recommend The Ice Plant. The restaurant is in an ice plant and they make their own sodas, booze and ice, and the menu, though limited, features delicious entrees.

Since we stay usually two to three nights when we drive over, I can give you a couple of ideas. If you are looking to stay at a nice place for the most reasonable price, I would focus on the properties that are near the Outlet Mall off of I-95 and highway 16. You are not near the action but you are in a lovely area that is clean with sidewalks and trees and shade. The Outlet Mall is just a mile or so away, and there's a McDonald's, Sonny's Bar-B-Q, Wendy's, Starbucks, etc. etc. nearby. Hotels in that area are the LaQuinta (we stayed there and would recommend), Fairfield Inn, Hampton Inn, and Red Roof Inn.

However, the last couple of times we've stayed in St. Augustine, we've stayed at a brand-new (well, now it's about a year old or so) LaQuinta off of A1A. The location is great--you are about a mile or so from the city center, and we've had no trouble taking the sidewalks and crossing over the Bridge of Lions to the historic district. The district is a pain to drive into and find a place to park your car so we liked the idea of just parking at the hotel and walking over. Perhaps in these COVID times it's not as bad, but when we visited a couple of times last year, this arrangement was so much more convenient. Some LaQuinta's are hit or miss, but this one is gorgeous. It's pricier than the norm, but to us, it's worth it.

We've also stopped at the Starbucks inside The Casa Monica Hotel (owned by Marriott). That property is the definition of elegance. If I wanted to splurge, I would stay there--I never have due to the cost but I bet it would be a real treat. Sorry I can't help you with B&B's and VRBO as we have a dog that travels with us and most of those places are not pet friendly.

Good luck--I think your daughter will enjoy St. Augustine. We love it too.

[Badbird2000]

Thank you so much, wizrap! When we travel, we usually stay at Hampton Inn, because they are very consistent with quality and rooms. It's good to know about the LaQuinta Inn. I do recall it being a hassle to park in St. Augustine, we usually stayed right in downtown in a B&B, so parking was covered. We have a travel trailer we do a lot of camping, I entertained the idea of camping at the state park across the bridge, but that would be a long drive toting the camper for just a few days.


Thank you for the recommendations.

[vttosta]

Badbird 2000. Please remember St Augustine has Nights of Lights from Nov to Jan and of course Christmas week is the busiest of all. Rooms downtown at any b&b or hotel will be at a premium. The last I checked the trolly's were running but with reservations. The lights are spectacular! Most restaurants are open with limited seating. There are several St Augustine facebook pages that will also be able to answer a lot of your questions. Hope you'll be able to visit.