St. Augustine Vacation Rentals

St Augustine Florida is the oldest permanent settlement in North America and still retains much of it’s historic charm. When Ponce de Leon first explored the area in 1513 he named it “La Florida” meaning “land of flowers”. It remains a land of flowers, sandy beaches, clear rivers, and lovely old buildings. A few years after Ponce de Leon explored the area, Minorcan Huguenots settled in the area and this alarmed the Spanish king so he sent Admiral Menendez to “drive out pirates and settlers from other nations”. Menendez was a devout catholic and so in 1565 when he landed in the area on the Feast day for St Augustine he named the fledgling village St Augustine. Menendez also slaughtered the Minorcans and his own men were so appalled by the slaughter of men, women and children that they named the Minorcan fort, “Matanzas” meaning place of slaughter. These place names persist to this day. St Augustine has been under the Spanish, French, British, Confederate and American flags. It once also had the first village for freed slaves called Fort Moses. The Spanish policy was to free any escaping slaves who converted to catholicism. This wasn’t solely benevolence on their part. It also disrupted the English colonies in Georgia and South Carolina and as Fort Moses was just 3 miles north of town it served as a first line of defence for St. Augustine. Freed slaves and Native Americans were natural allies in several battles in this area. Don’t miss visiting Fort Moses as well as the Castillo de San Marcos, the old fort near “old town” which guarded this town for two centuries. Wildlife abounds in and around St Augustine. Pelicans, anhingas, gulls, plovers, oyster catchers, osprey, eagles, herons and sand pipers fly overhead. Dolphins, shrimp, crabs, flounders, whiting, redfish, snapper, grouper, sea turtles and right whales ply the ocean waters. You can watch the dolphins perform at Marineland 20 minutes south of town and see lots of alligators and other wildlife at the Alligator Farm. Or you can see wildlife in its natural habitat at the Guana River State Reserve fifteen minutes north of town where there are opportunities for hiking, boating and fresh and salt water fishing. St Augustine is also an artist colony with dozens of galleries and museums. The artists host “galllery walks” on special evenings where you can sip wine, munch on goat cheese and talk to artists about their work while listening to live music. This town is also known for its delicious dining options. From Caribbean seafood, to French bouillabaisse, New Orleans gumbo, and Thai, Italian and Cuban fair there are restaurants to suit all tastes. And of course there are lots of delicious ways to sample the fresh seafood. If you want to shop there are lots of interesting possibilities. There are quaint shops in “old town”, two large outlet malls, resort shopping in nearby Ponte Vedra and one of the largest malls in Florida jus 30 miles north in Jacksonville. There are over twenty golf courses and five world championship courses including Players, Sawgrass, and the World Golf Village. Tennis is available right in town. Other recreational opportunities include parasailing, charter fishing, sailing and jet skiing. Bike trails make biking a favorite way to get around. Other ways to see the area include horseback rides, shipwreck sailing tours, sunset sailing tours, carriage rides, trains, ghost walks, and boat rentals. Just in case you need more to see and do, Orlando is only two hours away with DisneyWorld and the Epcot Center, MGM studios, Universal Studios, Sea World and much more. However, there is plenty to see and do in St Augustine and it is also a wonderful place to just relax on the white sandy beaches listening to the surf roll in while anticipating your next delicious meal.
International flights from all over the world fly into the Jacksonville airport an hour away, as well as into Daytona Beach airport, also an hour away and Orlando