Halloween Week in St. Augustine

Guest: T. Warford (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Date of Stay: 10/24/09 Review Submitted: 01/04/10

We stayed at the Carriage House for a week leading into Halloween. We had an amazing time. It was like a home away from home. Very clean and organized so you are not searching for things that you would need. It is decorated in such a warm way that it feels like you are staying with family. I have three young children and the house worked out great for us. We loved having the kitchen so that we didn't have to eat all of our meals out and the washer and dryer was a huge plus (I have two boys). We really enjoyed the second floor balcony. We sat out there many times (day and night) and watched the world go by. The horse and carriage pass right by the house (that was really incredible). We enjoyed walking to all of the local attractions...we only needed the car to go to go on a day trip to the Space Center and we went to the beach for the day (a short drive over the Bridge of Lions). We'd rather walk to the attraction and drive to the beach. That worked for us because you can park right on the beach and you can make your car the home base for all of your beach equipment. I usually don't like beaches that you can drive on because I then we have to worry about the kids and cars. The traffic on this beach was very light and far enough back from the water that you don't really notice. We spent Halloween there and the children loved being dressed like pirates walking down the old streets of St. Augustine. We hope to have another chance to stay in the future. I think that St. Augustine has adventures for every age group.

Owner response:Thanks, We enjoyed having you choose the Carriage House for your visit to St Augustine. Please think of us on your next trip to our area.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers.

wonderful weekend at the carriage house

Guest: karen p.
Date of Stay: 05/27/11 Review Submitted: 02/03/12

We spent a lovely weekend at the Carriage House. It was charming, convenient and we had a wonderful time. Take bicycles...we really enjoyed riding through town as well as walking. The location was so nice because it was away from the downtown traffic, but close enough to walk to the restaurants, etc. We would definitely stay here again if we return to St. Augustine.

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Wonderful Weekend!!

Guest: Catherine D.
Date of Stay: 01/13/12 Review Submitted: 01/17/12

My husband and I arrived from Tennessee for the long MLK weekend. We were joined by some good friends from South Florida...with the exception of my husband, we were all new to St. Augustine. First off, from all the reviews, we heard we were within walking distance of Historic St. Augustine. Absolutely yes! We walked EVERYWHERE except to the grocery store and the St. Augustine lighthouse! In fact, on Sunday morning, my husband and I got up to jog...and we didn't know distances (we like to jog 2-3 miles/day), so we decided to just jog to Castillo de San Marcos and back. What a wonderful jog! And getting to do it right as the sun was trying to break through over the water. In other words, as long as you don't mind about a mile walk, yes, you can even walk to the fort from the house! The house was so cozy. Since there were only two couples, we were able to split. My husband and I took the downstairs and that bathroom, the other couple took the upstairs bedroom and that bath. We commented several times about how homey Barry and Brigid had made the house and how not a single space was wasted. My husband and I told them we would try to be there by 5...well, with the drive from Tennessee, we arrived about 4:45. We knew absolutely everything was fresh and clean because we saw Barry and Brigid pulling out of the house and they wished us a wonderful weekend :-) (sorry about pushing the schedule up, though!!) We loved Schmagel's Bagels for breakfast on Saturday! They just LAYER the cream cheese on it for you! We also had Pizza Time on St. George's St. for dinner. Yum! (but they only take cash...though there is an ATM available in the shop). All around, it was a wonderful trip. There is enough room to spread out, but it's small enough to feel cozy. Oh, and we LOVED the lights that popped on outside each night! :-) Thank you for sharing your home with us!!

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Christmas/Anniversary visit at the Carriage House

Guest: Liane F. (Indian Trail, NC)
Date of Stay: 12/02/11 Review Submitted: 12/11/11

My husband and I came down with another couple to celebrate our 14th anniversary and see St. Augustine at Christmas time. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Carriage House. Both me and my friend own horses so it was neat to watch the carriage horses go by and we even got to see them training a horse. The history of the house was also interesting to us. The house is great , has a lot of character. It's tucked away under a huge oak tree and the balcony was awesome to just kick back on and watch everything. It is very comfortable and has everything you will need. Also, Brigid is very helpful. She has made up a book that has all the information you need at your finger tips. We walked to everything most of our trip. Some of my favorite restaurants are: Hot Shot Bakery, Granada St. (great lemonade, breakfast wraps, cookies & staff), Bunnery Cafe, Saint George St. (great french toast), Athena, Cathedral Place (great waffles) Carmelo's Pizza, King St. beside the gas station (really good food and the best staff), The Floridian, Cordova St,(really good food), OC Whites Seafood, Avenida Menendez (really good food & atmosphere). I would eat at the Floridian & OC Whites early in your trip in case you want to go back. My favorite activities were a carriage ride with Roosevelt & Rufus (the best & they are on youtube), the ghost tour, ghost tours of St. Augustine, Saint George St. I recommend doing the ghost tour & carriage ride early in your trip. They both give you a lot of history of the city and you see things you may want to do. I love history so I enjoy doing most things in St. Augustine even just walking around looking at the buildings. The fort is interesting and it's worth it to walk in and see the largest indoor pool in the Lightner museum. There is so........much to do I could go on and on. The weather was perfect for us and the Christmas lights in the city are absolutely gorgeous. What a wonderful trip! Didn't want to leave and can't wait to go back. I forgot to mention Whetstone chocolates on King St., Oh my Gosh! Thanks Brigid!

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donna scanlon

Guest: donna (yorktown, ny)
Date of Stay: 10/06/11 Review Submitted: 10/23/11

We stayed in this lovely house for a wedding in October, we could not say enough nice things about it. Comfort and cleanliness were the words that best describe it.....We were so happy we made the decision to stay in this house instead of the hotel. Brigid was great to deal with and we would stay again if were ever in this area again.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Relaxing Week

Guest: TJ B. (Sarasota FL)
Date of Stay: 06/16/11 Review Submitted: 07/03/11

My wife, son (6) and I stayed a week and thoroughly enjoyed it. We didn't realize how close everything was and got in the car for dinner the first night. When we saw how close the restaurants were we brought the car back and walked. We walked to most everything the rest of the week. We brought two bikes for us and a trailer bike for our son. We spent one day riding all the streets in the historic district looking at the old homes and went to lunch at Meehan's. The Carriage House was clean, quiet and close to most everything that we wanted to do. Our son thought it was "cool". We would rent it again. Our favorite attractions (we did not get to all of them); the fort, pirate museum and the lighthouse. We were not thrilled with the live music scene until we saw Lonesome Bert and the Skinny Lizards at the Florida Cracker Cafe. Great group of veteran musicians playing covers and their own original songs. Restaurants we had dinner at and liked; A1A Aleworks (twice), Meehan's, OC Whites, Scarlett O'Haras. Although there are not many bike lanes around the city we found it easy and safe to get around. We stayed off the two busiest streets, King and Avenida Menendez, and used the sidewalks. Everywhere else we rode in the street. Great way to tour the historic district and see all the great houses.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

we'll be back!

Guest: linda (royal oak, mich, usa)
Date of Stay: 04/13/11 Review Submitted: 04/20/11

My husband and I stayed at the Carriage House for 5 nights in April 2011, and we are already looking ahead to when we can go back. The house has everything you could want, the location is perfect - close to everything but on a quiet residential street, and the owners have provided everything for your comfort and enjoyment. We loved going out and exploring the city and beaches, but couldn't wait to get back to the house!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children.

WONDERFUL

Guest: Diane (Alaska)
Date of Stay: 04/08/11 Review Submitted: 04/18/11

My family stayed at the Carriage house in April 2011. There were 5 adults and 2 children. Everything we needed was there, the house was spotless and roomy. We especially enjoyed the upper deck, it was safe for the children 2 & 3 years old and comfy. We enjoyed watching the birds and squirels in the trees and the horse carriages out on the street. The bedrooms were very comfortable and quite for sound sleeping. Thank you for a great vacation.....

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

great home

Guest: lj (georgia)
Date of Stay: 03/31/11 Review Submitted: 04/09/11

this was a beautiful home in a good location. there was plenty of space for my entire family, 6 adults and 2 kids. we were able to walk downtown to shop and to great resturants. we took a carriage ride and they came to the house to pick us up! we rode out to the beach one day and it was beautiful and kid friendly. it was a great vacation!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.

The Very Best Option in St. Augustine!

Guest: Barb (Chicago)
Date of Stay: 01/29/11 Review Submitted: 02/04/11

If you have any hesitation at all about staying in this home, PLEASE erase it now! We can't even express how absolutely perfect this home was for our stay in St. Augustine. The pictures on this site are accurate but honestly don't do the home enough justice. It was like we walked onto an HGTV set because it was so inviting. The house is full of character and has a great history to it. All the touches that Brigid has thought of and placed into the home made our stay so relaxing - we felt spoiled. When planning our trip, we actually considered sharing a hotel room but with the FL Carriage House, we were able to enjoy an adorable home with three bedrooms, living room, dining room, two bathrooms, fully equipped kitchen, large spacious foyer area plus three lovely outside spaces! The front upstairs porch which automatically lights up at night is a great place to drink wine and enjoy the view. The side deck with its table and umbrella that will light up as well (just turn on the switch) was perfect for outside dinners and conversation. There are two beautiful bedrooms downstairs and one also upstairs which provides privacy for families staying together. I was lucky to stay in the huge downstairs bedroom which has an inviting, cozy sitting room area. There is a washer and dryer on the first floor as well. The kitchen is adorable and equipped with anything you need - pots, pans, dishes, cups, wine glasses, more spices than you can count, condiments in the full size frig, even coffee to brew in either of the two coffee pots! There is Directv with DVR and a DVD player. The home is within walking distance to the downtown square and most sightseeing spots. There are even a couple of trolley stops just a few blocks from the home. You can just jump on the Old Town Trolley and purchase tickets at a stop along the way! The St. Sebastian Winery is also within walking distance and the trolley stops there. Make sure you get off at the stop for a tour of Memorial Presbyterian Church. It is quite breathtaking. We enjoyed all the food and ambiance along St. George Street. One place you might miss but SHOULD NOT is O'Steens resaurant across the Lions Bridge for great seafood & homemade pie. As we were sightseeing, we looked into some of the bed and breakfasts and other hotel options and were so thankful we had made the decision to stay here! You will too!

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with young children, families with teenagers.