Recently, two of my best friends from college & I flew down to St Augustine for a long weekend getaway. I’ve traveled with friends before for bachelorette parties or for blog trips, but I’ve never traveled with the intent of catching up, relaxing, and just getting away with friends. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time, so I was thrilled when we made it work instead of just talking about how we should do it sometime. We decided on a St Augustine getaway because of its location to the beach, availability of restaurants, and the historic district in the city. Here are the details on our weekend away.
The Perfect Girls’ Weekend: St Augustine Getaway
How to Get to St Augustine
We caught flights from RDU to Jacksonville, which is a small, but quick and efficient airport. Our flights arrived minutes apart so that made it easy. Once we deplaned, we picked up a rental car and drove an hour to St. Augustine. We had considered taking a rideshare, but we’re so glad we rented a car. It made it easy to run to the grocery store or lunch without having to take a Lyft every time.
St Augustine Getaway: Where to Stay
We opted for an Air BnB instead of a hotel, and y’all, I cannot recommend Shauna’s Air BnB enough! Her condo is bright, airy, has a view of the ocean, comfy linens, and all the amenities. She provides beach towels, coffee, toiletries, bath towels, bed linens, and beach chairs. The condo is in a gated community with 2 pools and beach access. It was an amazing stay and I highly recommend. The ease of access to the beach each morning was exactly what we were hoping for and her communication was prompt and easy to understand. If you contact Shauna and mention “ImFixinTo,” you’ll get 20% off your booking!
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St Augustine Getaway: Where to Eat
Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille: This gem is a New Orleans style restaurant overlooking the bay in downtown St. Augustine. The dreamy patio was the perfect spot to listen to live music, enjoy the weather, and the delicious menu. I ordered the fried Grouper sandwich with mashed potatoes, Hillary had the chicken-n-grits while Laura had the shrimp-n-grits. We loved this spot and highly recommend!
Beachcomber Restaurant: After spending the morning on the beach, we were looking for somewhere to grab a quick lunch. We loved the casual vibes and the beach front dining. We started with the smoked fish dip and I had the blackened mahi sandwich while the girls had shrimp and fish tacos. The service was friendly and made us feel like locals.
Sunset Grille: For dinner, we decided to go to Sunset Grille and we loved the various seating options. I ordered the fried shrimp plate with black beans and it was the perfect dinner after spending a day out in the sun.
Mango Mango’s Caribbean Grill & Bar: This was another great lunch spot for us. We had the crabby cheese fries and conch fritters for starters. I had the chipotle shrimp tacos with fried plantains and it was so fresh and delicious.
Mill Top Tavern: For our last night of dinner, we headed into downtown St. Augustine and decided on dinner at Mill Top Tavern. We all ordered a version of the nachos and holy wow were they good. They had great live music and the view was perfect for people watching.
St Augustine Getaway: the Best Things to Do
Enjoy the beach: One of my favorite parts of the trip was that we just relaxed on the beach. I read a book for fun, I napped, we chatted, and we just enjoyed the view. The beach was clean, quiet, and not overly crowded. You can find my favorite swim suits for this summer here.
Explore Historic Downtown St. Augustine: This was one of my favorite reasons for going. St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States and I have been wanting to explore the downtown district. To walk through an area that was established in the 1600s was surreal. There are so many options: restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, ice cream parlors, and bed & breakfasts, it was easy to wander and get lost in time. I’m a sucker for market lights, architecture, and cobblestone streets and this really had it all. Some of our favorites were the Tini Martini at Casablanca Inn, Bar with No Name, Mimi’s Famous Crepes.
On a return trip, I would love to have dinner at Michael’s Tasting Room, spend a day at the spa at Casa Monica Resort and Spa, and a little more time exploring the historic downtown part of the city, including Ancient City Brewing Downtown Taproom and St. Augustine Distillery.
Special thanks to Shauna for hosting us. As always, all opinions are my own.
Shop my St Augustine Getaway Looks:
This St Augustine getaway post is sponsored by Little Smiles Pediatric Dentistry. At Little Smiles, they understand that the dentist may be intimidating for young children so they have a wonderful staff trained with expertise to provide children with advanced care and comfort. They also offer extended hours and will work with any insurance.
