TL;DR

Atmosphere: Intimate boutique hotel right next to the water in Vilano Beach, St. Augustine.
Vibe: B&B-style, friendly, and self-managed with bright, relaxed facilities.
Experience: Simple, familial decor and a cozy beachside feel.
Location: Close to sand, sun, and easy access to historic St. Augustine.
Check prices here

You might have to plan ahead to snag a room here, but the Beach House, on the southernmost tip of Vilano Beach, St. Augustine, is worth the effort.

It’s a super-intimate boutique hotel that sits right next to the water, the perfect place for a sand-based St. Augustine stay.

It’s nothing super fancy, so if you need an onsite spa and an Aperol Spritz hand-delivered to your beach chair, we’ll send you somewhere else.

The general vibe is that of a B&B, with a well-loved breakfast offered daily to guests, a friendly atmosphere, and bright facilities that are primarily self-managed.

Indeed, the decor is less luxury hotel and more giant guest house owned by one of your college roommate’s distant relatives.

That’s all you really need, though, to have a superb vacation amongst sun and sand.

What are the rooms like?

Number of rooms: 16 with ocean views, balconies, and king beds.
Style: Faded wood, pastel walls, and white accents for a familial vibe.
Room types: Duneside Rooms on first floor, all with sofa beds and kitchenettes.
Amenities: Coffee machine, microwave, toaster, and king beds in each room.
See each room in detail here

Without a slew of resort-like facilities, the rooms end up being the most important space on the property, in our opinion.

They’re excellent, if a tad on the dated side, but we kind of like this?

It gives an even more familial vibe to the place, like you’re visiting friends rather than shacking up at a chic hotel.

There’s no carpeting (one of our favorite details), and everything’s done up in a kind of faded wood that would feel lame anywhere else, but next to the beach feels perfectly normal.

Walls are varying shades of blues, greens and peaches, a bit pastel for our tastes, but you can tell it’s exactly what they’re going for. Everything else is a crisp white, a monochromatic accent, or a soft wood.

Each room is different, which is typical of a place like this, and it’s hard to go wrong. There is no elevator, so you’ll have to snag one of the first-floor Duneside Rooms if that’s going to be an issue.

They all have ocean views, balconies, and king beds. Most have sofa beds, so you can squeeze a group there in a pinch.

You’ll also enjoy a kitchenette with a coffee machine, microwave and toaster, perfect for an afternoon snack (you won’t need to cook breakfast).

What are prices like?

Check prices here

And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?

Breakfast: Complimentary, made-to-order, and served in-room or on grounds.
Facilities: Small computer station, library, and free shuttle to downtown Visitor’s Center.
Beach: Direct access to a cozy stretch of sand for sunbathing and swimming.
Extras: Coffee and cookies available anytime; bicycle parking provided.

The main meal is going to be your complimentary breakfast, made to-order and delivered to your room.

You have the option to take it to the patio or out on the grounds, but we love the idea of enjoying room-service breakfast on a private balcony.

Coffee and cookies can be found on the property at all times, if you’d like a quick pick-me-up, but there’s no real restaurant on-site.

Of course, the staff is more than capable of sending you off to find a local gem when you’re ready for lunch or dinner.

For anyone with work to be done, there’s a small computer station and an in-house library area.

The main facility, of course, is brought to you by Mother Nature – a cozy stretch of beach easily accessible from the hotel.

Parking space for bicycles will help you bop around town, though you’ll want to check with the concierge to see about rentals.

There is a free shuttle to the downtown Visitor’s Center.

How is the neighborhood? Anything interesting nearby?

Beach: Vilano Beach is a top Atlantic-access beach, perfect for sun and picnics.
Nearby: Historic Downtown St. Augustine, 10-minute drive with colonial attractions.
Sites: Fountain of Youth, Flagler College tours, Castillo de San Marcos, and more.
Dining: Plenty of restaurants and bars with seafood and Spanish influences.

Vilano Beach is Florida’s Atlantic-abutting peninsula shielding Historic St. Augustine from the ocean.

It’s one of the top beaches in the area, well-loved for sunbathing and water-splashing and picnicking.

There’s a smallish downtowny area, but for variety’s sake, we recommend you spend some time in St. Augustine proper.

Historic Downtown St. Augustine is a 10-minute drive, a drive that takes you past plenty of interesting spots.

One definite draw is Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, which gives some information on the area’s colonial history and explains a lot of the Spanish influence you’ll find nearby.

There are plenty of excellent and historical attractions in the center, though.

Flagler College offers highly-recommended historical tours, with the Governor’s House Cultural Center and Museum and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument all in walking distance of each other.

You also might want to check out the Basilica of St. Augustine, the Pirate Museum, or even the Medieval Torture Museum.

Most importantly, all the restaurants and bars you’ll be missing in the cozy Vilano Beach enclave will be here.

There’s a lot of seafood, often with interesting Spanish twists.

And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?

Some things guests liked:

“Location was perfect, breakfast served in our room and beach chairs and umbrellas available. Staff was super friendly and helpful….”

“Perfect location . Beach out your door. Great coffee shop 2 blocks away . Restaurants within walking distance. Shuttle into St. Augustine which runs frequently. Beach accessories thoughtfully provided. Staff exceptionally nice….”