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St. Augustine 279 St. George St. Built in 1791 as a private home and operated as an inn or boarding house since 1845, this versatile charmer wears its age with grace and authenticity. A super courtyard draped in bougainvillea faces the entrance, properly historic in white stucco with dark trim and an ornate, two-story veranda. One of St. Augustine’s two inn pools lies around the side. The main floor holds a variety of atmospheric common rooms, including a parlor/game room with gas fireplace and a beamed dining room. More seating is available in the upstairs hall and on the veranda. Most folks prefer to spread out on wrought-iron furniture in the idyllic courtyard, where a fountain trickles beneath a forest of bamboo. The courtyard is the scene of musical entertainment on Sunday evenings from April to October. "The courtyard is what catches people," says owner Joe Finnegan. When he and his wife took over in 1985, the St. Francis was basically a boarding house featuring long-term rentals (in fact, his parents had stayed for three months some years earlier in what is now Elizabeth's Suite). The Finnegans reconfigured the layout into nine rooms and two suites. They upgraded the furnishings and services and, in 1996, renovated all the bathrooms with new tiling and brass fixtures. Six accommodations now come with whirlpool tubs (five of them double), and three of these have unusual electric-flame fireplaces – no heat but good for show. Three other rooms also have electric fireplaces. All but three rooms have queen or kingsize beds. Rooms, a few with kitchenettes harkening back to their boarding house days, are furnished with antiques, reproductions and family heirlooms. They convey a dated look appropriate for their age. Windows are shuttered and walls hold nifty recessed bookshelves and niches. The Balcony Room with private porch overlooking St. George and Cordova streets and the Overlook Room above are particularly coveted. The adjacent Wilson House, originally the slave quarters and then the cookhouse, is a two-bedroom, two-bath cottage favored by families. Rooms come with television sets (suites have two), telephones, green plants and fresh flowers. Chocolates are placed on the beds and postcards are stamped. There's a social hour with complimentary appetizers, beer and wine from 5:30 to 6:30. A buffet breakfast is put out in the morning. Muffins and breads, granola and fresh fruit were supplemented at our visit by scrambled eggs. (904) 824-6068
or (800) 824-6062. Fax (904) 810-5525. For more
information: www.stfrancisinn.com.
E-mail: innceased@aug.com Material excerpted from Inn Spots & Special Places in the Southeast, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2000. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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