St. Augustine hotel was named a ‘Best Resort in Florida’ by Travel + Leisure

Just one of St. Augustine’s most eclectic lodging homes has been mentioned among the the “Top 15 Greatest Resorts in Florida” by the audience of Travel + Leisure.

It can be not the very first time The Collector Luxurious Inn & Gardens has manufactured the annual record, and it is just 1 of many accolades the hotel has racked up considering that opening in 2017.

Request common manager Charlie Robles to what he attributes the resounding achievements of the property and he’ll inform you it can be undoubtedly its uniqueness and historical character.

“I constantly like to say you happen to be two blocks absent from downtown but two hundreds of years absent from all the things else,” Robles stated.

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The inn encompasses one town block with nine separate structures of varied architectural and design and style periods centered about a grassy courtyard which is lushly landscaped and involves hearth pits, a pool, statues, a koi pond and fountains.

30 units (20 of them suites) are readily available and Robles said The Collector is extra than 90% occupied year spherical.

A photograph from the collection of the Library of Congress shows the Prince Murat House, on the corner of St. George and Bridge streets, in 1938. The house was built in 1790 and is now part of The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens in St. Augustine.

A photograph from the collection of the Library of Congress reveals the Prince Murat Household, on the corner of St. George and Bridge streets, in 1938. The house was created in 1790 and is now component of The Collector Luxurious Inn & Gardens in St. Augustine.

A storied earlier

The story of how the nine historic structures came to be tied alongside one another in a kind of enclave is as fascinating as the homes themselves.

Kenneth Worcester Dow, the only heir to the Dow family’s valuable lumber business, procured the oldest dwelling on the block, the 1790 Prince Murat Residence, in the 1930s right after falling in really like with St. Augustine in his travels.

The construction is created of coquina and, apart from some restoration work, looks quite much the way it did at the time when Dow and spouse Mary welcomed normal houseguests, including famous writers and actors of the time.

A portrait of Kenneth Worcester Dow hangs in the lobby of The  Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens on Cordova Street in St. Augustine. Dow, who died in 2002 at the age of 90, was the former owner of the property and collected many of the antiques that decorated the museum.

A portrait of Kenneth Worcester Dow hangs in the lobby of The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens on Cordova Avenue in St. Augustine. Dow, who died in 2002 at the age of 90, was the previous proprietor of the residence and gathered several of the antiques that decorated the museum.

The Dows ended up passionate collectors of artwork, furniture and other antiques,

“They went to Europe about three or four instances a year and brought again all varieties of things,” Robles stated.

By the early 1950s, Dow experienced obtained all nine homes on the internet site, some of which involve a former boarding residence a standard retail outlet the home of famed author William Dean Howell and the Rose Property, named so because one particular-time resident Jean Gordon, a renowned floral qualified, ran a “rose museum” at the home.

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Surrounded by background

In addition to the homes, the 1 acre on which they sit was the web page of several critical chapters of St. Augustine background, which include its use as a 16th century healthcare facility (wherever amputated human body elements have been recognized to be thrown out windows, Robles famous) and cemetery an 18th century Spanish defense line and the setting for the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation looking through that freed Florida’s slave population. Markers about the house present additional info, as does a tour totally free to company led by docent Melissa Stuart.

The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens on Cordova Street in St. Augustine was named one of the Top 15 Best Resorts in Florida by Travel + Leisure magazine readers.

The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens on Cordova Avenue in St. Augustine was named just one of the Best 15 Most effective Resorts in Florida by Journey + Leisure magazine readers.

In 1989, an aging Dow made available to deed his entire selection to the town of St. Augustine surprisingly, the metropolis turned him down.

As an alternative, he donated the web site to the Museum of Arts and Sciences in 1989. Adhering to an 11-yr restoration, the Dow Museum of Historic Properties opened in 2000, showcasing the considerable collection.

In 2013, the property went up for sale, eventually currently being bought by David Corneal for $1.1 million, in accordance to Robles who famous it was in extremely operate-down condition at the time.

“It took shut to 5 many years and $9 million to restore it because so substantially had to be repaired and changed,” Robles stated.

The get the job done has naturally paid out off.

Fees for rooms, which involve amenities like kitchenettes, turn-down assistance, day-to-day breakfast and treats, commence at $229 (suites and peak instances drive up the cost.)

The inn is well known with couples looking for a passionate getaway, family reunions, corporate escapes and tourists searching for a unique, historic working experience. Robles, who has a license to marry folks, has officiated quite a number of modest (six guests optimum) weddings.

The only 4 Diamond lodge in downtown St. Augustine, Robles reported The Collector normally takes pleasure in the personalized, hospitable working experience its staff offers.

The modern award by Journey + Leisure is just another feather in its cap. The Collector took the No. 5 location of the Prime 15 Greatest Resorts in Florida, in the company of weighty hitters like the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island and the White Elephant in Palm Beach front.

The grounds of The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens, at 149 Cordova St., is open to the general public every single to start with Friday of the thirty day period, with dwell music and refreshments obtainable. 

This short article at first appeared on St. Augustine Record: Collector Luxury Inn and Gardens will make ‘Best Resorts in Florida’ list

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