St. Augustine is a historical town that dates to 1565 and today is a charming place to spend some time learning more about its history, and enjoying the scenery along with its many other attractions, art galleries, shops, and restaurants. One great thing about a visit to St. Augustine is that the downtown is entirely walkable. Most major attractions along with restaurants and shops are within a short walk of each other. You can stroll the old streets, visit the sites that interest you, and find wonderful dining in town – it’s all there. A great home base while in town is the Bayfront Marin House. It’s located just outside the busy part of town, making it a quiet oasis that’s still within a short walk of all the main attractions. Note that there are some places you may want to visit including the St. Augustine Lighthouse, the Atlantic Ocean beaches, and a few other sites that will require a car. This article profiles the downtown Bayfront Marin House location, but they also offer beach cottages a short drive away.
Bayfront Marin House: 142 Avenida Menendez St. Augustine, FL | 904-824-4301
DISCLAIMER: My husband and I have stayed in many hotels, inns, and other properties in our travels, but a few stand out above the rest — this is one of them. Although I am highlighting this property that we enjoyed, we have not accepted free trips, endorsements, or gratuities from it. All the opinions, along with the photographs (unless otherwise noted), featured on this page are my own. I simply share this property profile because it was unique in its location and hospitality, so I think others may consider staying there as well. Happy travels!
Why Bayfront Marin House?
- Bayfront Marin House is in the perfect location for exploring historic St. Augustine on foot. It sits just south of the busy parts of town, so it’s in a quiet spot with water views (across the street). Free parking for guests is provided a short walk from the guest rooms. The first-floor guest rooms are pet-friendly.
- There are several outdoor spaces for relaxation including the chairs just outside guest rooms, the lawn chairs, the gazebo, the porch swing, and the hammock.
- The accommodations are attractive and varied. Choose from guest rooms that have coastal charm to historic rooms that take you right back to the 18th century. Each room has its own entrance (no common hallways) and is comfortably furnished. In addition, there is a virtual assistant, Angie, in guest rooms that is programmed with information about Bayfront Marin House and the St. Augustine area. (Consider it a local Alexa device.) The website details the features of each room well.
- Communication is excellent from start to finish. When I called to inquire about reservations, I gained a thorough understanding of what was available and any unique features the room offered without being rushed. About a week before our arrival, we received an email offering ideas for what to do, where to go, and restaurant suggestions; this helped us fine-tune our plans well in advance. The evening before our arrival, I received a text message asking me to opt in to future texts with Bayfront Marin House. Texting was so useful because it was easy to ask any questions during our stay, and texting is how the front desk communicates with guests to give daily breakfast and Happy Hour information.
- Bayfront Marin House has contact-free check-in. Guests receive a private entry code (by text) to gain access to their guest rooms. This keyless system is perfect for travelers because you don’t need to remember where you tucked your key card when returning to your room!
- Delicious homemade breakfasts (including a hot entree, fruit, and pastry) and Happy Hour treats – that include your choice of wine, beer, or sangria – are delivered to guests each day. Via text messages, guests learn of the daily options and then choose delivery details (such as the time of delivery). This proved to be a great convenience for us because we could have breakfast in our room while getting ready for the day. In the late afternoon, sitting in one of the outside spaces (gazebo, lawn chairs, or even the chairs outside guest rooms) with Happy Hour treats is a great way to unwind before walking to one of the great restaurants in town for dinner.
Hospitality Focus: Three Recipes
Bayfront Marin House generously offered three recipes to share. Two for sangria, and one for a Spanish omelet = 3 wonderful treats!
White Sangria
Equipment
- 1 pitcher
Ingredients
- Chardonnay
- Apple juice
- Fresca
- Chunks of fruit peach and pineapple and/or berries
- Sugar to taste
Instructions
- For a jar any size, pour 3/4 jar of Chardonnay, 1/8 jar apple juice, 1/8 jar Fresca, 1 cup fruit. Add sugar, to taste.
Red Sangria
Ingredients
- Cabernet Sauvignon wine
- orange juice
- Fresca
- chunks of fruit orange and pineapple chunks and/or berries
- sugar to taste
Instructions
- For a jar (any size), pour 3/4 jar of Cabernet, 1/8 jar of orange juice, 1/8 jar Fresca, 1-2 cups fruit. Add sugar to taste. Enjoy!
Spanish Omelet
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
Ingredients
- 2-4 Yukon Gold potatoes (1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds)
- 2 onions small
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 7 large eggs (or 6 extra-large eggs)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice potatoes and onion very thinly (with mandolin if available).
- Heat olive oil in large skillet till hot. Add potatoes and onions in layers. Turn heat to medium low; cook for 15 minutes, moving potatoes and onion around to ensure even cooking. Remove from heat to cool a bit.
- Drain oil, reserving 2 tablespoons. Add salt and pepper to cooked potatoes and onions.
- Beat eggs. Add salt and pepper to eggs. Add to potato mixture in large bowl and let sit 10 minutes.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet. Add potato/onion/egg mixture and cook until bottom is browned and omelet begins to get firm.
- Flip omelet onto platter and then slide back into skillet to cook other side, again over medium high heat. Cook until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Omelet can be served hot or cold. We serve ours with roasted cherry tomatoes.
Things to do in St. Augustine
There are so many things to enjoy in St. Augustine. Visit the sprawling waterside Castillo di San Marcos (the fort that dates to the late 1600s), the St. Augustine Lighthouse, the Lightner Museum, some historical houses as well as a nearby beach. In addition, you can stroll through the art galleries and shop in the many stores. We did just about everything just mentioned. A couple of the highlights for my husband and me were the historical tour of Flagler College, a visit to Lightner Museum (across the street from the college), and lunch at Cafe Alcazar in what was once the swimming pool (that was once part of a hotel spa in the late 1800s but is now part of the Lightner Museum).
Final Thoughts
When my husband and I decided to visit St. Augustine, I got to work researching lodging options. Although I looked at quite a few properties, I kept returning to Bayfront Marin House. I liked the fact that it is independently owned, located in a perfect spot for exploring the town on foot, and had great guest reviews. Their website provides a good overview of the guest rooms, but I wanted to talk with a human before making my booking decision. When I called to inquire about room options and availability, I was impressed with the time that the staff member took to explain my options based on our travel dates.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The accommodations were very nice, and we appreciated their practice of delivering breakfast on a tray to guestrooms in the mornings and returning in the late afternoon with a tray of Happy Hour goodies. (Bayfront Marin House does have indoor dining space, but during the pandemic, they changed their way of doing things by delivering food to guest rooms to adhere to social distancing. The practice was well received by guests, so when we visited, they were continuing to do it even though it was considered appropriate to serve the food in the main area of the inn.)
