The oldest city in the U.S. has a romantic plan in store for you and your sweetheart.
The old matrimonial custom of having "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" to ensure the luck of your wedding ceremony can also be applied to your honeymoon. And whether it's your first or your second chance at romance, the St. Augustine area is the perfect place to build on old traditions, and create new ones, in your life together.
Something Old
Stroll hand-in-hand through the historic district and step back in time at Colonial Spanish Quarter, the Oldest House and the Oldest Wooden School House in the U.S.A. If you get hungry, grab a homemade pastry at the tiny Spanish Bakery. Admire Henry Flagler's legacy at the elegant Lightner Museum, where Tiffany windows and other works of art inspire awe, and take a Legacy Tour of grand Flagler College, keeping an eye out for Henry's ghost. Speaking of ghosts, cuddle up to one another during a spooky, guided ghost tour. Try GhoSt Augustine Haunted Pub & Hearse Tours or Ghost Tours of St. Augustine.
Something New
Shop for souvenirs along St. George Street and the historic district, then amble over to the galleries lining King Street, west of the Plaza. Afterward, stop into San Sebastian Winery to sample wines and listen to live music in The Cellar Upstairs Wine, Jazz & Blues Bar (open on weekends only). Golf lovers can hit the fairways at World Golf Village and play the King & Bear or Slammer & Squire courses.
Something Borrowed
Rent a private coach and take a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride though the historic district and along the bayfront, past the fabled Bridge of Lions. Snuggle closer as the setting sun dips below beautiful St. Augustine Bay.
Something Blue
Spend a day celebrating the sparkling blue waters surrounding St. Augustine. Splash in the Atlantic waves off St. Augustine Beach; take in the view of Matanzas Bay from the top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse; join a narrated sightseeing cruise in area waterways with St. Augustine Scenic Cruise.
Spas:
Small Indulgences European Day Spa (St. Augustine): Book an intimate couple's massage and choose from a side-by-side Swedish, aromatherapy, hot stone, deep tissue or reflexology treatment.
The Spa at Sawgrass (Ponte Vedra Beach): He can indulge in a gentlemen's manicure; she in a Sawgrass Body Glow.
Spa at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club (Ponte Vedra Beach): The 30,000-square-foot facility offers a wide array of services, including tropical coconut scrubs, couple's massages and Lomi Lomi massages.
Restaurants:
Raintree Restaurant: Awarded too many accolades to count, this restaurant is a St. Augustine tradition, serving outstanding contemporary cuisine (at surprisingly affordable prices) in a historic 1879 Victorian home. Don't miss the made-to-order crepes for dessert.
Columbia Restaurant: Sure, it's in the middle of tourist-laden St. George Street, but you'll still feel like you're honeymooning in Spain amidst the colorful, gurgling fountains and the aroma of steaming-hot Spanish delicacies.
Romance Packages:
Casa Monica Hotel: "Love St. Augustine Style" includes luxury accommodations, a gourmet breakfast at 95 Cordova and a romantic carriage ride around the bayfront during which you can toast your love with a bottle of chilled champagne. (Planning a wedding? The Casa Monica does an "Arabian Nights Fantasy Wedding" complete with belly dancers.)
The Lodge & Club at Ponte Vedra Beach (Ponte Vedra Beach): "Stir the Fire" sets you up in an opulent oceanfront room complete with a Roman garden tub (where there's room for two) and fireplace, not to mention his-and-hers bathrobes. Sip the champagne and feed each other sweets from the box of fine chocolates placed in your room.
