Updated January 1st, 2020
We recently celebrated Diana's birthday and our Eleventh Anniversary with a short trip to St. Augustine
We stayed at a quaint Bed and Breakfast called the Old City House Inn and Restaurant. The building was built around 1857 as a carriage house for a mansion that has since burned down. It is located at 115 Cordova Street behind the Casa Monica Hotel and next to Flagler's Alcazar Hotel; now the Lightner Museum.
 The image is from a post card with a photograph by Addison Fitzgerald |
| The Old
City House is circled with the Casa Monica
Hotel on the left and the Lightner Museum on the right |
The Old City House Inn and Restaurant has seven bedrooms , a room with a bar and a small restaurant, and a patio with umbrellas (smoking permitted).
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 A complimentary wine (or beer) and cheese hour from 5:00-6:00 is part of the room rate! |
 The restaurant is open to the public for lunch and dinner. Room guests normally get their choice of table and times for dinner. The food and the service are outstanding! |
The Old City House owner, Juan, cooks a complimentary two course breakfast and his son serves the guests.
The Old City House Inn and Restaurant Website
As I had recently been released from the hospital and had some mobility issues, we requested a first floor room. We were able to park in the Old House parking lot (free), check in to our room, enjoy the wine and cheese, have dinner, go to the patio for after dinner drinks, coffee and a cigar, retire to our room, and enjoy the complimentary breakfast all on one floor!
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Our room was the
Augustin. It had a queen
four poster bed, antique armoire,
jacuzzi tub/shower and plenty of
room. We got a great rate because we stayed on a Thursday night. Weekend rates are considerable higher. You can make your reservation and choose your room online. But make sure you follow up by phone with the owner, Juan. In our case, he gave us an upgrade to the Augustin. |
As Diana and I had been to St. Augustine several times and also do to my lack of mobility, we decided to not attempt to go to St. George Street or other tourist attractions. As neither of us had been to the Lightner Museum and the fact that it was right next door to the Old House Inn, we decided to concentrate our "tourist" time there. We got permission from Juan to leave our car in the parking lot at no charge and go next door to the Lightner Museum for lunch and a tour.
The Lightner Museum
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| The
Lightner Museum was
built by Henry Flagler
as the Alcazar Hotel
in 1888. Today, the
building
consists of a
mall arcade
with shops and
the museum in
the rear. The
museum has the
finest
collection of
19th Century
art in the
country. |
The entrance fee is $15 ($12 for seniors. There are many incredible exhibits in the museum. This large malachite veneer and gold vase is a replica of one that is displayed at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersberg, Russia. | The
Alcazar Hotel was
famous for the
largest indoor pool
in it's time. There
is now a cafe at one
end of the
pool. You can
enter the cafe for
lunch either from
the museum or from
Cordova Street. |
The Lightner Museum Website
Website Created and Updated by Robert S. "Bo" Smith