The Collector - Luxury Inn & Gardens

You might think the oldest city in America would be somewhere in the vicinity of Plymouth Rock, but you’d be wrong. St. Augustine was the capital of Spanish Florida long before the Mayflower arrived. And by those standards, the lovingly restored homes that make up The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens are relative newcomers — it’s not every day in the United States that you can sleep in a structure that dates back to the 1790s.

The nine historic buildings are divided into 30 rooms and suites, in a style that’s perhaps best described as contemporary colonial, where modern luxuries and historical atmosphere go hand in hand. If your only experience of Florida involves Miami or the big resorts, you’re in for quite a surprise. Despite its location in the center of town, The Collector feels like a little village unto itself, and the word “gardens” isn’t in the name just for decoration.

You’re likely to spend a fair bit of time lounging in those gardens, or seated around an outdoor fire pit or by the pool. The Well, the hotel’s bar, operates out of an old garage, and by the time the bartenders are done with you, you’ll be living in a throwback Floridian fantasy that’s straight out of Hemingway.