St Augustine, FL - places to stay?

magnusfide wrote:

linnemj wrote:
We just got back from St. Augustine last week. We likes Anastasia Island State Park. The sites are private and the location is great. We liked to bike into the Historic Downtown area (about 1 1/2 miles). The beach at the park extends north and is very isolated, perfect for long walks and shell hunting. We ate at O'Steen's restaurant twice. Excellent shrimp and scallops at a reasonable price. They are closed Sunday and Monday and it is cash only.

Forgot to mention Anastasia Island SP. They're an outstanding place to stay as well and cheaper than Stagecoach. In winter, no bugs either. Here's a link to info
http://www.floridastateparks.org/anastasia/default.cfm

X2. Only stayed one night on way to Disney, wish it had been more. Wife loved it!!!

Thanks for all the suggestions. Still thinking of spending 4-6 weeks during the winter in that area. Since most state parks do not allow for lengthy stays they could be a problem. Any long term areas we could check out that are nice?

We go to St. Augustine each year for the last 8 years and always stay at Bryn Mawr. I have a 45' coach and if you pick the right sights on the ocean or near the ocean you won't have any problem getting into the campground. No big frills here except they just put in a new heated pool, hot tub and shower house this last summer, but the beach is the main attraction.

Most of the campsites have a gazebo on them with a picnic table...it is a great location to get everywhere.

I live in St. augustine, and we go to North Beach a couple of times a year with the kids, grands and all our rigs. Lots to see and do around here. In addition to the restaurants already mentioned, try the "World Famous Oasis" at St. Augustine Beach for a great Sunday 'brunch", the Coquina Beach Surf Club at the beach for dinner, and Salt Water Cowboys or Creekside for dinner.

Another vote for North Beach Camp Resort. Atlantic Ocean is on one end of the campground and the IntraCoastal Waterway on the other. Good vegetation separates sites. Three good restaurants within walking distance. Facilities are old but kept clean daily. Staff is helpful. Camp on!

Having been in Florida the last 55 years I am here to tell you, "bugs"
can happen at any time the temp is above freezing. If you cringe at the site of a bug/snake/large reptile or temps above 80* this may not be the place for you.

linnemj wrote:
We just got back from St. Augustine last week. We likes Anastasia Island State Park. The sites are private and the location is great. We liked to bike into the Historic Downtown area (about 1 1/2 miles). The beach at the park extends north and is very isolated, perfect for long walks and shell hunting. We ate at O'Steen's restaurant twice. Excellent shrimp and scallops at a reasonable price. They are closed Sunday and Monday and it is cash only.

Forgot to mention Anastasia Island SP. They're an outstanding place to stay as well and cheaper than Stagecoach. In winter, no bugs either. Here's a link to info
http://www.floridastateparks.org/anastasia/default.cfm

We just got back from St. Augustine last week. We likes Anastasia Island State Park. The sites are private and the location is great. We liked to bike into the Historic Downtown area (about 1 1/2 miles). The beach at the park extends north and is very isolated, perfect for long walks and shell hunting. We ate at O'Steen's restaurant twice. Excellent shrimp and scallops at a reasonable price. They are closed Sunday and Monday and it is cash only.

Don't know your preferences. We don't do Florida in warm weather, too many mosquitoes, snakes and ticks. We prefer winter in Florida.

Stagecoach RV is nice and a great base camp with lower rates. If you like to go sight-seeing and wander for the day like we do, this is a good camp for that. St. Augustine is full of terrific sight-seeing opportunities. Great for us as we prefer canoeing, fishing, biking, and hiking. We also like to visit historic sites and enjoy the natural beauty-we aren't into outlet malls or theme parks though you can find a few of those nearby. If you're tired of cooking I also recommend O'Steen's and Aunt Kate's on A1A.

Re Crooked River State Park: very nice and quiet, perfect temps in winter. No bugs or water moccasins during the winter months. http://www.gastateparks.org/CrookedRiver Great for a stopover on the way to St. Augustine.

I would recommend North Beach RV if you are looking for the beach experience. If not Stagecoach is decent for just serving as a home base to see the area. Anastasia Island SP is a lovely natural CG with W&E only with one loop that can accomodate larger RV's but is difficult to get reservations. My first choice would be North Beach. Enjoy your time in St Augustine, it is a great place to visit. There is a trolly vendor that allows on and off privelges at multiple locations that can serve as a great way to learn about the town and get you to some major attractions. The visitor center is first class and right across the street from the St George street entrance to the old city and the trolly picks up there as well. If you are interested in other north Florida ideas while you are here I can help with those as well.