The glowing waterfront. The historical city gate entrance. The horse hooves clapping along with horse carriages. What makes St. Augustine romantic? In some ways, it’s a little bit of everything.
The ancient and waterfront city of St. Augustine has been a lover’s staple for generations. People from all parts of the world pour over the cobblestone streets of this romantic escape. What makes St. Augustine such a dazzling place of romance, mystery, and magic?
Things to Do
The St. Augustine resorts offer all sorts of engaging and rich things to do on and around the property. And you only have to head to the main downtown area, the historic district, to soak in the ambiance. St. Augustine’s city downtown faces the arresting and beautiful Matanzas River Inlet. Right alongside the river rests the Castillo de San Marcos. If you come by in the early morning or late evening, you can enjoy a bit of quiet and peace away from the crowds. Admire the water over this old Spanish fort.
Horse carriages also align the river. Hop on in a carriage during the later evenings (when it cools down) for a romantic romp along the historic village.
While the historic district is along the water, it is not up against St. Augustine’s famous beaches. For that, we suggest staying in one of our St. Augustine oceanfront rentals on St. Augustine Beach. Here you can celebrate your anniversary right by the ocean at night, with many romantic ambient-soaked restaurants around the corner.
Where To Stay in St. Augustine
Stay at one of our St. Augustine resorts and have a mesmerizing and romantic time away. Let loose in the ancient city for your next anniversary.
Places to Eat
St. Augustine is not short on romantic restaurants and high-quality eateries. One of our absolute favorites is the Llama Restaurant. This relatively-new establishment offers the finest Peruvian dishes in all of North Florida. It’s truly exceptional, with a rotating seasonal menu and special Peruvian-styled cocktails.
We adore the ambiance and energy of the Llama Restaurant. Owned and operated by a large and kind family from Peru, it offers the best of Peru’s dishes with often inventive and mesmerizing spins. This is real Peruvian dining and the top of its game.
The menu is small but each dish offers a story and an opportunity to experience the best of Peru’s dining right in St. Augustine. Our favorite is the Mar Y Tierra surf and turf, over tagliatelle pasta, shrimp and covered in Amarillo pepper Huancaina cream sauce.
Llama is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day (closed Sunday) and is located at 415 Anastasia Blvd on Anastasia Island. It is about a 15-minute drive from our St. Augustine beach resorts.
Reservations are required and should be booked at least two weeks in advance. It only seats about 15 total for the evening.
Our St. Augustine condo rentals provide an excellent opportunity to soak in the beach all vacation long and get to the city’s top fine dining establishments with ease.
You can also enjoy tapas in a more casual setting. Michael’s Tasting Room is delightful, filled with authentic wood tabletops and a sensational outdoor patio garden. The specialty of Michael’s is the wine-tapa pairing, where your waiter will combine an assortment of tapa selections with the most suitable wine from their dedicated (and fabulous) wine cellar. Enjoy a variety of cheeses, like the House Charcuterie Board and the Terrine (goat cheese), as well as Sauteed shrimp and chorizo, saffron basted scallops with butternut squash puree, Mediterranean sea bass with Marcona almond herb butter, among many others.
Cross the street from Michael’s to find Mojo City BBQ near the heart of the city. This is among the favorite cheaper places to eat for barbeque, incorporating a timeless southern blues atmosphere, rich smoked meats, and all-local art.
Always return back to one of our St. Augustine beach rentals in style, appreciating you fine, fulfilling, and enriching meal you just had.
Best Time of Year to Visit
We definitely suggest visiting during the cooler months of October and November, when many of the visitors are away due to school and the sensationally-smooth ocean breeze offers some relief. While this is likely the best time to come due to weather and fewer crowds, we also love the early spring season when St. Augustine really pops with beautiful weather, as well as the gorgeous and eternally romantic winter season when the city coats itself in gorgeous white lights.