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Certainly one of St. Augustine’s most eclectic lodging properties has been listed among the many “Prime 15 Finest Resorts in Florida” by the readers of Journey + Leisure.
It is not the primary time The Collector Luxurious Inn & Gardens has made the annual checklist, and it is simply certainly one of many accolades the lodge has racked up since opening in 2017.
Ask normal supervisor Charlie Robles to what he attributes the resounding success of the property and he’ll inform you it is definitely its uniqueness and historic character.
“I all the time prefer to say you are two blocks away from downtown however two centuries away from every part else,” Robles stated.
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The inn encompasses one metropolis block with 9 separate buildings of various architectural and elegance intervals centered round a grassy courtyard that is lushly landscaped and consists of fireplace pits, a pool, statues, a koi pond and fountains.
Thirty items (20 of them suites) can be found and Robles stated The Collector is greater than 90% occupied 12 months spherical.
A storied previous
The story of how the 9 historic constructions got here to be tied collectively in a type of enclave is as fascinating as the homes themselves.
Kenneth Worcester Dow, the one inheritor to the Dow household’s profitable lumber enterprise, bought the oldest home on the block, the 1790 Prince Murat Home, within the Nineteen Thirties after falling in love with St. Augustine in his travels.
The construction is manufactured from coquina and, apart from some restoration work, seems to be very a lot the way in which it did on the time when Dow and spouse Mary welcomed common houseguests, together with well-known writers and actors of the time.
The Dows have been passionate collectors of art work, furnishings and different antiques,
“They went to Europe about three or 4 occasions a 12 months and introduced again every kind of issues,” Robles stated.
By the early Fifties, Dow had acquired all 9 houses on the positioning, a few of which embrace a former boarding home; a normal retailer; the house of famed author William Dean Howell; and the Rose Home, named so as a result of one-time resident Jean Gordon, a famend floral skilled, ran a “rose museum” on the property.
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Surrounded by historical past
Along with the homes, the 1 acre on which they sit was the positioning of a number of necessary chapters of St. Augustine historical past, together with its use as a sixteenth century hospital (the place amputated physique components have been recognized to be thrown out home windows, Robles famous) and cemetery; an 18th century Spanish protection line; and the setting for the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation studying that freed Florida’s slave inhabitants. Markers across the property supply extra info, as does a tour free to friends led by docent Melissa Stuart.
In 1989, an growing old Dow provided to deed his complete assortment to the town of St. Augustine; surprisingly, the town turned him down.
As an alternative, he donated the positioning to the Museum of Arts and Sciences in 1989. Following an 11-year restoration, the Dow Museum of Historic Homes opened in 2000, showcasing the intensive assortment.
In 2013, the property went up on the market, finally being bought by David Corneal for $1.1 million, based on Robles who famous it was in very run-down situation on the time.
“It took shut to 5 years and $9 million to revive it as a result of a lot needed to be repaired and changed,” Robles stated.
The work has clearly paid off.
Charges for rooms, which embrace facilities like kitchenettes, turn-down service, every day breakfast and snacks, begin at $229 (suites and peak occasions drive up the worth.)
The inn is widespread with {couples} searching for a romantic getaway, household reunions, company escapes and vacationers searching for a novel, historic expertise. Robles, who has a license to marry individuals, has officiated fairly a number of small (six friends most) weddings.
The one 4 Diamond lodge in downtown St. Augustine, Robles stated The Collector takes pleasure within the personalised, hospitable expertise its workers offers.
The current award by Journey + Leisure is simply one other feather in its cap. The Collector took the No. 5 spot of the Prime 15 Finest Resorts in Florida, within the firm of heavy hitters just like the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island and the White Elephant in Palm Seaside.
The grounds of The Collector Luxurious Inn & Gardens, at 149 Cordova St., is open to the general public each first Friday of the month, with dwell music and refreshments out there.
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