The Collector - Luxury Inn & Gardens

Spent four nights over Christmas and didn't want to leave. A joy to have valet parking, as parking in town can be a nightmare. The car was ready in an instant (just for our daytime trips to golf) and the staff were very helpful. But the true joy, is not needing the car at all, because the location is so central to everything you would want to do. We walked everywhere... to the Nutcracker at Flagler, the Lightner Museum, the meeting spot for our 'festival of lights' tour, and of course all our dining. The hotel is a lovely oasis just off the busy central square. It's peaceful interior garden is a lovely spot to take a break. The fire-pits in the evening, perfect for a nightcap from their cozy bar, The Well. The room was great, with everything you need with super comfy beds and linens. I must mention the breakfast. I had low expectations since it mentions it offers a continental breakfast. No such thing. It was ample and lovely. Hot frittatas and bacon, alternate with french toast or oatmeal, but there is always smoked salmon, cheese, pastries, breads, hard boiled eggs, cereals, fruit, yogurt, etc. In other words, plenty to start your day. Would highly recommend to get the full experience of St. Augustine.

This place is outstanding. The grounds around the property are beautiful, the drinks at “The Well” bar on site are excellent, and the staff is amazing. My fiancé and I had a great time riding the complimentary bikes all around downtown. Will, the valet, is incredibly knowledgeable of the local area and very helpful. Micheal the manager was very accommodating and pleasant, and a special shout out Nashana who went above and beyond by helping my girlfriend with hemming her dress. Definitely recommend this place for your romantic stay in St Augustine.

We booked a 3 nights stay here are our Pros and Cons. Cons: We arrived in town at noon. I know this was a little early to check in so I called and asked if we could at least park on property while we waited for our room. I was told we could NOT park at the property until 1pm, so we drove around for an hour and at 1 pm we arrived to check in and asked the valet what time would the rooms be ready, he stated 2pm. We had a quick bite to eat and then returned at 2pm. The front desk informed me we could not check in until 3pm and they would call when our room was ready. So we left and walked around for another hour. Better communication would have been appreciated. At 3:15pm and still no phone call, we returned to the hotel to find our room was on the second floor. Due to medical/ mobility issues I cannot climb stairs. I asked if we could move to a bottom floor room. At first they said there was no rooms available then they said they had a king suite on the bottom floor but there would be a $500 up charge. We don't want or need a suite however at this point we had no choice but to pay the up charge. I felt taken advantage of and did not appreciate such a hefty up charge. After finally getting to our room I thought for the price we paid it would be perfection, however the bathroom towels were dirty and a shower cap from the previous clients was still in the shower. I asked the front desk if I could have a few clean towels and they said housekeeping would bring some, however they never did. Upon checking out the manager happened to stop me and ask how my stay was and my response was "ok" and he said just ok??? I proceeded to let him know of the issues we experienced and he graciously credited the up charge for the bottom floor room. This was a great gesture and wish it was done at the beginning of the trip. Pros The property and grounds were beautiful, relaxing and peaceful. Breakfast was decent. The front porch rockers and fire pits were relaxing. "The Well" bar on property was nice and cozy for a relaxing nightcap. The bed was comfortable. And location, location, location was perfect for walking distance to downtown!

So if you’re going to Saint Augustine & love dogs, highly recommend NOT staying at The Collector, Luxury Inn & Gardens. My husband and I were walking the dogs in downtown Saint Augustine yesterday during our annual visit to the Night of Lights (which is absolutely gorgeous & highly recommend!), and our oldest 12 year old pup- Snow- really started struggling walking. We were right outside of The Collector's Inn (which we have stayed several times before with our pups.) I told my husband to take Snow to the car four blocks away... that I'd stay here with the other dogs to wait. It never occurred to me that I'd be thrown off the premises of somewhere I stayed before (and would have stayed again) while waiting 10 minutes for my husband to pick me up. There were outdoor chairs, not even 50 feet away from where I was standing. So I headed over with our other pups and sat to wait. The small pups were behaving well and just sitting quietly next to me. As soon as I sat, the manager approached me. He asked me if I was a guest. I replied, no, but explained that we had stayed there several times before and my 12 year old dog basically collapsed on her walk. I told him that my husband went to get the car a few blocks away & is coming to pick us up. And he responded to that explanation by telling me to leave the premises. I said, "Really?? We have stayed here before," and then I pointed to the buildings in which we stayed. But he still repeated that I had to leave the premises. I reiterated, again, that my 12 year old dog just basically collapsed and my husband is picking me up in a few minutes (really, I just kept repeating it because I was so flabbergasted he was asking me to leave in this scenario.) He said they were not Pet Friendly. So I replied, with confusion, "but we stayed here several times WITH our dogs before?" And he said they are no longer Pet Friendly. Boy, is that the understatement of the year! So as I stood up to leave, I said, "Well, we certainly won't be staying here in the future." And he replied back to me, "That's fine." 😲😲🤯 That stopped me in my tracks! So of course, my next question was, "Are you the Manager?" And he replied "Yes." Well, okay then. That says a lot about that place. I'll never stay there again and if you visit Saint Augustine every year & love dogs like I do, highly recommend you don't either. I understand they changed their Pet Policy and I do understand that I wasn't a guest 'on that exact day,' but that could have been handled a million times better and it really shows you that like the Grinch, their hearts are really three sizes too small.

So happy we stayed at The Collector for our stay in St. Augustine. From our first encounter with the extraordinary valet, Will, to our romantic end of evening sitting around the firepit, we were extremely impressed. The bathroom is beautiful, the shower and especially the shampoo are top of the line. We appreciated the luxurious robes. The bed was so comfortable and the grounds are immaculate and so beautifully lit up at night. We were impressed that our car was waiting for us when we were ready to leave in the morning. It's those little details that will make us come back again. Again, Will was the best !!