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Last month, we spent a weekend in Saint Augustine, FL. This was our first visit to the historic city and I wanted a hotel that provided a central location for shopping and dining. The Casa Monica Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection was the perfect pick. It offered us easy access to everything that we wanted to see and we loved the fun and historic design of the property.
Anthony’s Take: We enjoyed our weekend at the Casa Monica Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection. The property is in a great location, the service was good, and the breakfast was tasty. The hotel has a good number of amenities and the decor throughout is a lot of fun.
Booking
I booked a 1 King Bed, Premium Guest Room on a Marriott Luminous rate. It was $619 per night plus taxes and fees. The rate included daily breakfast for two and a welcome amenity. I am a travel advisor and can book these rates that are not available without an agent. The cost was a little cheaper than if I had booked a “Flexible Rate” and it included some nice additional perks. Reach out to me at anthony.losanno@fora.travel for assistance booking this hotel and many others. Marriott did away with award charts a few years ago, but redemptions for standard rooms can be had for between 100,000 and 183,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points.
Transportation to/from the Hotel
We drove our car from Tampa to this hotel. It took around 3.5 hours for the 189-mile trip. Leaving, we drove the same route home and it took around the same time.
Location
The hotel is in the heart of the Historic District and within walking distance to popular sites like Flagler College, Lightner Museum, Castillo de San Marcos, and St. George Street. There are plenty of restaurants, bars, and stores close to the hotel. I loved that it houses a Starbucks.
The valet is found in a covered area on its own little driveway.
This car was on display there.
The architecture is a lot of fun.
The lobby feels like a museum with some great art and seating throughout. I loved the Moroccan aesthetic.
Check-In
We arrived around 3:00 PM and our room was ready. The agent checking me in was nice and she explained the benefits of booking a Marriott Luminous rate. There were no upgrades available and the hotel was completely sold out. The property charges a $22 Daily Resort Fee, which I hate. Since breakfast was included in my rate, I took points as a welcome amenity. Keys were printed and we were on our way a moment later.
I was also given a voucher for a free appetizer or dessert for being a Titanium member.
Daily Resort Fee
The Daily Resort Fee includes the following:
- 2 Champagne welcome drinks
- 2 bottles of water
- Access to Serenata Beach
- Enhanced Wi-Fi and Long Distance Calls
The elevators are around the corner from check-in.
The elevator lobby and hallways on my floor were clean and in good repair.
1 King Bed, Premium Guest Room (212)
There are 124 guest rooms and 14 suites at the Casa Monica Resort & Spa Autograph Collection.
The room opened with a narrow hallway.
The bathroom was immediately to the side of the entrance. It held a vanity with a single sink, a toilet, and a small shower.
The vanity was large and offered a ton of counter space. It only had one sink even though it offered plenty of space for two.
Bottles Kessler-branded toiletries were near the sink. There was no bar soap.
The toilet was wedged between the vanity and shower.
The shower was small. Water pressure and temperature were both fine.
More toiletries were mounted to the wall.
A mini-bar area was just past the bathroom.
It offered a sink, coffeemaker, water, coffee, tea, and condiments.
A refrigerator was found underneath. It was empty for guest use.
The bedroom held a king-sized bed, nightstands, a dresser, a TV, a desk and chair, in addition to a sofa
The TV was mounted across from the bed.
Wine was for sale here.
The desk and chair were on the same wall.
A wardrobe across from it held robes, an iron, and an ironing board.
The safe was found in one of the nightstands.
The couch was near the windows.
The welcome amenity from booking a Luminous rate was a candle, which is quite meh.
Breakfast
We had breakfast in the restaurant called Cordova (it’s in the lobby) both days. This was included with the Luminous rate. Breakfast is a choice of welcome amenity for Platinum and higher elites, but I’m not sure if it differs in any way.
We had cappuccinos each day.
Over the two days, we tried multiple dishes and all were quite good. The Spanish Tortilla above was my favorite.
Chicken Sausage
Chorizo Omelette
Berry Yogurt Bowl
Dessert
We used the voucher one evening in the restaurant. We had an Aperol Spritz, a glass of dessert wine, and a Key Lime Tart.
Public Areas & Amenities
The hotel has a spa, outdoor pool, fitness center, Wi-Fi, a bar and restaurant, an ATM, and a Starbucks.As mentioned, there is art everywhere throughout the hotel.
The pool area was nice and quiet.
There were cabanas around the pool.
There was also a jacuzzi.
Some of the tons of works of art around the property.
The ATM was in the lobby.
The fitness center was small, but functional.
It offered a good assortment of weights and equipment.
I liked that there was a Peloton Bike.
Water and towels were on offer.
Overall Impression:
The Casa Monica Resort & Spa Autograph Collection is the nicest hotel in Saint Augustine and a good choice when visiting and wanting to be walking distance to many attractions, bars, shops, and restaurants. It can be expensive, but the convenience somewhat makes up for the cost.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
