3 days in Florida : Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine

How we spent 3 days in Florida in Ponte Vedra & St. Augustine on our summer American road trip

On our way to Florida: From Charleston and back again to Savannah

Charleston to Jacksonville

We’ve travelling on a bus again, this time back from Charleston to Savannah (again), to Jacksonville….. We took the Greyhound Express, and the ride took around 5hrs in total, with a quick stop in Savannah.

Before leaving, we took a look at how much money we spent, and we found out that it has been more than we expected. But hey, look at our route-map so far, I would spend every single cent in the same way, except for the horrible coffee at Charleston Greyhound bus stop. 

While listening to “Bruises” by Bands of Skulls, I was thinking of how small the world is. Let me explain: what are the chances to meet the same person in a hostel in Boston, and then almost 30 days later at Savannah bus station? Well, that happened to us!

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Wondering if you should choose Megabus or Greyhound? We have a guide for that!

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From New York to Jacksonville – all we did so far…

| Read more about our road trip in the USA by bus

Road trip to Florida soundtrack

Again and back on the highway, heading South to the Sunny State of Florida!

Some songs that kept me company during this ride:

• Etienne de Crecy: Live fast track vs We are your friends
• Cage the Elephant: Ain’t no rest for the wicked
• Deftones: My own summer (shove it)
• Phoenix: Love like a sunset part 2

By the way, if you’re traveling around here, make sure to take the South Eastern bus lines! (We got a codeshare on the bus ride)

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Day 1: St Augustine & the ocean in Ponte Vedra

Day 1: Visiting the oldest city in Florida St Augustine

Stuff to do in St Augustine

We had breakfast at home before leaving to St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement in the borders of the continental United States (September 8th, 1565). On the way, we stopped at a hardware store where Regina bought us a new camera as a wedding gift.

St. Augustine, where I’ve already been a couple of times, is a nice little town full of nice restaurants and things to do. We had lunch and walked around, as they are a few landmarks to see.

To me, the best way to try and see everything, especially if you have a bit more time than we had, is to get the Discover St Augustine Attractions Pass with Hop-on Hop-off. It’s the most complete and practical pass to discover more than 100 points of interest and see all of the city’s top attractions. | Check the great reviews and price on Viator

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is the first thing that greeted us when we arrived in town.

The Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine

After lunch, we first started our tour of the city by The Bridge of Lions

The Bridge of Lions

Then we went toward Fort Matanzas

The Fort Matanzas

Then we zigzagged through the historical town of St Augustine…

… until we got to the impressive Flagler College. This school has been established inside what was previously a luxury hotel. I’ll let you imagine how it is inside…. (spoiler: Titanic meets the Sorbonne)

| Read more: 7 American universities you need to check out

Flagler College

From the school, you can have a look at the Lightner Museum

Lightner Museum

The ocean on the way from St Augustine back to Ponte Vedra

Best places to stay in St Augustine FL

Here are some of the best places to stay in St Augustine FL for every budgets:

Best place to stay in St Augustine for backpackers: Discovery Yoga Center Hostel in downtown St Augustine. There are private rooms with private or shared bathroom, and male-only & female-only dormitories. On top of that, you get 1 free yoga lesson with your booking! | Check reviews and availability on Booking.com

Best place to stay in St Augustine for budget road trippers: The Budget Inn motel is perfect for a stop in the historic town of St Augustine on a road trip. It’s only a 2min drive away from the center, and has free wifi. | Check reviews and prices on Booking.com.

Best Bed & Breakfast for couples to stay in St Augustine: At Journey’s End B&B is the best B&B you can get in St Augustine. It’s absolutely perfect for couples, with an excellent location in the heart of the historical town, and raving reviews. Each room is themed after famous explorers and you can lounge on the shared deck and enjoy some complimentary drinks. Enjoy! | Check reviews and availability on Booking.com

Best luxury 4* hotel to stay in St Augustine FL; The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens is the best luxury hotel you can find in the heart of the historic town of St Augustine. With a heated outdoor pool and gorgeous rooms (including a microwave, which we always enjoy!), The Collector also offers the use of bicycles and organizes tours of the city. | Check reviews and prices on Booking.com

Evening of day 1: The ocean at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort in Ponte Vedra 

Finally, the ocean!!! The water was incredibly hot, hotter than Alice or I had ever experienced!! It kind of felt as if we were in a hot bath, so it was a bit weird!

Simone and Regina on the beach

After a little while, we relocated to the pool of the Sawgrass Marriott Resort where I did laps and the girls had a cocktail by the side of the pool.

Total American Beach Club experience !! 

When Regina’s husband Judd arrived, we had dinner at the cabana beach club, where we talked about the current socio-economic-political situation.

Where to stay in Ponte Vedra & Jacksonville

Hotels & resorts in Ponte Vedra Beach

Affordable hotel in Jacksonville

Day 2: Rest, work, and diner in Ponte Vedra

I wrote down on our travel notebook that all I could remember about that day was the beach. Alice nicely circled this part, and wrote below it that it was ‘great because we didn’t go to the beach that day‘. UUUUUH……… Instead, she pointed out that I got a haircut and napped while she worked (at least, that’s what she says she did!)

At night, we had dinner at Palm Valley Outdoors Bar & Grill, a very cool place under a bridge. It was a nice location, by the water, where people swam and had fun.

Back at home, we realized we had not scheduled and booked anything for our trip after New Orleans…

OOPS!

Our plan was initially to go from there to Las Vegas for a night or two, before flying to California. But now, so close to the date of leaving, it had gotten more expensive (and we got more broke) so we tried to understand what to do….

Day 3: The last day of ocean in Florida until we get to California!

I went swimming in the ocean and run, while Alice did an aqua-fitness class with Regina at the beach resort (she was the youngest by far, that was hilarious). Basically, we spent the day under the sun, riding waves, that was a very good day.

With Regina we did some grocery shopping, and come dinner time I made a risotto.

The cousins cooking together!

A good part of the evening was again spent by checking out how and where to go after New Orleans.
Hours of hair-pulling later, we agreed to forget about Las Vegas and take the fastest cheapest way to get to California. So we booked a Greyhound from New Orleans to Houston, and a flight from Houston to San Diego.

Good bye Florida!