The Collector Inn in St. Augustine, FL

My wife and I stayed here one night in January 2020. This hotel is located in seven houses, a former garage and a former general store in the historical section of St. Augustine. All of these buildings have been completely renovated and restored. The work was beautifully done and it appears no expense was spared. Meticulous care was taken to preserve the historical exteriors of the buildings while completely modernizing the interiors and bringing the structures into compliance with current building codes. The work was completed in 2017. The staff was friendly and helpful. Our room was clean and furnished with new, hotel grade furniture, not antiques. After we checked in we had two well made cocktails in the bar located in the former garage, which is made from quarried coquina blocks. This hotel is within easy walking distance of everything in historical St. Augustine. After supper in a nearby restaurant, we sat by one of the fire pits on the grounds. The next morning we had coffee while sitting in rockers on a porch in our building and breakfast in the breakfast room in the "lobby" building, which is the former general store. In the morning we also took the tour of the property, which was guided by a woman who has been associated with the property for many years and who gave a fascinating history of the property. We would happily stay here again.

We booked The Collector based on a NYT 36 Hours in St. Augustine article and we were pleasantly surprised. We felt like we were staying at someone's house rather than in a hotel. The location was perfect for our walking tours of St. Augustine. Staff were pleasant and helpful. The history tour of the grounds was intriguing and wonderful. We will stay here again, without a doubt!

I am still dumbfounded by our experience at The Collector. Based on other reviews and the cost per night of the hotel, I expected 5 star service and (for the most part) that's not what we received. We checked in on New Years Eve and were greeted by John, a nice and accommodating valet/bellman. He escorted us to the reception desk where Jillian (not sure if this is spelled correctly) got us all checked in, pointed out a few key features of the property, and confirmed that there was a note on our account about us expecting a package to arrive during our stay. An excellent start to our staycation. We were put in the Rose House, in a downstairs room. The room was spacious, well furnished with a sofa, reading chairs, small kitchenette and lovely remodeled bathroom. Unfortunately being that this is an older house, you can hear everything that goes on in the room above you and also outside. We heard what sounded like the people upstairs rearranging their furniture and tap dancing in high heels. Dispute the lack of sleep we got because of our noisy "neighbors", we tried to get out and enjoy the sights of Saint Augustine. 2 nights later is when my package was set to arrive. I received an email confirmation from usps with a tracking number that my package had been delivered to the front office. When we went to collect the package a few hours later, we were told it had been redelivered to the Post Office. My name was not on the room reservation (even though they had my credit card on file and I checked in with the guest's whose name the reservation was under), so instead of holding it or looking through the notes in their system "which we can't possibly do because we have so many guests", we were instructed to go to the Post Office to retrieve it. So we walk to the post office, stand in line, speak to a representative and proceed to wait 45 minutes while she looks everywhere for this package. And can't find it, even with the tracking number. We go back to the front office of The Collector and are told that the person working at the front office at the time the package arrived, opened the package, removed it's contents, put it into a return envelope and returned it to sender. Again, why not look through the notes in the system or hold on to it for a day to see if one of your paying guests comes to collect it. No that apparently is not their policy. But it is ok to open a guest's package.

We have been to St Augustine several times and were ready for a trip back. An internet search found The Collector. After reading reviews I decided to book. After booking through my credit card reward program I called the hotel to see if I could bring our small dog. I was told by Lynn at the front desk that we had booked a room that did not allow dogs and we had booked a handicap accessible room. She offered an upgrade for a small fee and I accepted and thanked her. After ending the call she called me back a few minutes later and told me that she moved some people around and had an opening in the building that allowed dogs. We were so happy to travel with our dog. We later found out what would be our only complaint about the hotel, we could not leave our crate trained dog unattended at the hotel. This was okay as most places in the city are dog friendly but it would have been nice to leave him for dinner at times. Other than this our stay was amazing. From our arrival we were greeted by Mike the valet who helped us with our luggage and told us all about the inn and shared his suggestions for food and adventures. We found The Well in the middle of the grounds and were welcomed by a true mixologist John who spun amazing cocktails in the hotel's bar. He mixed our drinks for a few nights until his night off and Emma picked up right where he left off. Our room was on the second floor of the Canova House. The king bed room was well perfectly stocked with all the amenities we needed including a small sink, fridge, microwave and coffee maker. Breakfast was served every morning in the hotel lobby with fresh pastries, bagels including smoked salmon and coffee. The hotel even provides bikes that can be checked out daily. One of the things that we really enjoyed was the history tour of the grounds of the hotel. This is offered several times a week and lasted about an hour. My wife and I cannot wait to return.

We have stayed in St Augustine many times. The Collector is the best we have ever found. Rooms are beautiful. Bar is a coquina structure that was the first double car garage built in St Augustine. Craft drinks in bar and only open to guests. Happy hour fro 5-6 and 10-11. Fire pits and lights surround this nine building courtyard. Watch prices. They really vary!