Mermaid Cottage Mermaid Beach Cottage, Prime Vilano Beach, Hot Tub

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  Evenings gather around the fire pit, with the blue Adirondack chairs pulled in close and the gravel still warm underfoot. Somebody always goes back for a blanket, and nobody is ever in a rush to call it a night.
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  The hot tub sits under the pergola in its own screened pocket of the garden. It is shared with the upstairs bungalow, and it is at its best after dark when the string lights come on overhead and the day slows.
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  The Mermaid Bungalow sign at 2854 Coastal Highway, hand-painted onto the fence. Look for the mermaid and you have found us; if you cannot see her anywhere then the Publix will be over on your left-hand side.
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  Tangerine, cobalt and pink, all at once, and somehow it works beautifully. This is the open heart of the cottage, where the sitting area, the dining table and the kitchen all share one bright and cheerful room.
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  The Vilano Beach fountain marks the middle of the little town: shops, seafood, and the bridge across to Camachee Cove for boat hire and deep-sea charters whenever you fancy a proper day out on the water.
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  The historic bungalow from the lane, lavender clapboard set against the palms. Unit A is the ground floor, which means no stairs at all between the car, your bags and putting the kettle on for the first time.
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  The galley kitchen runs the length of the room, with dishes stacked on open shelves and the door standing open to the patio. Small and characterful, and set up so that everything is exactly where you can see it.
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  Deep red walls, white counters and the coffee maker ready for the morning. Compact, cheerful and genuinely usable, though do note there is no dishwasher here, so it is hands in the sink and somebody on drying.
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  The retro fridge in tomato red and the seafoam range are the reason people remember this kitchen. The cooktop works beautifully for a proper dinner in, though the oven is decorative only and must not be used.
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  That gorgeous seafoam range up close, with the red fridge beside it and the mini-split keeping the whole room comfortable. Cook the catch, pour a glass of something, and let the evening take care of itself.
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  The open plan means whoever is cooking is never shut away on their own. Ceiling fan turning, mini-split humming quietly, blue sofa a few steps away for whoever is supervising rather than actually helping.
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  Sofa, dining table and kitchen all in one bright room. There is no formal living room in this cottage, which is worth knowing before you book, but the open layout means everyone ends up together anyway.
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  The smart TV on the wall, the dining table below, and the bed just beyond. Sign into your own Netflix or Hulu, put your feet up, and let a rainy afternoon in Florida turn into something rather lovely.
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  Jenga, Chinese Checkers, Sorry and Connect 4, stacked and ready on the shelf. Every holiday needs one properly competitive evening, and this little cupboard is where that particular tradition tends to begin.
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  The bathroom sits just off the main living area, with a generous walk-in tiled shower behind the floral curtain. There is no bathtub here, but the shower after a long day in the salt is the real reward.
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  A round mirror, a timber vanity and that lovely soft teal on the walls. Towels, shampoo, conditioner and soap are all provided, so the only thing you really need to bring is the beach bag and a good book.
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  The walk-in shower is tiled from floor to ceiling with a low step in, framed by that warm orange trim. Small, bright, and exactly what you want after a long morning spent between the sand and the Atlantic.
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  Bright tile, a big mirror and plenty of counter for everybody's things. The bathroom carries the same fearless colour as the rest of the cottage, which somehow makes even the ordinary bits feel like a holiday.
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  The bedroom is calm where the rest of the cottage is loud, with a king bed beneath a slowly turning ceiling fan. Shutters and blinds close the morning out for as long as the holiday will let you sleep.
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  King bed, crisp white linens and daylight coming in from two sides. A futon in the same room folds out to a full-size bed, which is how a third guest fits in comfortably without anybody feeling squeezed.
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  Smart TV on the wall, ceiling fan turning overhead, and a bed you will not want to leave in any hurry. Extra pillows and blankets are in the cupboard, in case somebody likes to build themselves a proper nest.
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  Your own screened patio, with seating and the propane grill ready to go. We supply the fuel, so all you need do is bring back something good from the fish counter and light it whenever you are ready to eat.
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  The screened porch runs along the back of the cottage, teal doors and all, catching the shade through the afternoon. Pull a chair up, prop your feet, and let the hours go by at a considerably slower pace.
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  Looking down the length of the porch with the string lights waiting for dusk. This narrow, shady strip ends up being where most of the reading, most of the talking and most of the coffee actually happens.
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  The brick path runs from the parking through the planting to the courtyard and your door. Everything on this small property sits a few easy steps from everything else, which is rather the charm of it.
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  The hot tub under its pergola, fenced and screened on every side for privacy. It is shared with the upstairs bungalow, and never better than late in the evening with the palms rustling somewhere overhead.
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  The grill sits out on the timber deck beneath the pergola, ready whenever you are. Fire it up, pour something cold, and let dinner outdoors stretch on until the light finally goes down over the fence.
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  The pergola from the other side, with the hot tub tucked in beneath it and the bungalow just beyond. A small, green, private corner that feels a very long way indeed from anything resembling a resort.
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  White gravel, bright chairs, and the historic bungalow standing behind. The courtyard is shared with the upstairs unit: usually quiet, and pleasantly sociable on the evenings when you feel like company.
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  Late afternoon in the courtyard, when the light turns amber and the fire pit starts looking like a very good idea indeed. Pull two chairs together and watch the sky do its evening thing above the palms.
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  Behind the red door at the base of the stairs is the laundry shed, with a stacked washer and dryer inside. It is shared with the upstairs bungalow, and after a week of wet beach towels you will be glad of it.
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  The bungalow and its courtyard, blue trim bright against the white gravel. Two separate homes in one historic building, each with its own entrance, its own colour scheme and its own considerable character.
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  The brick path curving past the fire pit and out under the palms. This little property packs a great deal into a small footprint, and every part of it sits a few easy steps from the door of the cottage.
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  The fenced boundary of the property, clearly marked and private. Beyond it runs the sandy path towards the dunes; behind it sit your patio, the shared hot tub and the fire pit waiting for the evening.
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  The parking area sits behind the fence, screened from the road. There is one space per unit, and please do not park in the neighbourhood to the north of us, as cars left there are liable to be towed away.
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  More of the hand-painted fence, this stretch done in reds and driftwood blues. Small details like this are why people keep returning to this corner of Vilano rather than the larger resorts down the coast.
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  The mural runs the entire length of the fence in yellows and violets, a genuine piece of Vilano Beach folk art. Guests photograph it constantly, which tells you most of what you need to know about the street.
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  The painted fence again, following the path towards the crossing. It is the local landmark everybody uses to find us: turn in where the colours are and you will know you have arrived in the right place.
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  Coastal Highway runs straight past the property, which is how you reach everywhere else so quickly. Five minutes to historic St. Augustine, a couple of minutes to the grocery, and seconds to the sand.
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  The Vilano Beach crossing, only minutes from the door. Turn one way for the sand, and the other for the Publix, the boat ramp and dinner on the Intracoastal at Beaches Restaurant or the Kingfish Grill.
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  The front of the building, with the exterior staircase serving the upstairs apartment. Your own entrance to Unit A is on the ground floor, so there are no steps to manage with the luggage or the shopping.
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  Sixty seconds from the door, the county beach access opens between the sea oats. Sandy feet, a towel over one shoulder, and the Atlantic waiting at the end of the path. You will do this walk twice a day.
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  From above you can see how close the Atlantic really is: a short walk from the door and you are standing on the sand. Vilano rooftops, palms and dunes running all the way down to the edge of the water.
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  Coastal Highway curving away north with the ocean off to the right. Ten minutes takes you down to historic downtown St. Augustine, and twenty-five gets you up to the golf and dining over at Ponte Vedra.
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  An aerial over the neighbourhood, all quiet lanes, mature palms and low beach houses. This is a residential pocket rather than a resort strip, which is very much the whole point of choosing to stay here.
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  The lie of the land: the bungalow, its fenced courtyard, and the sandy track threading off towards the dunes. Everything you actually need on holiday sits comfortably inside a five-minute walk of the door.
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  The cottage tucked into its green corner, with the beach path running along past the fence. Exactly the sort of spot people mean when they say they want to be near the water without being right on top of it.

Unit A is the downstairs apartment of a historic beach bungalow on Coastal Highway, and it has a personality all its own — retro appliances in tomato red and seafoam, walls in tangerine and cobalt, and a screened patio that catches the shade all afternoon.

Everything is on one level, with no stairs to climb. The layout is open: the kitchen sits right beside the dining area, so nobody is cooking alone in another room. There's no formal living room, which is worth knowing before you book — the sitting space is part of that same open run.

Out back you'll find a screened patio with seating and a propane grill (we supply the fuel), and beyond it a paver courtyard under a lit pergola with a fire pit, Adirondack chairs, and a hot tub shared with the upstairs unit.

A king bed anchors the bedroom, and a futon opens to a full for a third guest. The TV is a smart TV — sign in to your own streaming accounts. There's a stack of board games for a rainy afternoon.

Two practical notes: the kitchen has a working cooktop but the oven is decorative and must not be used, and there is no dishwasher.

Rates & Availability

Location

Saint Augustine, Florida

Amenities

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