Christmas is Coming

I know, I know...it's not even Halloween yet. (And I heart Halloween!)

But we've just announced our Nights of Lights special, so I've been humming Christmas tunes all day.

What's so special about our Nights of Lights special? Well, when you stay two weeknights (that's Sunday through Thursday) during the Nights of Lights event (it runs from November 17 through January 31), you get the following:

• FREE tickets to the Green Trolley, which will take you through town so you can enjoy the two million twinkling lights while sitting down
• FREE fudge from local candy-maker Fudge Buckets (seriously, they're served in a little bucket with a spoon. How smart is that???)
• FREE hot chocolate at Fudge Buckets

And, of course, you get all the cool free stuff that you've come to expect--a hot southern breakfast every morning, our world-famous happy hour, parking, wifi, access to bikes...the whole shebang!! And you get the chance to enjoy our own awesome light display...here it is in 2011.

St. Augustine was named one of the Top Ten Places in the WORLD to see holiday lights by National Geographic last year. And the Bayfront Marin House is the best place in St. Augustine to enjoy the festival!

Ice Cream Wednesday

Your opportunity to taste Mike's homemade ice cream is disappearing faster than a cone of vanilla bean on a hot summer day.

Yup...today is the LAST ice cream Wednesday of the summer!!! We have a couple of rooms open tonight...and they all come with complimentary ice cream.


And what did the hub make for the occasion? Chocolate cheesecake with a strawberry swirl. Mmmmm.


Spoons away, friends!!!

More Views of the Princess Margaret

You've heard that we're holding a contest to name our "newest" room--the room formerly known as Prince, er, I mean, The Princess Margaret.

But have you seen pictures of the entire suite? Have you seen...the BODY JETS??? (Our entire staff is clamoring to stay in this room, but it's been full ever since it's been reopened!!)

In case you haven't seen all of the angles in this room, here are a few of them:

Check out the body jets in the glassed in shower.

 

More body jets, horizontal style!!

 



From your seating area, you can see the Matanzas Bay.

Our Latest Release: A Chance to Win Up to $500 in Gift Certificates!

St. Augustine Bed and Breakfast Announces Chance to Win Up to $500 in Gift Certificates

The Bayfront Marin House, a 15-room bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, FL, is holding a contest on Facebook to rename one of their most popular guest rooms. Two winners--a fan favorite and a staff favorite--will be eligible to win $250 each in gift certificates to the award-winning bed and breakfast.

 

 

 St. Augustine, FL (PRWEB) September 10, 2012

 

Want a chance to win a $500 stay at the Bayfront Marin House, a beautiful waterfront bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, Florida?

Mike and Sandy Wieber, owners of the romantic inn, are holding a contest to rename one of their most popular guest rooms, currently called the Princess Margaret.

"We completely gutted the room and renovated it to the nines," says Sandy Wieber. "We used very soothing colors, and created a restful retreat for our guests. Since we were changing everything in the room--including its layout--it made sense to change the name as well."

"The bathroom is over the top," adds Mike Wieber. "Sandy picked out a beautiful slate colored tile, and accented it with glass tiles. The tub is jetted, and the shower has a row of body jets for the ultimate relaxation vacation."

The room is on the inn's second floor, and boasts water views from its two bedroom windows. It is furnished with a queen sized bed, a romantic electric fireplace, and an English armoire for storage. All the rooms at the Bayfront Marin House have flat-screen televisions, many with integrated DVD players, as well as private entrances, plush robes, and free wifi.

"We're looking for a name that will complement the other names of the inn, and one that suits the mood of the room," says Sandy Wieber. "The winning name will let future guests know that they can expect a relaxing, romantic weekend when they stay in this room. We can't wait to see what our fans come up with!"

For complete contest rules, or to enter a name in the contest, please visit http://www.facebook.com/bayfrontmarinhouse. The contest ends on October 31; winners will be chosen and announced within 30 days of that date.

More Information about the Bayfront Marin House
The Bayfront Marin House in Saint Augustine, Florida is a 15-room, luxury bed and breakfast inn. Located on the Matanzas Bay, the bed and breakfast offers stunning views of the water, along with a hot southern breakfast each morning, daily happy hours, delicious desserts, and the highest levels of personalized customer service. The lodging has recently been awarded TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence for 2012.

Our Latest Press Release: St. Augustine Bed and Breakfast Launces New Website for Travelers

St. Augustine Bed and Breakfast Launches New Website for Travelers

Visitors to St. Augustine, FL can find all the information they need for their trip at the Bayfront Marin House's new website. Links include Things to Do in St. Augustine, as well as ideas for romantic getaways like anniversaries and honeymoons.

• 

The Bayfront Marin House, a 15-room bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, Florida, has launched a new website at http://www.bayfrontmarinhouse.com.

The Bayfront Marin House, a 15-room bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, Florida, has launched a new website at http://www.bayfrontmarinhouse.com.


Visitors to the website will be able to plan their entire trip to St. Augustine, with links detailing the history of the town and the area's best attractions. Guests will also be able to compare amenities from room to room, seeing at a glance if the room has romantic features such as a Jacuzzi tub, a fireplace, or a water view.


"All of our rooms are beautiful," says Mike Wieber, owner of the historic bed and breakfast. "The new site allows our visitors to more easily compare rooms and make selections that will make their St. Augustine getaway perfect."


The inn's website also allows guests to see add-on services at a glance--from carriage rides through the old city to private sails on the Matanzas Bay. "Our guests are often celebrating a special event," says Wieber. "We have services and amenities that make any honeymoon, anniversary, or birthday celebration a day to remember. Our new website makes it much easier to see the various options, and to book them online."

The website was designed by Old City Web Services, a St. Augustine based company offering a variety of design and marketing services including web development, search engine optimization, logo creation and more.

Flowers of the Day: Yellow Roses

What's happier, sunnier, more summery than yellow? NOTHING!!!

This photo is from Brianna and Adrian's wedding, held in the gazebo yesterday. Brianna carried a gorgeous round bouquet of yellow roses, and her groom sported a yellow tie and yellow boutenniere. The girls wore yellow ribbons in their hair, yellow sandals, and--of course--yellow pedis.

Now, this blogger is all about the yellow--yellow pumps, yellow flats, yellow sweater sets, and an awesome yellow blazer that I wear when I'm doing presentations. So maybe I'm biased...but I have to say, I thought this color absolutely rocked!!

I also loved that the bride included small crystals in the bouquets, and in her hair. It added a great sparkle in the yellow sunshine!

See more photos below.

Nothing mellow about this yellow--and I loved it!!

Getting Crafty: My Latest Wreath



This wreath doesn't suc-ulent.

 Every now and again, I get inspired to do something a little crafty.

Last week, inspiration struck and I created this wreath for our back patio area. It's where we keep the bicycles and beach chairs, and it's not a very trafficked area--but I think every space has the right to be beautiful.

What do you think? Is it beautiful or what?

(Want to make your own? I got a grapevine wreath, then glued green "grass" to it, as well as some natural moss. I then wired--and hot glued--2 sizes of terracotta pots to the wreath, and filled them with succulents. Because I know I'm not great at watering! Then I tucked in/glued some little birds, a couple of butterflies, and finished it with a raffia bow made out of two colors of raffia, a pinecone, and another bird for good luck. I bought everything at Michael's, except the plants which I got at Home Depot. It was about $25, plants and all).

Need Help Creating the Perfect Proposal?

St. Augustine Bed and Breakfast Offers the Service of Personal Engagement Specialists

Would-be grooms can get advice and help creating a perfectly planned, romantic proposal at this Florida bed and breakfast.

• 

 

Many couples choose the Marie Antoinette suite, a waterfront room on the second floor of the Bayfront Marin House.

 

St. Augustine, FL (PRWEB) July 31, 2012

The Bayfront Marin House, a waterfront bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, FL, now offers its guests help in popping the question.
"We were getting more and more requests from would-be grooms, asking us for advice on how to make their proposal perfect," says bed and breakfast owner Mike Wieber. "This service allows grooms to customize a proposal for their special someone, and it ensures that all of the elements of the event--whether it includes dinner reservations, breakfast in bed, special music, whatever--will be taken care of before they arrive."
Engagement specialists can help inn guests create banners, decorate their rooms, or serve a wedding ring on top of a stack of pancakes for breakfast.
"Our job is to make suggestions and facilitate the process," says Wieber. "We've set up surprise horse and carriage rides, with the carriage picking the couple up right at our sidewalk and the driver holding a poster that asked 'Will You Marry Me?' We've planned private sunset sails for two, and we've even arranged to have an engagement videotaped on the guests' smart phone so that they could share it with their families. It's awesome to be part of such a special occasion, and to ensure our guests that their proposal will go according to plan."
Other services include creating a special romance package for the couple, complete with items such as a couples' massage, customized flower arrangements, rose petals, chocolate covered strawberries--everything a couple could want to make their proposal memorable.
Engagement specialists' services are offered free of charge to inn guests; packages are priced based on guest requests.
"Just as couples work with a wedding coordinator to make sure their ceremony is perfect, we wanted our guests to have the support of an event planner to make sure that their proposal is perfect as well," says Wieber.
More Information about the Bayfront Marin House
The Bayfront Marin House in Saint Augustine, Florida is a 15-room, luxury bed and breakfast inn. Located on the Matanzas Bay, the bed and breakfast offers stunning views of the water, along with a hot southern breakfast each morning, daily happy hours, delicious desserts, and the highest levels of personalized customer service. The lodging has recently been awarded TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence for 2012.

PDF Print

Our Latest Press Release: Ice Cream Wednesdays!

Mike Wieber, owner of the Bayfront Marin House bed and breakfast, shares his love of homemade ice cream with his guests during the summer.

• St. Augustine, FL (PRWEB) July 10, 2012

     Summers in St. Augustine are a little bit cooler, thanks to this beautiful bed and breakfast on the water.


      Mike Wieber, owner of the Bayfront Marin House, pulls out his ice cream maker and his creativity every week in July, August, and September. On Wednesday nights, he shares his latest frosty creation with his guests.


     "Ice cream is a great equalizer," says Wieber. "Everybody likes ice cream, and it tastes even better in the summer."


      Guests are treated to concoctions like Girl Scout Shout Out (a chocolate ice cream base with marshmallow, caramel, and chunks of Samoa cookies); You're a Peach Fruit Cobbler (peach ice cream with a swirl of caramel and sweet pie crust pieces); Spunky Monkey (a banana ice cream with Oreo sandwich cookies); and Cinnamon Toast Crunch (a cinnamon cake batter base with pieces of homemade snickerdoodles).


     "I don't have a plan for what I'm making throughout the summer," says Wieber. "I usually get inspired on Monday or Tuesday--either I have a craving for a particular flavor, or I see great looking produce at the market. Then I start thinking--what could I add to that to make a fantastic ice cream?"


      Last summer's staff favorite was Chocolate Cheesecake Crunch (a chocolate cheesecake base with Oreo sandwich cookies), closely followed by Gimme Some More S'mores (a chocolate ice cream with chocolate covered graham crackers and a marshmallow swirl). Wieber says he wasn't surprised by the choices: "As a bed and breakfast owner, I know that chocolate is a surefire hit--and chocolate mixed with cheesecake is even better!"

Recipe:

Marin House Chocolate Cheesecake Crunch Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 package softened cream cheese (8 ounces)

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c.  half and half

1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. heavy cream

12 chocolate sandwich cookies, crumbled into bite-sized pieces

Put cream cheese, sugar, and half and half in a blender. Mix at medium speed, until smooth. This takes about one minute. Add the cocoa and blend until mixture has a uniform color. Add the half and half and vanilla. Mix. Slowly add the cream, continuing to mix on low speed. This takes about 30 seconds.

Transfer mixture to ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions.

When the mixture is frozen, remove ice cream from maker and place in storage container. Add crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies to taste and fold in.

 Serve immediately. Makes approximately 1 quart.

Happy Fourth (On the Fifth)

It was a beautiful night last night for fireworks (and for a wedding, which we happened to have).

You can see the fireworks from our front lawn (and from the front porches, of course). It's a perfect place to enjoy the holiday!!

And that's exactly where our bride and groom sat after their ceremony was over: right on the front lawn, in front of the display.

We said they'd see fireworks!!

Sailing, Takes Me Away...

This is what a "not so spectacular"
St. Augustine sunset looks like!!

Have you ever noticed how many songs there are about sailing? There's John Fogarty's Sail Away, the Enya classic Sail Away: Orinico Flow, my Randy Newman fave Sail Away (he often closes with it), and the Styx classic Come Sail Away.

But that's just the beginning...there are tons of sailing songs and books and movies. (I only know because I had to look up the "real" name of Enya's song and I found this huge list on wikipedia). Honestly, I don't understand intellectual copyright laws at all, because it doesn't seem like you should be able to have 100 songs with the same name.

Legalities aside, there's a reason all these singers want to harmonize about life on the high seas: it's because it's mesmerizing. It's relaxing. It's like going to another world.

Last night, the hub and I enjoyed a sunset sail with a few friends, going out with the awesome Captain Chuck and First Mate Rose Ann of St. Augustine Sailing. (That's them above...the woman in red is our friend Mrs. Locklear, whose birthday we were celebrating). We took a 41' Hunter sailboat, which has a very nice cabin below deck, as well as plenty of room for the six of us to spread out and enjoy the lazy evening.

It's hard to be uptight on a sailboat. I mean, I guess if you're on the Bounty and Fletcher Christian is coming towards you with a big rope and a pistol, it might be a little nerve-wracking. But the likelihood of that is pretty low.

A relaxing sail is so nice, in fact, that the hub thought our guests might enjoy the outing. So he put together a great package--a two hour sunset sail on a sailboat, just for two people (plus the crew, of course--you don't want to help sail the boat). It's a totally blissful getaway, and it's only $129 with a three-weeknight stay. You can see all the details on our website.

If you're interested in learning more about the package, just give us a call at 904.824.4301. We'll be happy to give you the whole scoop.

Unless, of course, we're out sailing. (Check out some of the photos from our trip below...and yes, all of the photos on this blog are really from our trip. And Rose Ann apologized that it wasn't a spectacular sunset!)

The marina on Vilano Beach is beautiful in its own right.
 Our captain's favorite boat name? THE LAST BOAT #4.

The dolphins followed us all night--I didn't even have to zoom for this shot.

Saint Augustine: Beautiful any time of day!

Francis Dunnery in the House!!

We sent this email out to a bunch of press-type folks tonight. Just wanted to make sure that you all know first!!

English Musician to Play Intimate House Concert at Local Bed and Breakfast

Saint Augustine, FL—March 23, 2012—Francis Dunnery, an English musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and record label owner, will be performing a house concert on Sunday, April 22, at the Bayfront Marin House in Saint Augustine, Florida.

Dunnery is best  known as a solo performer, and for fronting the original lineup of the band It Bites between 1982 and 1990. His credits include co-writing and singing the #6 UK hit single, "Calling All the Heroes", in 1986.

“My wife and I have been fans of Francis Dunnery since we saw him perform in Philadelphia several years ago,” says Mike Wieber, owner of the Bayfront Marin House on Avenida Menendez. “When we heard that he was interested in performing in very small venues in the United States, we contacted him to see if he’d be interested in playing in America’s oldest city.”

Concert promoters contacted the Wiebers in early March to tell them that their inn had been chosen as a concert venue. The concert will be held in the bed and breakfast’s dining room at 7:30 pm until 9:00 pm. Dunnery will be playing from his “Tall Blonde Helicopter” tour.

Dunnery served as a sideman and musical contributor for artists as diverse as Robert Plant, Ian Brown, Lauryn Hill, Santana and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe. He has worked as producer and/or collaborator with David Sancious, Chris Difford (of Squeeze), James Sonefeld (Hootie and the Blowfish), Erin Moran (better known as A Girl Called Eddy), and Steven Harris (ex-The Cult, Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction). In addition, Dunnery owns the Aquarian Nation record label.

For more information, or to order tickets, please contact the Bayfront Marin House at 904.824.4301 or info@bayfrontmarinhouse.com. Tickets are $30 for the general public, and $18 for bed and breakfast guests.

Light Up Your Life: A Holiday Special from the Bayfront Marin House

I used to balk whenever I saw Christmas decorations in stores before it was even Halloween.

Then I met my nephew, who--when he was four--opened his last birthday present of the day then said "When is my birthday next year???"

Why not celebrate something that you really enjoy as soon as possible?

We've been thinking about Christmas for quite some time now. And we've got a GREAT deal for our guests who are planning to spend the holiday season with us.

From November 27 through January 26, guests who stay two weekday nights (that's Sunday through Thursday) are going to have a sweet time at the Bayfront Marin House.

First, when you check in, you'll get awesome chocolate peppermint bark and s'mores from the amazing Claude's Chocolates (a local favorite--just ask our staff!) It's a great way to start a romantic getaway with your own sweetie.

After you've fed each other chocolate, you can enjoy our almost-famous happy hour from 5-7 each night. Lounge around in our hammock--or one of our relaxing porch swings--with a glass of our sangria, and a plate of our nom-noms du jour.

But the most fun is yet to come. When the sun goes down, the lights go up--over 2 million twinkly white ones, part of the illuminating Nights of Lights celebration in Saint Augustine. You'll enjoy the perfect vantage point on a FREE and EXCLUSIVE ride on the Inns of Elegance red train. It will pick you up right from our inn (we're one of only 5 Inns of Elegance, so there will be plenty of room on the ride), and take you on a gorgeous tour through town.

If you and your loved one don't feel all lovey-dovey after that, well, then there's really nothing more we can do for you.

But that doesn't mean we're not going to try!! When you check in, we'll give you a gift certificate good for two cups of homemade hot chocolate and chocolate covered biscotti from Claude's. It's our holiday gift to you--to THANK YOU for helping to make our first full year as innkeepers truly sweet for us.

We hope you'll join us for the holidays this year. The Trolley Treat Tour begins November 27 and runs through January 26 (with the exception of the week between Christmas and New Year's, when even Santa takes a break!!) Call us soon to book your stay!!

Gimme Some More: The Ice Cream of the Day in Saint Augustine

Today is National S'mores Day! (Read more here: http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/smoresday.htm).

In honor of that, we're serving up Gimme Some More Smore ice cream tonight at the inn.(As a reminder, we're serving Mike's homemade ice cream every Wednesday night in July and August).

Last night, we took graham crackers and covered them in chocolate, then froze them and broke them up into bite-sized pieces. We then swirled these into a chocolate ice cream, along with massive amounts of marshmallow and caramel. I tasted it this morning, and it's pretty darn awesome.

If you're in the area, stop by our dining room tonight for a taste. We can almost guarantee that you'll want us to Give You Some More!!!