St. Augustine Ponte Vedra 2008 Travel Planner - (Page 16) Perfectly PONTE VEDRA By Mischa Vieira-Kirby O n a late fall afternoon with the wind dancing and the promise of a luxurious escape, my mother and I descended upon the dune-lined coast of Ponte Vedra for three days of mother/daughter time. We left the men at home to fend for themselves while we dug our toes in the sand, sipped cool white wine oceanside and put in some time on the golf course, followed by some well-deserved time at the spa. HIGH LIFE, LOW KEY The resort town of Ponte Vedra Beach is perched on the Atlantic coastline about 30 minutes north of St. Augustine. In the 1930s, after its name was changed from Mineral City, Ponte Vedra Beach became a hideaway for America’s rich and fabulous crowd. No wonder we’re drawn here. My mom, Debbie, and I pull into the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club and are ushered to our suite overlooking the breaking waves of the Atlantic Ocean. The Inn & Club, which has been featured in Cosmopolitan and InStyle magazines (among many others), opened in 1928 and the 300acre resort still offers tennis and golf as it did originally, as well as worldclass dining, yoga and dance lessons and the spa that draws many to the secluded compound. Choose from the daily schedule of events or program your own appointments, such as the Unwind Together package for two that includes a facial, an aromatherapy soak, a deep-tissue massage, an aromatherapy steam shower and a spa pedicure. Slipping into the atmosphere, Mom and I take to the lounges perched atop the beach. Wrapped in blankets but still basking in the autumn sun, we’re lulled into reverie by the romance of Ponte Vedra that has changed little in 90 years. Minutes to the south, you can explore the pre-colonial nature of Ponte Vedra at the 55,000-acre Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. The Reserve’s 21,000-square-foot Environmental 16
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.