There's a hidden hideaway in one of the oldest neighborhoods of St. Augustine where you can leave the hustle/bustle of life behind, yet still be steps away from the magic of the “old city.”
At Three Stories Inn you can create a chapter of your own that exudes the spirit of hospitality as soon as you open the door. There isn't an innkeeper to greet you. However, everything is easy to access with today's digital technology, so you can be comfortably vacationing in your own luxe suite in your own time!
Step up onto the rocking-chair porch and enter the tiny lobby. You’ll be staying in either the Foreword, Prologue or Epilogue — already an enticing welcome into the Victorian-Era Jefferson House.
Once the home of Maria Jefferson Eppes Shine, the great-granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson, her home on Bridge Street was recognized as a “quaint, pretty Cottage…” by the St. Augustine Tatler in 1891!
With only three apartments, your overnight or more lengthy stay is a divine setting for a “novel” experience. Owner and visionary Marie Milton has curated the most beautiful, sophisticated furnishings, décor and amenities to define the modernized home with immeasurable creativity.
Dotted with surprises in each room, you can't miss the vintage typewriter that sets the tone for discovering books everywhere by popular authors that guests love to read. Exploring on your own begins with the welcome book, which isn’t your usual hotel variety of white pages. Instead, it’s a colorful bound book that leads you through “How to Enjoy Your Stay” — selecting restaurants, things to do, history and getting settled into your new surroundings!
Every traveler plans a getaway with their own plot and outline. In St. Augustine, you might have an appointment to take a horse-and-carriage ride, board a trolley to see the sights, wander the architecturally beautiful brick-paved streets — even enjoy a food tour with a group of friends.
But there is something about Three Stories that just won’t let you arrive, unpack and just run out. Marie learned how to slow down in her own life while she was creating this enchanting inn inspired by travels with her mother. You'll instantly feel that within the walls — they hold the spirit of storytelling. The city will wait! This is a place that will capture your own imagination to enjoy the time that you have chosen to live in the moment.
Three Stories is in the center of Lincolnville. It’s a lively residential neighborhood without the enormous crowds that gaily fill the streets on the waterfront or in the shopping areas. It’s become a gentrified neighborhood in St. Augustine that tells a narrative of more than 450 years of the African-American story in Northeast Florida. Its rich cultural heritage is filled with archaeological findings, stories of early Florida settlers and even music played by jazz greats like Ray Charles. How appropriate that the inn’s name is also about telling stories and perhaps even creating your own chapter while visiting.
Ease into your pied-a-terre surrounded by contemporary tapestries, velvet drapes, stylish wallpapers, luxurious linens, designer chandeliers, splendid dinnerware and culinary equipment … especially the distinctive bird feeders — every corner is a cozy spot for celebrating life.
At the end of a hectic St. Augustine day, guests cherish the late nighttime to unwind on the quiet balcony where you can soak up the city's grand history.
Outfitted with a full kitchen of gourmet cookware, dinnerware and appliances, Three Stories invites you to sleep late and prepare breakfast or explore St. Augustine, which has a wealth of breakfast eateries, from Georgie’s Diner to Blue Hen. You'll enjoy the welcome book’s current dining suggestions from menu favorites to walking and driving hints.
Introducing La Nouvelle
There is something rare that also sets this inn apart from the rest: newly introduced La Nouvelle, only a few steps from your living room down the staircase! Chef Michael Lugo's outstanding French restaurant (translated it means “First Story”) is a classic French bistro for modern tastes and modern guests. Even with a long list of St. Augustine and Island eateries to choose from, people are discovering that they are tempted to visit twice in a day with two distinctive experiences — lunch in the garden or on the porch — and then a romantic return to dinner.
If you're staying at Three Stories, La Nouvelle is the most comforting dining room without leaving “home.” Lugo has elevated his restaurant to an art form, where you feel the beauty and pleasure of cooking, with a focus on preparing many simple dishes well. He’s honoring one of the world’s great cuisines, a French journey that improves with every step.
At La Nouvelle, there is a parade of creativity. Feel that spark again to toast life and love in one of the most sensual rooms in St. Augustine. It casts a spell for you to celebrate with a meal that will leave you as smitten as your true love's first kiss.
Lugo’s philosophy from years past when he opened his first restaurant, Michael’s (his flagship that showcases Spanish cuisine and wine), at the age of 29 is “One Team / One Dream.” Followed by Pesca Vilano (reflecting his homeland of Puerto Rico) to finally have a French restaurant to tie into St. Augustine's global culture.
He loves “… creating a passionate team, training upcoming generations, and enhancing the dining scene of America’s oldest city. La Nouvelle has a purpose and place where I can tell my story, try new things, sketch the vision and bring in talented chefs like Chef Matthieu Landillon from Marseilles to put in the color.”
La Nouvelle is a restaurant where you can slow down, make the most of the present moment. It’s a perfect match to Three Stories Inn where you feel you’re in a land far, far away that might change the course of everything. It’s a very “novel” restaurant that carries Lugo’s brand — being awarded Wine Spectator three times at Michael’s. "As a chef, if you love food, you love wine and you’re a great wine curator.”
He weaves a tapestry each day where the nightly “blackboard” of outstanding specials prepared by Executive Chef Matthieu includes foie gras, caviar and classic dishes ala Bouillabaisse. Descriptions tease your senses to be lured with surprises that might have been inspired by Lugo’s early career of cooking at Chamberlain’s in Dallas or with well-known legend Emeril LaGasse!
Trio of Pate — Boeuf Bourguignon
La Nouvelle’s French bistro fare is sumptuous but very approachable. Simple ingredients transform into elegant dishes while you sip a glass of wine that defines true chemistry of France’s legacy in the world of gastronomy.
Luxurious lobster bisque, French Onion Soup, Burgundy Escargots, a Trio of Pâté, Lyonnaise Salad with poached egg and brioche croutons couldn’t be more like a trip to Paris. Croque Monsieur with Parisian ham and gruyere cheese, Sole Meniere beurre blanc, Boeuf Bourguignon, Steak Frites and bearnaise butter or a Royale with Cheese (burger with caramelized onion and gruyere cheese) all take centerstage for luncheon or dinner.
This flawless duet is awaiting your visit. On any given day, treat yourself to a classic getaway and pack your best ink pen and book of empty pages. The atmosphere, flavors, setting and characters are all here to create your first chapter.
Getting started is the hardest part. However, Three Stories Inn and La Nouvelle will make it easy to dream about your opening sentence, which might begin, “Once Upon a Time in St. Augustine …”
