Carpe Diem

Carpe Diem is a Vilano Beach vacation rental with a private screened pool, four king bedrooms, and beach access just steps from the door. This 3,000 square foot home sleeps up to 14 guests, so you can bring the whole family without anyone feeling crowded. The big draw is simple: you do not have to choose between the beach and a pool. Start the morning with a beach session, come back for lunch and pool time, then head into St. Augustine when the sun starts dropping.

The House

Inside, the house has a polished coastal feel without losing the comfort of a real vacation home. The living room is bright and open, with a large sectional, television, fireplace, ceiling fans, plantation shutters, and relaxed beach house decor. It is an easy gathering space after the beach, especially for a group that wants one main room where people can spread out without disappearing into separate corners of the house.

The sleeping layout is stronger than a typical beach house. There are four bedrooms, each with a king bed. Bedroom 1 and Bedroom 4 each add a sofa bed, and the living room includes a sofa bed as well, so the home flexes easily for families with kids or multi generational groups who appreciate king beds over a mix of smaller ones. With 4.5 bathrooms, the house also avoids one of the biggest group travel headaches: everyone waiting on the same shower before dinner. The bedrooms carry the coastal style through with light colors, ceiling fans, televisions, and dressers, and one larger bedroom includes a sitting area, desk, and kitchenette style cabinetry for guests who want a little extra separation from the main group.

The dining area gives everyone a real place to sit down together, and the kitchen is fully equipped for longer stays, with a refrigerator, oven, stove, microwave, dishwasher, cookware, dishes and utensils, coffee maker, Keurig, toaster, and an ice maker. For families staying a week or more, that means you can stock the fridge, keep drinks cold, pack beach snacks, and avoid turning every meal into a restaurant outing. The two level home also has a washer and dryer, a garden tub, and a garage with room for beach gear storage, the kind of practical detail families appreciate once chairs, towels, coolers, and sandy items need somewhere to land.

The private screened pool is one of Carpe Diem's best features. The screened enclosure helps the pool area feel like part of the home, with patio space and outdoor seating nearby, and the pool can be heated seasonally for an added fee with advance notice. Please note the pool is not heated from Memorial Day through mid September. Outside, a charcoal grill, deck and patio space, a lanai, and a veranda give the house more than one way to enjoy the Florida weather: beach in the morning, pool in the afternoon, grilled dinner in the evening.

Highlights

• 4 bedrooms, four king beds plus sofa beds
• 4.5 bathrooms
• Sleeps up to 14
• 3,000 square feet
• Private screened pool, heated seasonally for an added fee
• Full kitchen, washer and dryer, and a garage for beach gear
• Pet friendly, for an additional pet fee
• Fireplace, plantation shutters, charcoal grill, and an outdoor lanai

St. Augustine

Carpe Diem puts you a short drive from St. Augustine, the oldest city in America. Cross the bridge from Vilano and you can spend part of the day at the beach and the rest walking St. George Street, visiting the Castillo, taking a ghost tour, or eating along the bayfront. The historic district fills easy day and evening trips with museums, restaurants, shopping, and live music, all close enough that you never have to stay in the middle of the busiest tourist blocks.

The Area

Carpe Diem sits in the Vilano Beach area, one of the best St. Augustine bases for guests who want a quieter, more residential coastal stay. The home is about a 2 minute walk from the Intracoastal Waterway on one side and roughly 100 to 125 steps from the beach on the other: ocean to the east, waterway to the west, and a slower rhythm in between. This part of town is known for surfing, paddle boarding, fishing, shark tooth hunting, biking, and casual exploring, with the Vilano Fishing Pier a short drive away for a walk, a view over the water, or a low key fishing break. The pier area also has a Publix and a small town center nearby for easy provisioning.

Traveling with another family or trying to keep a larger group close together? Carpe Diem works well as the main gathering house, and other First Choice Florida Vilano homes are worth comparing if different parts of the group want their own space nearby. Coastal Bliss is a similarly sized four bedroom Vilano house, while Ocean Oasis and Seawatch 2B offer smaller nearby options for overflow. For a pet friendly Vilano Beach base with room to settle in, a private pool, and quick access to the oldest city, Carpe Diem is a very comfortable way to seize the day.