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A five-star getaway; Spend the day at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club

None — PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- WSBTV.com recently made a trek to northeast Florida for a visit to St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra Beach, to uncover some of the things to do while on vacation there.

St. Augustine is full of historical offerings. When trips to the Fountain of Youth, Pirate and Treasure Museum, a climb up the St. Augustine lighthouse and a historic food tour tire visitors to the area, head just up the road to Ponte Vedra Beach and the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club to relax and recuperate.

"We're actually a AAA five-diamond property," Nathan Williams from the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club noted. "We have been for 10 consecutive years. We're the only property that has held (that distinction for) 10 years in northeast Florida.  We are a Travel and Leisure top 500 (resort). We are (on the) Conde Nast gold list."

The historic Ponte Vedra Inn and Club opened in 1928. Hotel records indicate the first guests came from Grosse Pointe, Mich.; Newport, R.I.; and Greenwich, Conn. They came for the sun, sand and surf. They came for the sports. They came to socialize. Nearly 80 years later, while the facilities have certainly been updated, this is a five-star resort, people still come for much the same reason.

"You can come play tennis," Williams told wsbtv.com. "You can come play golf. You never really have to leave. And of course the beach, your kids can go dig for shells and you can have a mai tie."

Whether quality time with the grandkids, a nap or reading at the pool or a jog on the beach is on the agenda, the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club offers each in a world-class atmosphere. Spa magazine ranked the facility's spa as the No. 1 beach spa in the country. Tennis magazine ranked it as the No. 1 tennis resort on the East Coast. American Express named it as one of the top 75 golf resorts in America.

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"The Ocean Course and Lagoon (Golf) Course each feature a distinct seaside links flavor," noted the company's website. "Meandering lagoons, undulating fairways, elevated Bermuda greens protected by steep-faced bunkers and a prevailing sea breeze provide for every kind of shot making challenge imaginable.  All 14 clubs are required here!"

In 1987, the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club opened the region's first spa. Twenty years later, a brand new 30,000-square-foot spa was unveiled that has been hailed in In-Style and Vogue and by Oprah.

There's a fitness center, daily activities for kids and plenty of options to fill the day if lounging at the beach or one of the resort's four pools isn't on the agenda.

Learn more at PonteVedra.com.

This story is sponsored by FloridasHistoricCoast.com.