We stayed here for a couple nights in December. This is not a luxury place - but it suited us perfectly. A short walk to the beach - and we had the beach practically to ourselves. We loved the place. We never used the kitchen, but it was nice to know it was there. We could park right at our room. It felt like having our own little house on the beach. St Augustine was a short drive away. Lots of good restaurants in the area. I would definitely go back there!

I grew up on the gulf coast of Florida and over the years have watched all the true Floridian style mom and pop motels disapear and be replaced with condos and huge chain resorts.
I was so happy to find the silver sands. It was very clean I stayed in one of the motel rooms, room 4 It has a kitchenette and utensils the place was very clean the management were helpful and very nice, they are pet friendly. They are close to the historic district yet far enough away to really relax. The motel is close to Fort mantanzas which you must see it is probably one of the only free sites to see in St Augustine. The beach was just a short walk down the boardwalk, only takes a couple of minutes. The motel has beach chairs you can use and umbrellas. We are absolutely going back! Next time I am going just for the motel and the beach Not the historic district.

My husband and I stayed in the apartment for a week in March 2011. We'd traveled a great distance, and I'd reserved this motel based on trip advisor reviews and had wondered at the great variety of reviews. After staying there, there were things I loved about the place and things I didn't like. I'll try to describe them so you know exactly what you're in for, should you decide to stay.

Walking in, my first reaction was disappointment. The apartment is huge and roomy, but it is quite plain, not quaint and romantic if you're hoping for that, and it lacks some basics. For example, there is plenty of closet room, but no hangers at all, NONE, and the manager didn't have any to give us either. Odd to have closets but no hangers. (note to owner, please go to the dollar store and buy your guests some hangers.) The easy chairs are comfortable but look worn and don't really match each other. The bathroom had soap but no soap dish and no shampoo samples, and the paint was peeling and it overall looked old. (Again, if it were me, I'd buy go a cute shell shaped soap dish to put some shell shaped soaps in, and provide a few shampoo packets.) The kitchen had all sorts of equipment, lots of pots and pans, a crockpot, a blender, yet did not have a toaster. We adjusted, broiling our bread in the oven to make toast for breakfast, but again, it just seemed odd. There are four bar stools at the counter but not a small table to actually sit and eat meals at. Those are the downsides.

Thing is, the place DID grow on me. The apartment though plain has lots of windows and feels light and open. It is quiet and in an absolutely beautiful location, just a short walk down a path to a wonderful sandy beach. We got up every morning before sunrise and took our coffee down to welcome the sun and take a walk on the beach. We were there spring break, and still it was relatively uncrowded. There was not just one, but two tortoises we met along that path. It was all so very peaceful. (I brought back shells from the beach and decorated our room myself!) And I said, aside from no toaster, the kitchen otherwise was well equiped and is very spacious, easy for two or more people to move around and cook in and chat with people sitting at the bar. Cooking together with extended family who stopped by became a very pleasurable part of our stay. The washer and dryer were very convenient to have, and I do want to mention that they DO provide the laundry detergent.

I would say that my biggest hesitation in deciding whether we'd return was that we stayed an entire week and not once was there any cleaning service. Now I like my privacy, and I didn't mind sweeping our own floors of sand and cleaning up after ourselves in the kitchen, or even taking out our own garbage. But after a couple of days of walking barefoot on the beach, the tub/shower became pretty dirty, and the toilet got clogged once (which we plunged ourselves), and the bathroom needed clearning. When I'm on vacation, I just don't feel like scrubbing a tub and toilet. I guess when I hear "motel", I expect some kind of cleaning service. In fact, even when we've rented condos, there was some kind of cleaning that occurred during our stay. I've never had to clean my own bathroom before. Here, no cleaning service, at least for the apartment. I didn't see a maid cart outside the motel rooms, so I don't know if those were cleaned until after guests departed either. If that's important to you, you should definitely ask when you make your reservation. I peeked in the motel rooms, and I'd characterize them the same way -- functional not cute, comfortable but worn looking. But all in a gorgeous location. The manager was new (she overcharged me at first, and thank goodness I had my emailed confirmation letter), but she was very nice and friendly. The place feels very laid back, in a good way, and I liked the brief chats I had with other guests walking to and from the beach by the apartment. Everyone was unpretentious. OH, but it does remind me, we did hear people complaining about their internet connection (we didn't bring our laptop, so I don't know for sure about that), but I do know that my cell phone coverage was very spotty -- I had to either walk out toward the road or walk out toward the beach to be able to find coverage. It was inconvenient but not a deal-breaker.

Overall, now that our expectations are realistic, I could see staying at the Crescent Silver Sands Motel in the apartment again, but given that we don't really get the services of a motel, I'll compare it with other rentals in the area first.

One of the best places to visit for quiet times with loved ones, friends and pets. Coming back in June ( 2011) with grandson and daughter , for what we think will be a great week.