This past weekend, I took a weekend getaway trip up North for my friend Kim’s birthday. A group of us stayed at an Airbnb that was a really unique experience. The stay was so different and delightful that I am devoting an entire blog post to it!
I will be mixing in highlights from the weekend and what we did during our stay. But mostly this post is all about this place, Runaway Bay—including its charming rough edges and what we took advantage of while there.
I don’t usually post about specific paid accommodation but this blog is all about not doing what is typical anyway! I don’t necessary mean for people to run and book this particular Airbnb after reading about my experience (although nothing is stopping you!). What I hope is it will inspire others to try something new—a different type of accommodation—when you have the chance.
The run of the mill Hotel or even Airbnb stay can get stale. This adventurous option was just the deviation I needed!
Arrival To Runaway Bay
Runaway Bay is in Seville, Florida, about 300 miles and 4.5 hours North of Miami, Florida.
The property sits on the shoreline of Lake George, a 46,000 acre lake that connects to the Atlantic Ocean by the St. Johns River. It is situated a 1-hour drive South of historic St. Augustine, 1-hour North of Orlando, and within the vicinity of several fresh water springs.
Driving anywhere outside of South Florida open’s up the doorway for, well, Florida. I realized I was really not in Miami anymore when I saw all of the pickup trucks. Pickup trucks, pickup trucks, everywhere!
The above picture represents a lot of what the homes and streets and roadsides look like up in this part of Florida. There’s not much to note. So driving in, I was a bit unimpressed.
As soon as I turned down Lake George Road to Runaway Bay, the landscape changed. I was driving through the Lake George Forest, wooded countryside leading to the Airbnb on Lake George. And it was beautiful!
This stretch of road eventually opened up to an area by the lake—Pine Island RV & Marina. Alongside the left of it was the entrance for the Airbnb. I pulled in, parked to the right, and popped open a cold kombucha before getting out of the car. I was immediately greeted by one of our hosts.
Runaway Bay Hosts & Space
Christina and Kennedy are the hosts of Runaway Bay. If interested, you can check out their profile here* and see all of the spaces for rent on the property.
Christina walked up and shook my hand. Kim’s friend Ravenna arrived shortly before me and was already talking to her. Christina was super sweet, laid back, and clearly proud of the space she and her partner Kennedy set up there.
She took us on a tour of the grounds, cabins, other buildings, and yurts. The first thing I noticed about the place is all the artwork, inspiring messages, and little tchotchkes everywhere—literally everywhere! It was a garden-gnome-inspired, hippie-Zen retreat with an underlying, rustic, fisherman shack aesthetic.
Christina showed us the garden with herbs growing that she told us we were free to pick. I immediately picked some mint and popped it right into my kombucha—so refreshing!
She showed us a separate tented dining area and a bar space with a pool table and old school, bootleg arcade system (including Streetfighter!) that we could use freely. There’s a craft corner and instruments to play, too!
The bar space is inside a cabin-like building that sits right on the dock. A pier with a cleaning station for fish stretches out from the dock. They provide fishing gear, too.
As we walked out on the dock, we heard splashes in the water below. Little alligators were sunbathing on the shore. As we approached, they got scared and swam off! Christina told us that the water is fine to go out on but not to swim in! Apparently there are water moccasins, too. So, nope—definitely not safe to swim in! LOL
But the area is otherwise safe. We experienced no gators wandering up from the water! Gators are just too scared of humans to even bother.
There is a yurt right there on the dock for rent and a fire pit with cozy seating around it. There’s also a small outdoor kitchen space, bathroom, and shower on the property—mostly for use by folks staying in the yurts. The yurts also come with A/C and heaters, by the way! So this is glamping, to be sure!
One of my favorite parts of the outdoor space is the covered 3-person hot tub!
Christina whispered to us:
“This is a clothing optional hot tub. We don’t judge around here!”
The inside of the main cabin has 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, living room, and screened in porch with dining area overlooking the lake.
We found Kennedy inside finishing cleaning one of the rooms. He, too, was super sweet and encouraged us to completely make ourselves at home.
There’s another cabin behind the main cabin, too, and another yurt behind that. All of these spaces are separately available for rent. I stayed in one of the bedrooms in the main cabin because the yurts were so popular. I also didn’t mind having my own bed with direct access to the bathroom!
Inside the 2nd yurt
As people were still arriving, Christina and Kennedy hung close by, still cleaning up and organizing some things. Eventually Fanny, Kim and Mariem made it there—we had our first main group of friends! Tomorrow, Fifi (Kim’s cousin) would replace Ravenna.
Our hosts greeted everyone, chatted for a bit, and then gave us our space for the rest of the time. Aside from a couple of guests staying in one of the yurts and security cameras posted around the area, we were left to enjoy the space privately.
Food Adventures
We had a well-stocked kitchen in the main cabin to cook during our stay—and yes, we COOKED!
Also, not long after everyone arrived, Kennedy came through and plopped down a huge box of fruit and vegetables. He said:
“Please, feel free to use any of the fruit and vegetables in this box!”
On our second night, we helped ourselves to some of the vegetables to contribute to a big roast!
The first night, however, Mariem cooked arepas and made sandwiches for everyone and I made shishito peppers as an appetizer/side.
For dessert, Mariem made a tiramisu birthday cake for Kim!
The next morning, I made breakfast! And since it was Passover, this included some matzo brie.
Because I’m a bad Jew but a typical foodie, it also included bacon…
This was the breakfast that kept giving and lasted 3 mornings!
I added in a fire-pit-inspired dessert one morning. This was a baked banana stuffed with nuts, peanut butter, and chocolate! It’s meant to be roasted in the fire but we ran out of wood for that the night before. Instead, I popped it in the oven for a bit the next morning!
Views And Firepit Fun
Speaking of the firepit…
Both nights we had gorgeous sunset views over Lake George. It was the perfect way to end each day! And for the first night, we lit a fire in the pit outside and had s’mores.
Photo by Kim
I almost forgot to mention one of my other favorite aspects of this place: The cat!
This outdoor cat roams the property and is super friendly and cuddly. The cat cozied right up to us as we sat around the fire—aw!
Sunset Kayaking
On the second night, we took advantage of the free kayaks available for rent and launch.
The property also offers john boats, bicycles, zip line, canoes, boat rentals, and jet ski's! Some of these are completely free and others are offered at discounted rates. The free kayaks were the perfect thing for us on our last night there.
The water was calm—and we got to see little alligators in the water!
Easter Egg Hunt
This whimsical space with it’s little details inspired me so much that I decided to make a fun activity for us around it. I made an Easter egg hunt!
Sunday morning was Easter and all of us adults wandered around the property like children in search of candy-filled eggs I hid all over. Here’s a few of the fun places where I put them around this awesome property:
In Conclusion
Overall, this was an amazing space hosted by an awesome couple! I can see why Kim picked it for her birthday. Apparently, she was their first guest over 5 years ago and they have worked on and built the place up significantly since then. It’s an amazing space now that provides a really unique experience.
Why not branch out and try something a little different from your usual Airbnb or hotel stay? Something like the Runaway Bay space would be both a comfortable and memorable experience!
*Note: As with all of my posts, this post and my entire blog is not monetized. I receive no payment or promise of discounts or anything for writing about my stay at Runaway Bay. I write this review purely out of my satisfaction with the experience and to inspire others to try experiences like it!
