^TM

An Old Florida Getaway

By Angela Wibking

Open the vintage screen door to the Hibiscus Coffee and Guesthouse in Grayton Beach,  just east of Destin on Florida’s Gulf Coast, and step back in time to a Florida of 60 years ago.

That’s the idea Louisiana businessman Kurt Tape and his wife Barbara had when they decided to open the coffeehouse/inn a few years ago. Since then the Hibiscus has carved out a niche in the gourmet coffee and breakfast area and in the realm of retro lodging.

Kurt describes the Hibiscus ambiance and d�cor as an “Old Florida” one that recaptures the days when beach houses had bare floors instead of sand-trapping carpets, cooling ceiling fans instead of air conditioning and a yard-sale d�cor of ceramic flamingo lamps and sea shell ashtrays.

This is the look you’ll find today at the Hibiscus, where there is even a room called the Turner, after the 1920s artist  whose vintage Florida prints adorn the walls. But you’ll also find all the needed modern touches, like efficient air conditioning, cable TV and private baths, and a non-smoking environment. What you won’t find is the chintz and frills that often define a bed-and-breakfast. And if you’re looking for the sort of B & B where the owners also live in the house and all the guests gather with them for a big communal breakfast and chit-chat in the morning, keep looking. Fans of that type of bed-and-breakfast experience may find the Hibiscus a bit too bohemian.

Innkeeper Gwen Mooney runs the place for Kurt and Barbara and is on the premises during the day. After 3 p.m. or so when the coffeehouse closes, you’re pretty much own your own as a guest, though there is a phone number to call if the need arises after hours. The rooms, while extremely comfortable, don’t boast any eye-catching antiques or fluffy down comforters or amenities like scented soaps and potpourri. But the kitschy black ceramic lamps, the rattan chairs, comfortable queen bed with a light spread and lots of cable channels on the color TV in the Art Deco room, where my husband and I stayed one night, suited us perfectly.

Breakfast is included in the room rate and is ordered from the regular Hibiscus menu. The morning meal can be enjoyed in the coffeehouse dining area or, weather permitting, in the plant-filled courtyard. We chose a seafood quiche and the “Waffle Wonderful,” topped with peanut butter, honey and fresh fruit. But we might have opted for pancakes, granola or a breakfast pastry. The real winner for us was the coffee--a bold yet smooth blend that Kurt orders from a roaster in Louisiana. You can also buy any of several varieties of Hibiscus coffees in bags to take home with you.

Nearby diversions include the beach, one of the most beautiful in the country with its pure white sands and turquoise waters, and a number of shopping and dining opportunities. Among our favorites of the latter is Monet Monet, a garden shop just a short walk from the Hibiscus. The shop is worth visiting even if you’re not in the market for plants, art or garden accessories just to look at the landscaped grounds. The owner has re-created elements of the famous French artist Claude Monet’s gardens at Giverny, including Monet’s lily pond and Japanese footbridge and his Grand Allee, a pathway of arched green trellises covered with flowering vines and roses.

You can lunch at the Hibiscus on a variety of sandwiches, salads and iced coffee or fruit drinks or try the Grayton Beach Caf�, a white-frame house with an open-air dining terrace offering outstanding views of the Gulf. For dinner, there’s Criolla’s (expensive) or the D & K Caf� (moderate). Both do imaginative seafood dishes and desserts.

The Hibiscus features 4 rooms, each with private bath and entrance. Nightly rates are $90 and $110, March-September; and $70 and $90, October-February. For information or reservations, call (904)231-2733 or visit the Hibiscus web site at http://www.digitalpark.com/hibiscus.

Photo By Angela Wibking

Back to TravelLady Magazine