Doin’ the Continental, Part I
Last month I was pretending to be my daughter, Bess, as I swam down deeply in the ocean. (By the way, I look nothing like her in a swimsuit, ok? I mean, who could? Long legs, creamy caramel skin, gorgeous squared off shoulders and a flat tummy, duh.)
Actually, that was meant metaphorically. As Bess often does with such great results, I was swirling around in the worldwide web, searching to find a jewel of a place to stay on a trip I was planning. I needed to go to the location of my son, David’s wedding. ❤️ We had mapped out the details of the rehearsal dinner and now it was time to nail things down with the caterer. I can’t describe to you the pleasure attained in planning a project with David. What style he has, if I do say so myself. ?
Somewhere near Jacksonville would be the perfect location – that’d be a four hour car ride from my hometown of Charleston and pretty much the halfway point in an eight hour drive south then west, over to Highway 30A, along the gulf coast of Florida.
After mapping the trajectory, there on my computer, out of nowhere, surfaced something from another era – the Club Continental situated along the St Johns River, just 20 minutes from downtown Jacksonville, in Orange Park. Although on the map it appeared to be right in the midst of suburbia, the photos gave a different picture. Intriguing.
What a grand old mansion. It was built in 1923 as the winter home of Caleb Johnson, heir to the Palmolive Soap Company. His great granddaughter now owns it and has worked hard to maintain the elegance and style of its former days.
The photos displayed on their website were pulling me in — An ivy-covered villa, perfectly manicured lawns and gardens, statuary, fountains, the works. Not a lot of swank, just well-kept comfort. I could just envision myself there, strolling to the swimming pool in a sleek black one-piece swimsuit, wearing large black sunglasses with a broad-brimmed hat, and a deeply philosophical book tucked under my arm. Yeah, in my dreams 😉
The Club Continental 
Photos of the main floor of the mansion showed scenes of white-clothed tables proudly waiting in the restaurant, each festooned with fresh flowers, crisp white napkins and twinkling wine and water glasses. With oversized, arched windows lining the room, the view was mesmerizing with its carpets of grass and stately trees adorned with dripping moss, all leading to the banks of the river.
There are a small number of guest rooms situated on the second floor of the mansion, with more rooms in the nearby River View Suites, a newer building situated across the lawn and over, right at water’s edge. River View Suites were built in the ‘60’s, done in a style to compliment the mansion’s architecture, and they pulled it off fairly well, at least for the exterior. However, the interior isn’t up to par. (More on that later). Altogether, the mansion and the River View Suites hold a total of 22 guest rooms, but in my opinion, only 7 are in keeping with the overall grandeur of the estate, and they’re the ones located in the mansion itself.
The mansion’s guest rooms are each named for their style of furnishings: The Continental, Mexican, Italian, French, Mediterranean and the English Room, along with the Tower Apartment Suite. On the website, I flipped through the photos, perusing and comparing, then honing in on an idyllic and cozy one, The English Room, which overlooks a lovely and lush courtyard. Bam! I clicked on the Book Now button and that took care of that!
Here’s a link to their website so you can take a look: https://clubcontinental.com
Upstairs Hall 
Weeks later, I was on my way to this lovely interim destination, having zipped down Hwy 17, then I-95 through Savannah, and I made a wide semi-circle around Jacksonville, to the community of Orange Park. Driving through a tree-lined residential area, I rolled into the driveway of the Club Continental, then curved here and there among the giant oak and magnolia trees. Agog at the sudden beauty of it all, I parked, got out, stretched a moment, then began clicking photos.
There’s more to tell! In my next post, “Doin’ the Continental – Part II,” you can read more on my time spent at The Club Continental. See you there! ?
Love,
Jane
