Wake up to the Atlantic from a comfortable second-floor condo where the ocean and the pool are both in view before you finish your first cup of coffee. Spanish Trace #241 sits right along the dune line in Crescent Beach, and the sand is only a brief stroll away with the pool to cross on the way.

Inside, the home spans 1,056 square feet in a townhome-style layout with elevator access. Two bedrooms sit upstairs, each furnished with a king bed, and they share an upstairs full bathroom. A second full bathroom downstairs has a walk-in shower, which keeps things easy when you are coming in straight off the beach. The living room is built around the view, with relaxed seating facing the water and sliders that open onto a generous balcony. That balcony tends to be where guests settle in, whether for sunrise or a quiet evening once the beach empties out. The kitchen handles everything from a fast snack to a full dinner, stocked with a coffee maker, cookware, dishes and utensils, dishwasher, microwave, oven, stove, refrigerator, and toaster. With two kings and room for up to four guests, it suits two couples or a small family equally well.

The Spanish Trace community puts a communal pool just outside, along with lighted tennis and shuffleboard courts and rinse-off showers by the beach path. A charcoal grill is on hand for cookouts, and a small one-time parking fee is collected on site.

Crescent Beach sits at the quiet southern end of Anastasia Island, an easy beach base with the wide, open shoreline most people picture. Historic St. Augustine is a short drive north for the Castillo, St. George Street, and the bayfront, while Anastasia State Park and the Alligator Farm are closer at hand. Casual beachside dining is within walking distance for the nights nobody feels like cooking.