Posted on Sun, Apr. 19, 2009

Even though money is tight, we all need some R&R once in a while. As a devoted inn-goer, I recommend splurging for a night or two at one of Florida's bed-and-breakfasts.

Innkeepers are a pampering lot, after all, and we love pampering -- from welcoming mimosas or just-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies to bubble baths in oversize tubs.

When we stay in a big resort we have to pay extra for the extras, like using bicycles or beach chairs. At B&Bs, these amenities are complimentary, as is breakfast, which in most cases is so good and filling we can easily skip lunch.

Here are 10 of my favorite B&Bs:

ELIZABETH POINTE LODGE

Fernandina Beach

You can roll out of bed and onto the beach at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, but that's only part of this inn's charm. Built in 1991, the lodge looks like an 1890s Nantucket shingle style cottage. It comes with all the modern conveniences, including an elevator, roomy Jacuzzis, complimentary Wi Fi service, newspapers delivered to guest rooms and 24-hour room service.

There's always something to do, whether it's building sandcastles, collecting shells, riding horses, swimming, playing board games or stargazing through a telescope. When it's cool, innkeepers provide blankets and hot chocolate so you can keep toasty in a rocking chair on the deck.

Breakfast: Complimentary hot and cold buffet in oceanfront sunroom. Snacks and light fare available for purchase throughout the day. Free drinks and hors d'oeuvres at 6 p.m.

Rooms: 25 rooms; rates $205-$475.

Be sure to: Explore Fernandina's historic district, including Centre Street shops and the Seaport district downtown. 800-226- 3542; www.ameliaisland.com.

Details: 98 South Fletcher Ave., Amelia Island; 800- 772-3359 or 800-500-9620; www.elizabethpointelodge.com.

INN ON CHARLOTTE

St. Augustine

There's such a warm, welcoming feel to this place it's hard to resist. Besides, the gourmet breakfasts are superb! Built in 1918 and carefully restored in 2003, the inn is a showcase for antiques and reproductions. Guest rooms have queen or king beds and most have whirlpool tubs. The B&B is within steps of the historic fort Castillo de San Marco, the Bridge of Lions, and the shops on St. George Street. Horse-drawn carriage tours, ghost tours and historic trolley tours are popular.

Breakfast: Three-course breakfast -- the Eggs Benedict are the best we've tasted anywhere -- with complimentary mimosas.

Rooms: Eight rooms; rates $139-$289.

Be sure to: Board the Old Town Trolley and take a 7-mile tour; you can get off and on as often as you like. Take in the Fountain of Youth, the lighthouse, the Lightner Museum and San Sebastian Winery. www.staugustineattractions.net

Details: 52 Charlotte St., St. Augustine; 800-355-5508 or 904-829-3819; www.innoncharlotte.com.

SABAL PALM HOUSE

Lake Worth

If you like Ritz-Carlton-style pampering but are reluctant to cough up the big bucks, book a room at the Sabal Palm House Bed and Breakfast. You'll get turndown service, plump down pillows, triple-sheeted beds with fine linens, terry robes, slippers and fresh flowers in your room. Rooms are named after and decorated in the style of famous artists such as Renoir and Michelangelo. All have private baths and balconies.

It's not often that a B&B wins a four diamond rating from AAA, but Sabal Palm House has done just that for nine consecutive years. The 1936 two-story luxury B&B has views of the Lake Worth Municipal Golf Course and the IntracoastalWaterway. It's a half-mile from the ocean and within walking distance of Lake Worth shops and restaurants.

Breakfast: Apple pie pancakesand mini pecan-pie muffins are guest favorites.

Rooms: Seven rooms; rates $135-$269.

Be sure to: Check out the shops, galleries and antique shops in downtown Lake Worth.

Details: 109 N. Golfview Road, Lake Worth; 888-722- 2572 or 561-582-1090; www.sabalpalmhouse.com.

HARRINGTON HOUSE

Anna Maria Island

We discovered dolphins swimming in front of our room one morning at the Harrington House. Little surprises like that aren't uncommon at the seaside retreat.

Each room has a different décor. Most feature French doors opening onto balconies that overlook the heated swimming pool or the beach and the Gulf of Mexico. The beds are comfortable with stylish linens. We especially like the large suite in the Huth House and the upstairs room overlooking the gazebo in the Carriage House.

Breakfast: There's a chef on the premises and guests have a choice of breakfast entrees.

Rooms: 19 rooms in four buildings and three condos; rates $139-$529.

Be sure to: Watch the sunset while having dinner at Beach Bistro, just a short walk up the beach. 941- 778-6444; www.beachbistro.com.

Details: 5626 Gulf Dr., Holmes Beach; 888-828-5566 or 941-778-5444; www.harringtonhouse.com.

GRANDVIEW GARDENS

West Palm Beach

This restored 1924 home has private entrances to guest rooms, terraces, large bathrooms and a swimming pool. It also has 1937 Bermuda-style home and a 1925 Spanish Mission style cottage for weekly rental. Surrounded by lush, tropical landscape, the inn has a great sun deck and heated pool. Guest rooms are larger than most. Close to CityPlace, the Norton Museum and Armory Art Center, Kravis Center, the Convention Center and Antique Row, Grandview Gardens B&B is a good choice for culture-seekers.

Breakfast: Buffet -- including fresh fruit and freshly baked muffins -- with seating inside or on the patio.

Rooms: Five rooms; rates $125-$199. Two cottages; rates $1,000 to $2,300 a week.

Be sure to: Take a historic bike tour led by the innkeepers.

Details: 1608 Lake Dr., West Palm Beach; 561-833- 9023; www.grandview-gardens.com.

PORT D'HIVER

Melbourne Beach

Just over a year old, Port d'Hiver (French for winter port) has a great beach location close to restaurants. Melbourne's Historic Downtown, Sebastian Inlet Park, the Brevard Zoo, and Forever Florida -- a nature preserve and working cattle ranch -- are within an easy drive.

The houses are historical and superbly renovated. Catch up on your reading on your private porch, or stretch out beside the pool. From turndown service to making dinner or golf reservations, the staff excels at its concierge service. Book a room here and expect to be pampered.

Breakfast: Served in the dining room or on the deck of guest rooms. Fresh squeezed orange or grapefruit juice, freshly baked muffins, granola-yogurt parfaits, French toast and more.

Rooms: 11 rooms; rates $200-$575.

Be sure to: Use one of the B&B's complimentary bikes and pedal your way along Riverside Drive along Indian River Lagoon. At sunset, toast the day at the pier or from your dinner table on the veranda at Djon's Steak and Lobster House.

Details: 201 Ocean Ave., Melbourne Beach; 866-621- 7678; www.portdhiver.com.

HERLONG MANSION

Micanopy

Micanopy is a tiny town 10 miles from Gainesville, sprinkled with ancient oak trees draped with Spanish moss. Visitors check out the antiques shops along Cholokka Boulevard. There are no traffic lights, no fast-food restaurants, no door-to-door mail delivery. It's a place where people take time to smell the magnolia blossoms.

And the place to stay is the regal Herlong Mansion, a three-story structure that dates to the early 1800s and was converted to a bed-and-breakfast in 1987. It's a grand Southern Colonial mansion, with four carved Corinthian columns drawing attention to a wide veranda, a popular congregating spot for guests.

Inside, the mansion has floors inlaid with maple and mahogany, 12-foot ceilings, ''tiger oak'' and walnut paneling, and floor-to-ceiling windows in the dining room. Guest rooms come with soaking tubs, and many have fireplaces.

Breakfast: Full course breakfasts are served in style in the dining room. Specialties include egg-sausage strata and blueberry muffins.

Rooms: 12 rooms; rates $119-$189.

Be sure to: Go to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings HistoricState Park, a 15-minute drive. Rawlings, who won the Pulitzer Prize for The Yearling, did her writing on the porch of an old farmhousenow inside the park. 352- 466-3672; www.floridastate parks.org/marjoriekinnanrawlings/.

Details: 402 NE Cholokka Blvd., Micanopy; 352-466- 3322 or 800-437-5664; www.herlong.com.

GARDENS HOTEL

Key West

Well-located near Duval Street and within walking distance of restaurants, shops, galleries and Mallory Square, The Gardens is a tropical paradise with orchids, bromeliads and other exotic plants, as well as fountains, old brick pathways and a cool pool.

Inside, rooms have Bahamian plantation style furniture and paintings by Key West artists. Fine Italian linens cover the beds.

After the long drive to Key West, I especially appreciate being offered a mimosa at check in. Thoughtful details like that make The Gardens a perfect place to plant yourself in Key West.

Breakfast: An expansive continental breakfast with fresh fruits and locally made pastries is served in the sunroom or beside the pool.

Rooms: 17 suites; rates $165-$710.

Be sure to: Take a walk to Mallory Square for the sunset celebration, then have dinner at elegant Antonia's Italian Restaurant on Duval Street.

Details: 526 Angela St., Key West; 800-526-2664 or 305-294-2661; www.gardenshotel.com.

DICKENS HOUSE

St. Petersburg

Over the years, the 1912 Craftsman-style Dickens House had become a low-rent apartment building and an eyesore. In 1995, the house got a new owner and a major renovation. Now it's one of St. Petersburg's finest inns, furnished with things the savvy owner scavenged, including a heart-pine staircase from an old hotel and a six-burner Garland commercial stove he got from a rod and gun club.

There is much to admire at the Dickens House in St. Petersburg's Old Northeast neighborhood. The beds are firm, the pillows plump; fine Egyptian linens cover the mattresses. Four of the five bathrooms have whirlpool tubs. Common areas have hardwood floors. There are rocking chairs on the front porch, and plenty to do within walking distance. We never miss a sunset at the marina overlooking the city pier.

Breakfast: The chef (innkeeper) is always coming up with new recipes. Favorites: sheared egg on toast points; mini croissants filled with Amaretto peach pecan preserves, brie cheese and banana.

Rooms: Five rooms; rates $109-$215.

Be sure to: Ride the trolley to museums, the pier and shops; the trolley stops a few blocks from the inn.

Details: 335 Eighth Ave. NE, St. Petersburg; 727-822- 8622 or 800-381-2022; www.dickenshouse.com.

SHAMROCK THISTLE

& CROWNE

Weirsdale

The Shamrock Thistle & Crown is a quiet, peaceful place, where folks have time to savor a book, listen to music, stroll the grounds, take a dip in the pool or lounge on the front porch swing. The Victorian B&B with an Irish flavor was once the site of an orange grove.

Built in 1887 and designated as a historical landmark in Marion County, the house has refinished hardwood floors, wood-burning fireplace and a formal dining room set with Irish crystal and fine china. The second floor has an observation deck.

Some second-floor rooms come with four-poster antique beds, fireplaces and whirlpools. The Victorian dollhouse cottage is a favorite with honeymooners.

Breakfast: Freshly squeezed juice and fruit are a given. Entrees may include Belgian waffles, French toast, pancakes or Eggs Benedict.

Rooms: Seven rooms; rates $89-$215.

Be sure to: Take a glass bottom boat ride in nearby Silver Springs. 352-236-2121; www.silversprings.com.

Details: 12971 SE Highway 42, Weirsdale; 800-425-2763 or 352-821-1887; www.shamrockbb.com.

Mary Thurwachter is founder of INNsideFlorida.com (www.innsideflorida.com).