South - San Antonio Hotel/Restaurant help

I'll be overnighting in SAT on Dec. 23rd, back to BWI on the 24th. Never been. Looking for a great hotel near River Walk. Found a few choices, but would love input.

The Westin on the Riverwalk is nice as well as the Marriotts. One of the Marriotts is connected to a mall which could be useful for some last minute xmas shopping. Also for a casual restaurant I would go to Paesanos (15-20min drive from downtown) and for a more upscale experience go to Silo.

I stayed at the Hilton last April and it was quite nice. I had a balcony overlooking the River. :)

I second the Westin suggestion, good location and the beds are comfortable.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Need to refill my Starwood points anyway. Found a restaurant (Boudro's) near Westin open late on Sunday too...they all seem to close early. Not a bad day to have to overnight...hotel rates really dropped right before the holiday.

Boudro's - good choice, probably the best on the Riverwalk. Whatever you eat, order some guacamole, they make it tableside and it's excellent. Boudro's is one of a few restaurants that have dinner cruises (they now call it "community barge") - a fun and romantic way to get acquainted with the riverwalk, regional history, and have a great meal also. Last time the wife & I took one, it was a pretty good bargain, also. If interested, call (210) 224-8484 to see if they offer it on the night you're there.

Westin - good hotel, on a very quiet part of the river (no riverfront cafes or shops in that area). It takes 10 minutes or so to walk to the active part of the river. Hotels in the most active area include the Hyatt, La Mansion del Rio, Watermark, Contessa, Riverwalk Vista. BTW, Boudro's is in the middle of the action across from the Hyatt.

There's also good information on SAT here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=509161