Programs: DL gold, WN RR, various other programs of lowly status
Posts: 787
San Antonio Riverwalk area: where to stay?
We'll only be there 1 night so spa & other amenities are not an issue, just a really nice comfy room. We want to be near restaurants etc. Suggestions?
(Feel free to throw in restaurant suggestions as well)
Sorry I can't go into more detail right now, but if you want to be right on the River Walk, I'd look into:
- The Watermark Hotel and Spa
- Omni "La Mansion" del Rio
- Grand Hyatt
I've also heard good thing about the Valencia, which is a new boutique hotel.
La Mansion sits one of the liveliest parts of the River walk, and architecturally it is stunning. It's a historic building and the restaurants right across from this hotel provided some of the best meals I had there. They were especially good a curing late-night pangs.
The Grand Hyatt is on a quieter part of the River Walk, so you do need to walk a bit (like three minutes) to get to the action, but the hotel entrance is on a main thoroughfare, and there's plenty to see on street-level nearby. It's a brand-new hotel, ultra sleek and definitely superior to most other Hyatts even at the "Grand" level.
Restaurants recs:
-La Reve and Fig Tree are perennial, ultra-expensive standouts.
-Boudro's on the River Walk combines the southwest with the Gulf, and its always crowded (though not disturbingly so) and delicious.
- I also love Acenar; serving new twists on Tex-Mex, it's my favorite restaurant in the city, though it is not on the River Walk.
(Neither, technically, are La Reve or Fig Tree though all three are in close proximity.)
Perhaps later, if I get the chance, I'll add to this list...
I have not tried any of the luxury hotels in San Antonio. Closest I got was at the Westin Riverwalk for a quick 1-night stay a few years ago. I was in the middle of a cross-country drive, and the Westin provided a great bang for the buck at the time.
FWIW:
AmEx FHR options include: Hotel Valencia Riverwalk & Watermark Hotel & Spa
Signature options include: The Westin Riverwalk
Virtuoso options include: Watermark Hotel & Spa
I list those just as a reference. Obviously program affiliation should not be the primary reason to stay at a particular property. In other words, I give more weight to Hollywoodlanded's suggestions than the properties I listed above.
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Programs: AA EXP, UA 2P, DL Silver Medallion, CO Silver, SPG Plat, A-Club Plat, IC Plat Amb, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,137
I am not a fan of the Valencia; it is dark and somewhat gloomy, with many of the negatives of a W-type hotel and few of the positives. Between it and the Westin, I'd take the Westin, but it too is nothing special.
(I have not stayed at the Watermark but have heard that it is generally considered the best place in SA.)
In my haste, I made an error in my first post. I meant to say that Acenar IS on the River Walk, but the non-River Walk entrance on E Houston, leads you into the interior dining room, a real feast for the eyes. It's probably the only restaurant on the River Walk where I might actually prefer to eat inside.
The Fig Tree is above the River Walk's amphitheater in La Villita, which is a historic alcove in the middle of town with mom and pop shops.
The Watermark is an absolutely fantastic hotel, my personal favorite, but The Fairmont, between La Villita and the convention center is probably second.
Last edited by Hollywoodlanded; Oct 22, 09 at 1:22 am.
Programs: DL gold, WN RR, various other programs of lowly status
Posts: 787
Wow. Thanks guys. That's exactly the type of info I was looking for. I think for our one and only stay in the area, we would prefer to be right on the Riverwalk.
Programs: BA Gold, AA ExecPlat, UA 1MM PremEx, Hyatt Diamond, IC Ambassador, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,924
I've stayed at both the Watermark and the Hyatt, and there's no comparison. As between the two, Watermark by a mile (both for comfort of the room and service).
