San Antonio girl's getaway - need suggestions!!
Aug 5th, 2008, 06:49 AM
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San Antonio girl's getaway - need suggestions!!
Taking a girls trip the last weekend in September to San Antonio. There will be four of us in our early 30's. We just started the planning but are looking for some cultural activities, good food, nightlife, spas and maybe a little off the beaten path options. For hotels we definitely want to stay on the Riverwalk, the front runners are the Westin, Hotel Contessa and Omni, but again, we are very open at this point. Any suggestions for hotel, restaurant and activities?
Aug 5th, 2008, 09:29 AM
#3
Of those hotels, I'd scratch the Contessa and go with either the Westin or one of the two Omnis. (They only recently became Omnis so most people refer to them by their names...Watermark or the Mansion). Of those 3 the Watermark is my favorite, and they have the best spa on the Riverwalk.
The Contessa is a different class hotel and not that it's not nice, it's just not the same quality level as the others you mentioned. It is an "all suites" hotel though, so for a group, like yours, or families, there is appeal.
Restaurants: you'll hear Boudros over and over. They are good, not great, but good. Pesca (Watermark Hotel) is also good. Le Reve, out of this world, but so is the price and reservations would be needed well in advance. I'm not sure it's a girls weekend kind of place, but if you are ever here on a very special occasion...that's the place. Do not miss the Guenther House...only open for breakfast and lunch, located in the King William District (which is a must see, IMHO, in San Antonio). Rosario's, also toward King William, is terrific for Tex-Mex and very popular with both locals and tourists.
Live music: Jim Cullums Landing, jazz, at the river level of the Hyatt.
While there (or before or after) look in at Garcia Art Glass on same level as Cullums. Her blown glass has become very much in demand, not just in San Antonio, but across the country...she's been commissioned to do many commercial, as well as residential pieces.
You can stop and see the glass blown at her shop on South Alamo (near King William). The process of creating the piece is fascinating from start to finish. It's a little hard to find...ask at the shop at Hyatt river level...I believe they have a card with directions.
More music/bar scene: Howl at the Moon, Polly Esthers, Pat O'Brien's.
Shopping: I'd only go to La Cantera, a drive from downtown, but the best upscale shopping in town. There are some smaller specialty stores...two notable on McCullough, Lin Marche for linens, fine nightwear, or Julian Gold ladies clothing, designer +.
Enjoy!
The Contessa is a different class hotel and not that it's not nice, it's just not the same quality level as the others you mentioned. It is an "all suites" hotel though, so for a group, like yours, or families, there is appeal.
Restaurants: you'll hear Boudros over and over. They are good, not great, but good. Pesca (Watermark Hotel) is also good. Le Reve, out of this world, but so is the price and reservations would be needed well in advance. I'm not sure it's a girls weekend kind of place, but if you are ever here on a very special occasion...that's the place. Do not miss the Guenther House...only open for breakfast and lunch, located in the King William District (which is a must see, IMHO, in San Antonio). Rosario's, also toward King William, is terrific for Tex-Mex and very popular with both locals and tourists.
Live music: Jim Cullums Landing, jazz, at the river level of the Hyatt.
While there (or before or after) look in at Garcia Art Glass on same level as Cullums. Her blown glass has become very much in demand, not just in San Antonio, but across the country...she's been commissioned to do many commercial, as well as residential pieces.
You can stop and see the glass blown at her shop on South Alamo (near King William). The process of creating the piece is fascinating from start to finish. It's a little hard to find...ask at the shop at Hyatt river level...I believe they have a card with directions.
More music/bar scene: Howl at the Moon, Polly Esthers, Pat O'Brien's.
Shopping: I'd only go to La Cantera, a drive from downtown, but the best upscale shopping in town. There are some smaller specialty stores...two notable on McCullough, Lin Marche for linens, fine nightwear, or Julian Gold ladies clothing, designer +.
Enjoy!
Aug 5th, 2008, 10:29 AM
#5
Forgot to mention La Villita and El Mercado for touristy sort of trinket shopping. El Mercado also holds another two restaurants you'll hear lots about,Tex Mex too, La Margarita and Mi Tierra.
Missions: there are 5 including the Alamo. The Alamo you'll see as you are downtown...the others are a car drive off, San Jose and Concepcion being my favorites.
You might be interested in a Segway tour too. One does a bit in King William, but I think it's more fun to stroll those streets at your own pace, not on a Seg. Still, the Seg tour would be fun and give you a nice overview of the city.
Missions: there are 5 including the Alamo. The Alamo you'll see as you are downtown...the others are a car drive off, San Jose and Concepcion being my favorites.
You might be interested in a Segway tour too. One does a bit in King William, but I think it's more fun to stroll those streets at your own pace, not on a Seg. Still, the Seg tour would be fun and give you a nice overview of the city.
Aug 5th, 2008, 02:57 PM
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If you want an old fashioned honky tonk, go to Gruene Hall in Gruene, right by New Braunfels Tx:
http://www.gruenehall.com/
There is also a bar called "Cowboys" in San Antonio but I've never been there.
http://www.gruenehall.com/
There is also a bar called "Cowboys" in San Antonio but I've never been there.
Aug 11th, 2008, 11:08 AM
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We just got back from a long weekend in San Antonio and had a wonderful time. Please don't rent a car! We did for two days and it was more of an inconvenience. We drove out to Gruene Hall in Gruene which was nice, but not worth all the extra work. You'll find plenty to do in the city and the trolleys, buses and taxis are everywhere. We stayed at the Emily Morgan which is not on the Riverwalk (FYI
riceline $103 per night) which is next to the Alamo in a beautiful old building. Stop in between 5 and 7 pm for $2 happy hours (wine, beer and margaritas). We didn't like Boudros. We felt rushed and the food wasn't very good. Such a shame because it was my husband's birthday. Our best meal was Bohanan's, best Margarita The Republic of Texas on the Riverwalk, great breakfast at the Menger hotel, and we agree with the Jazz recommendation earlier.
riceline $103 per night) which is next to the Alamo in a beautiful old building. Stop in between 5 and 7 pm for $2 happy hours (wine, beer and margaritas). We didn't like Boudros. We felt rushed and the food wasn't very good. Such a shame because it was my husband's birthday. Our best meal was Bohanan's, best Margarita The Republic of Texas on the Riverwalk, great breakfast at the Menger hotel, and we agree with the Jazz recommendation earlier.
Sep 20th, 2008, 04:43 PM
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We just got back from a weekend in San Antonio. We always stay at the Marriot Rivercenter, and really like it - great location and very comfortable. We always eat dinner at Boudro's; they make a tableside guacamole that's very good, good food, and nice drinks; they're known for their prickly pear margaritas. We did a Segway tour with SegCity, and it was a lot of fun. We had lunch at the Guenther House, and found it affordable and very charming with a great outdoor dining area. Good girly gift shop there too. Have fun!
Sep 21st, 2008, 06:55 PM
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olive22....I spent a long weekend in San Antonio in May and stayed at the Omni Mansion on the river. I have stayed there several times and enjoy it each time. The service is impeccable and the location is great. It's directly across from the Watermark (which we spent 1/2 day at the spa - very nice!).
We also ate at Rosarios and Pesco, both were very good.
We didn't do any shopping, mostly eating and drinking. However, we did visit the missions. If it's something you've never seen I would advise doing so. If I remember correctly, we saw all 5 in about 3 hours.
If you have the time a visit to Gruene is highly recommended. There are several shops and 2 great restaurants (the Gristmill is one of my favorites - overlooking the Guadelupe River).
I will return to SA with a girlfriend on October 24 so a trip update would be great!! Have a wonderful time!
We also ate at Rosarios and Pesco, both were very good.
We didn't do any shopping, mostly eating and drinking. However, we did visit the missions. If it's something you've never seen I would advise doing so. If I remember correctly, we saw all 5 in about 3 hours.
If you have the time a visit to Gruene is highly recommended. There are several shops and 2 great restaurants (the Gristmill is one of my favorites - overlooking the Guadelupe River).
I will return to SA with a girlfriend on October 24 so a trip update would be great!! Have a wonderful time!
Sep 23rd, 2008, 10:42 AM
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So I've loosely planned out our itinerary for the three day weekend, could all you that have been so helpful thus far w/ suggestions take a peak and let me know what you think? We are planning to use the 2 day hop on/hop off trolley pass to get around for the most part-
Friday
Arrive and check in
Spend remainder of day by the pool
Dinner @ Boudros
One of suggested bars - Polly Esthers, Pat O'Briens, Howl the Moon
Saturday
Breakfast @ Guenther house
Tour King William District
Garcia Art glass
Rosario's for late lunch
La Villita
Cowboys bar (I read they have dance lessons on Sat. nights)
Sunday
El Mercado
Mi Tierre for lunch
Trolley tour of Alamo, Mission San Jose and Concepcion and San Fernando Cathedral
Menger hotel for a drink
Jim Cullums for dinner and jazz
Friday
Arrive and check in
Spend remainder of day by the pool
Dinner @ Boudros
One of suggested bars - Polly Esthers, Pat O'Briens, Howl the Moon
Saturday
Breakfast @ Guenther house
Tour King William District
Garcia Art glass
Rosario's for late lunch
La Villita
Cowboys bar (I read they have dance lessons on Sat. nights)
Sunday
El Mercado
Mi Tierre for lunch
Trolley tour of Alamo, Mission San Jose and Concepcion and San Fernando Cathedral
Menger hotel for a drink
Jim Cullums for dinner and jazz
Oct 26th, 2008, 07:44 PM
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"San Antonio Walks"
This tour company is a must. The best tour I've ever taken here and one of the best anywhere. You'll find the historical coverage of the Alamo and the city are extremely well presented and thought it as a real learning experience but nuch more engrossing the the normal way of learning. They're at www.sanantoniowalks.com
This tour company is a must. The best tour I've ever taken here and one of the best anywhere. You'll find the historical coverage of the Alamo and the city are extremely well presented and thought it as a real learning experience but nuch more engrossing the the normal way of learning. They're at www.sanantoniowalks.com
Oct 27th, 2008, 05:59 AM
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Dear Seamus,
A little surprised by your comment. But, I guess some may do that. However, our work as Travel Advisors for private groups,foundations,organizations
and companies is what led me to them. We generally do this for other Texas cities where they are found, and they often go to San Antonio. I found it encouraging to find the "Walks" company, as we'd never had a regular walking company in San Antonio to recommend,though people inquire at times. Something ala "London Walks". So once, again, glad they're around and giving the city's history some polish. By the way, we found them via the San Antonio Convention Center & Bureau's website. We keep up with them and found San Antonio Walks as an entry we'd not seen before. Therefore, we did our due dilligence by taking the tour before recommending, or maybe not. I can only hypothesize that you may have thought the post a bit scripted and succinct, as we sometimes do when commenting on tours. At least, I'm guessing that's why you came to that conclusion. Don't really know why otherwise? We just wanted to get a quick nod out to them without saying too much, because it's very deserving and we stand by that. Be cautious before commenting. We have posted on various websites for tour companies other than San Antonio Walks. NO AD
A little surprised by your comment. But, I guess some may do that. However, our work as Travel Advisors for private groups,foundations,organizations
and companies is what led me to them. We generally do this for other Texas cities where they are found, and they often go to San Antonio. I found it encouraging to find the "Walks" company, as we'd never had a regular walking company in San Antonio to recommend,though people inquire at times. Something ala "London Walks". So once, again, glad they're around and giving the city's history some polish. By the way, we found them via the San Antonio Convention Center & Bureau's website. We keep up with them and found San Antonio Walks as an entry we'd not seen before. Therefore, we did our due dilligence by taking the tour before recommending, or maybe not. I can only hypothesize that you may have thought the post a bit scripted and succinct, as we sometimes do when commenting on tours. At least, I'm guessing that's why you came to that conclusion. Don't really know why otherwise? We just wanted to get a quick nod out to them without saying too much, because it's very deserving and we stand by that. Be cautious before commenting. We have posted on various websites for tour companies other than San Antonio Walks. NO AD
