sassy_cat

Any suggestions for the best Hill Country hotel if you had to choose from these..

Westin La Cantera Resort
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & spa
Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch

Distance and the time it takes to drive from town makes a difference as my DH would be commuting.
Anyone know the cost of taxis to/from the convention center?

Limited choices in town because everything is booked!

Thanks for your advice

Jakeup_Rios

Greetings sassy_cat.

The property at the Hyatt Regency Hill COuntry Resort and Spa is a 500-room, 4 story sprawling retreat. The rates vary daily. To get downtown (River Walk, Alamo, etc.) the commute is only about 15 minutes (taking HWY 151 to avoid the crazy traffic on I-10. Cab fair to the convention center (downtown) is typically $40 one-way excluding tip and gratuity. I strongly suggest getting a rental car at the hotel. The Hyatt Hill Country works with Avis and Enterprise and can get you a rate during the week of about $25-$30 day, which is a lot more cost effective, plus Avis offers free airport drop off.

For more information on the Hyatt Hill Country visit www.hillcountry.hyatt.com or feel free to shoot me an email. [email protected]

Jakeup Rios
Public Relations Coordinator
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa
San Antonio, TX 78251

Thank you!

sassy_cat

Well thank you Jakeup.

Hire car does sound like the best option!

jvp1163

We just stayed at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort in San Antonio between Christmas & New Year's & loved it! Beautiful property - only 2 years old. We got a great rate through AAA. It's about 20 miles from downtown, I think. Balconies in many rooms, evening s'mores, heated pool - still a little cool in December IMHO.

I agree on the rental car - SA is not too hard to figure out & you can do more exploring.

El Mercado, Riverwalk, Sea World or Fiesta Texas - if any of those interest you.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...esort-and-spa/

Hope this helps!!

jcb

I like the Westin La Cantera and the JW as Jvp suggested. However, I do not think your husband would enjoy the commute if he is driving at the normal rush hour times.

The Hyatt Hill Country is a nice hotel as well.

I'm not familiar with the Hyatt Wild Oak. I assume it is a time share/condo type place.

sassy_cat

jcb, I agree but very few hotels available at this late stage due to high numbers attending conference.
The Comfort Suites downtown or an airport hotel might be better options to avoid the commute.

jvp1163, thanks. The JW rates are higher than the others and to be honest DH will not use the facilities. He wants a room and breakfast! No time for exploring on this trip.

owlwoman

I've stayed at the Hilton Hill Country my past couple of trips, usually get a great rate and it's right next door to the Hyatt, not as upscale, but I think it's a good value.

sassy_cat

Thanks owlwoman, I should have mentioned that we try to stick to the chains I listed as we collect points.
Plus this a work expense so budget is fairly flexible.

jcb

If the downtown comfort suites is available, I would book it. Looks like it gets good reviews on TA (assuming I have the right location)

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...nio_Texas.html

Good luck in your search

owlwoman

I know, it's all about the points I would then go for the Hyatt Hill Country (Wild Oak Ranch is their "timeshare" unit)...it's close to the highway, easy on/off to get back and forth to DT.

sassy_cat

Well it pays to keep checking. The Grand Hyatt is now available for the dates I need and it's very convenient for the convention center which it is attached to!

Thanks for all the prompt advice!

follow_your_bliss

Oh thank goodness! We try to tell people that the commute from those resorts is no fun but they have a hard time understanding til they experience it. MUCH better to be downtown.

OO

DH said he'd have to be in a jet propelled car to make it from Hyatt Hill Country downtown in 15 minutes.

I guess Jakeup was trying to be helpful...but what if an employee from every hotel mentioned here wrote recommending their place???

sassy_cat

FYB, DH was considering staying at the airport to avoid the commute from Hill Country and wasn't looking forward to that either.

OO, Always take employee suggestions with a pinch of salt
I Googled mapped the journeys from a few hotels and none came in under 22 minutes. I'm sure rush hour would be worse.

My DH just booked his flights and must have accidentally clicked the 'include nearby airports' box on Kayak.
Ooops, he's now flying into Austin instead of San Antonio! Ha, ha, at least it's only an hour away!

We presume the best way to get to and from will be car hire?

The extra expense is offset by the flight tickets which came in a whopping $400+ less for Austin than San Antonio

OO

Yes a car is best. Unfortunately, the Grand Hyatt has a parking fee of about $25 a day.

sassy_cat

Thanks OO,
I read some reviews on Tripadvisor for the Grand Hyatt and someone mentioned that there's a garage across the street which is half the price of the Hyatt.
DH will check it out but he's not too worried about the parking charge as it's a work expense and he might actually need a car to entertain clients during his stay.

owlwoman

Ive stayed at the grand Hyatt. Nice hotel and great location!

OO

sassy...I'm trying to picture across the street, and all I can picture is a Marriott, whose parking garage would probably be the same. Perhaps there's another that I haven't noticed. He should be certain if he does plan on using the car at times, that whatever place he uses has "in out privileges", where for one fee, you can go in and out all day long if you wish, for one flat fee.

sassy_cat

OO, Hmm, I think the parking was at a mall without in and out privileges. The Hyatt might be as high as $33 for valet... ouch. I'm beyond caring about the details now as this trip was out of the blue, it's a work expense and I'm not going!
DH is in Europe now and will be home for one night before he leaves for San Antonio.
Hyatt points will be a plus!

owlwoman, glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay at the Grand Hyatt. DH is very happy with the location. He's been to San Antonio a couple of times so he roughly knows his way around the downtown area and this is the best place for him to stay.

He will be at leisure the night he arrives so if anyone can recommend and Indian restaurant he'd be very grateful. The rest of the time he'll probably eat at steak houses and may well not have any choice in the venues.