3 women (50 years old) are interested in finding a hotel in austin that is close to the music life at night and good restaurants but in a safe neighborhood. do you have any suggestions? I have looked at the Driskeil, Mansion at Judge's hill and The intercontinental and not sure how far they are from the main tourist area. We don't want a really loud hotel or a hotel that seems like we're staying there on business. Thank you for your help.

The Driskill and the Intercontinental are very close to the Sixth Street music scene and both in a neighborhood that is safe day and night. Locationwise, the Intercontinental is a bit quieter because it is one block away from the major hustle and bustle. The Mansion at Judge's Hill is IMO a little bit far from music life and restaurants. From a tourist's point of view, both the Driskill and the Intercontinental are excellently located - both close to the Capitol, the museums and the music scene. Do not miss Antone's when you are in Austin (it is not on 6th Street but on 5th Street)!

We have stayed on the Club Room Level of the Intercontinental and enjoyed it very much: beautifully decorated, charming, very large rooms, and we enjoyed the club room with complimentary snacks, breakfast and a fully stocked bar. The club room saved us a lot of money.

Try the hotel's website, especially on weekends, they may have very good rates even for the Club Room Floor.

For dinner, we enjoyed very much Eddie V's Edgewater Grille, with excellent food and live music during dinner. Reasonable prices, regarding the quality. On 5th Street, a very short walk both from the Driskill and the Intercontinental.

I stay at the Holiday Inn-Town Lake when I go to Austin. It is close to the downtown area, but it has a nice view of Lady Bird Lake and the hike/bike trail and the boaters on the lake.

Thank you for your suggestions and the restaurant recommendations were an added bonus.

The San Jose is a fun hotel located on South Congress. South Congress is a major street with lots of local restaurants (Guerros, Homeslice Pizza, Vespaio, Amy's Ice Cream, Jo's Coffee and not to mention all the new food trailors) music venues and shops. And is just across the street from the Continental Club (great for live music). The owner of the hotel also owns Hotel St. Cecila which is kind of pricey but in the same area.
The Driskill, Mansion at Judges Hill, and the Intercontinental are all very nice hotels too. Downtown is just very touristy, I would recommend the South Congress area. If you wanted to go downtown from South Congress it would just be a 5 min cab ride.

You ladies have fun! Safe Travels!

The Driskill is an historic Austin hotel, Hotel San Jose is a revamped motor court that is considered quite hip, the Intercontinental is a modern hotel. Check them out on-line, since they are all very different! There are lots of good Austin threads already posted here that you can read to find good recs for restaurants and music, just do a search for Austin at the top of this page. The Austin Wine Merchant has frequent free tastings and good prices if you are into wine at all. Have a great trip!

>>>The San Jose is a fun hotel located on South Congress.

Bookmarking.

If you want to see why so many people talk about Austin being a great city, take a trip down South Congress. You'll see a side of the city that keep the locals, well, local. While downtown has a lot to offer, South Austin is where the locals would call the heart of Austin. And I've never felt insecure about my surroundings on South Congress or downtown, I consider the whole of Austin to be a very safe city.