Lorie

Need information on La Mansion del Rio in San Antonio, Texas. Has anybody stayed there? We're thinking on reserving a night or two here but we'd like more details. Any suggestion on what to do and see in San Antonio?

kam

The Alamo is very impressive and the River Walk is a lot of fun. Know that if you are planning a summer trip it will be very hot in San Antonio.

lorie

Kam,

Thanks for the info. We heard the River Walk was a lot too! Thanks again!

Scott K

Agree with the above post ....as well try the River mall. far end of the River walk with the Marriott in the middle of it all

Pat

We (mom,dad, 2 kids -ages 9 and 11, and grandma) stayed there for 3 nights last Summer. It is a beautiful hotel. We had a room on the top floor with french doors to a balcony that wraps around the interior courtyard. The courtyard was beautifully landscaped with a pool and tables where you could get drinks. Very peaceful. It is certainly not what I would call a family hotel (which may be what you prefer) but we had no problems. Any children there (including my own) were very well-behaved. We had breakfast one morning in the restaurant of the hotel. The food was good but fairly expensive, we could have probably done better on the Riverwalk. La Mansion is right on the Riverwalk, at a quiet point, so it's very convenient. We didn't have to drive other than to go the the Zoo one day. I got a good hotel rate which I found through the San Antonio VCB website. We liked the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and the Zoo (although it was very hot!). I wanted to see the San Antonio botanic gardens which I had heard were very good- lots of native plants- but didn't get there.

Christie

If you enjoy history, go visit the other 4 old missions in San Antonio. (The Alamo is just one of them.) They are arranged on a "mission trail" that has signs and a lovely visitor's center at Mission San Jose. My husband and I did this last September and really enjoyed it!

We also like shopping at the El MErcado, which is on the far end of the Riverwalk. There are a couple of good Mexican restaurants there (Mi Tierra is my favorite) and you can buy all sorts of Mexican-market type items, such as blankets and pottery. The River Center Mall is OK, but it's just another mall.

San Antonio is very hot during the summers. No matter where you go, be sure to take lots of water, wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen and a hat!

For more San Antonio information, visit: www.mysanantonio.com

Carol

I live in San Antonio and love going downtown. The Mansion del Rio is a beautiful hotel along the river. Never stayed there myself but I see it from the riverwalk. The King William area isn't far from the river area and it's the original families who established that area with some beautiful old homes. One can be toured. Another is at the flour mill there and you can eat in the home and it's along the river. It's called Guenther House and is very good. Also the Alamo Street Restaurant which is in King William area is very good. It's in an old church, off Alamo Street and in the church basement. They have a wonderful buffet for $5.95, very much like home cooking and the staff is great there. Desserts are fabulous with the biggest choice I've ever seen and you just take as much as you like. Living here in San Antoino, I prefer that to the restaurants on the riverwalk which seem more overpriced but they don't specialize in Mexican food like some of the riverwalk places.
It's hot here from April-Oct so always carry water with you and dress cool. Enjoy San Antonio, it's a great city and people are so friendly.

CMcDaniel

I'll second the recommendation for the Guenther House. We went for breakfast. Fantastic food in a historic setting. Drive around that area--it's a side of San Antonio most tourists never see and a welcome relief from the crowds on the river.

Gary

Lorie:

I stayed there last summer. Unlike the above poster, our room overlooked Riverwalk. The room was very nice, very comfortable. It had a small balcony and a great view. The hotel is at a rather quiet end of Riverwalk, but given you'll be out there so much, that probably is a benefit. The courtyard is lovely, and the weekend we stayed there, a great indoor/outdoor Sunday brunch was served. All in all, it was one of the five best hotels I've stayed in. One memory that lingers: the sun is so bright down there, and the hotel halls so dark, I twice ran into a wall after walking in from Riverwalk. Or maybe it was the cactus marguerita.

San Antonio:

Hill Country excursion--get a local map and visit the small towns scattered to the north and northwest.