mireaux7

I am planning an upcoming trip to San Antonio this fall. The trip will more than likely be taken in either October or November. The reason for autumn, is that my girlfriend doesnt care much for humidity, which S.A. is known for.

I reside in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but 12 yrs ago I was stationed in San Antonio for about 6 months, so I am already somewhat familiar with the downtown area, although I havent been there since 1995, so I dont know if much has changed.

I was originally planning to visit by car, but I then decided that Amtrak may be a better option than by car,.i wont have to worry about finding parking spots, paying for parking meters, traffic & congestion=both in the city and various highways en route.

I looked online and saw that Amtrak has a station in San Antonio listed at: 350 hoefgen street, 78205. this is the same zip code as the alamo plaza. So I mapquested the amtrak address with the address of the rivercenter mall at 849 e. commerce (same zip). of course, mapquest gives times as driving times. but i was filled with much elation when it indicated that the drive time was less than one minute.

so, i would like to solicit the advice of those who know exactly where the amtrak station is i am referencing in relation to the alamo plaza. is my idea a good idea as far as trying to eliminate the need for a car in downtown s.a.? like i said, i used to frequent the area 12 yrs ago when a bus would take me from lackland afb to the usao, and i didnt have any problems with walking around at all, but in regards to the amtrak station, is it also within reasonable walking distance as well?

also, i would appreciate any recommendations for lodging and dining. thanks.

I plan to stay at some hotel within walking distance of the alamo, riverwalk, etc. I figure

OO

Do you remember where the Alamo Dome is? It's in an area adjacent to that. I have walked it before for an Alamo Bowl function when there was no way you'd want to get your car involved in that mess. We walked from the Hyatt over with no problem, but then, we weren't dragging luggage either.

How long a train ride is it and have you looked into the price of tickets? It might be just as inexpensive to take Southwest Airlines down if you are looking primarily not to have the hassle of a car here and/or making that I-35 drive.

What is your preferred price range for hotels?

ChristieP

I agree that Southwest Airlines will be les shaslle and probably cheaper than Amtrak.

I always wonder why people go to San Antonio without a car? Yes, if you're just going to stay in the Riverwalk/downtown area, then you don't have to have one. But there is SO much more to San Antonio that that! We always end up wanting to go out exploring in the beautiful Hill Country, or to see the Missions, and you can't do either of those without a car...

Seamus

The drive from DFW area to SA is high on my list of despised trips - IH35 is a mess in multiple places due to construction, and where there is no construction there is traffic congestion. It is not particularly scenic unless you derive pleasure from strip malls and discount outlets interspersed with heavy construction equipment. If you take alternate, less direct routes (like 281) for part of the trip you do get some nice scenery but the drive time increases.
Yes, SA has changed quite a bit in the last 12 years. The core downtown tourist area has expanded, with several new hotels. It is not like the dreadful International Drive area in Orlando and still retains its historic charm but is definitely more spread out.

The Amtrak station is located just east of downtown on the other side of Hwy 281/IH37. It is possible to walk from there to downtown proper but not terribly pleasant to do so. There are ongoing attempts to spruce up the area and draw more tourists but they have met with only middling success.

If you plan to restrict your time to the downtown area you do not really need a car as there is a trolley system that makes circuits through that area. However, getting to anything outside downtown is much easier if you have a car, and taxis are pretty expensive in SA. The bus system is not all that wonderful for visitors - usually requires at least one transfer, schedules are not very convenient and travel time is often considerable.

I did a quick check on Amtrak and they show travel time from 8.5 to 10.5 hours (though delays are not uncommon) with a $74 RT fare. Southwest shows internet advance purchase at $49 each way for Love Field to SA, with a one hour flight time. Given the price of gas these days, an advance purchase discount ticket on Southwest (or another airline - check them out as they often run specials) and a rental car for a day or two in SA might be an option. Some of the mid range hotels actually offer free parking though the larger chain properties usually tack on a hefty daily fee.
Hope this helps!

mireaux7

Its just going to be a short two days in San Antonio. The Amtrak ride, each way, from Dallas to San Antonio (and vice versa) is almost eight hours. (even though its only 288 miles, and can be driven in about 4 hours).

I havent confirmed it yet with Amtrak, but I am assuming that within that eight hour allotment, there must be some layover In Austin, or Waco, etc.

Im fine with the slow time of arrival, the way I look at it, it will be a slow scenic ride into San Antonio, so I will just bring a good book to read on the train.

The fare each way for Amtrak is just $39.00, but I will be able to get the fare even cheaper than that since I am with AAA.

As for hotel accomodations, this is basically what is key to my entire trip. I learned that there is an exisiting city ordinance in San Antonio that prohibits hotel shuttles from operating within the downtown area...come to think of it,.I never recalled seeing any shuttles in the area, either.

So since I will be car-less in downtown San Antonio, I do need a hotel with a centralized location,.somewhere adjacent to the rivercenter mall, etc.

I dont want to pay a ton of money to get the nice rooms I want, so I am going to go thru priceline to get them.

I do also recall a nice quaint little steakhouse that is just across the plaza from the Alamo. I actually ate there, and remember the prices being reasonable, the food being good, and service was friendly. it was a small ma & pop type of place..but it escapes my mind what it was called.

I also plan to check out Ripleys believe it or not, and the dinosaur museum that is directly next door to it..if they still exist like they did in 1995.

One of the posters asked why did I want to concentrate my trip just in the downtown area? I know that there's other things to do outside of the alamo/riverwalk area. The only other things that I would want to check out would be SeaWorld and to revisit LackLand AFB & Medina. Obviously, since Im out of the service, the latter is not possible.

Fiesta Texas never really appealed much to me..even 12 yrs ago.

So, for this trip, I am going to pack very lightly. I figure just a small suitcase with wheels on it to tow behind me as I am walking from the Amtrak station to the hotel I have reserved. The only thing that is bad about this trip idea so far is that The Amtrak train doesnt arrive in San Antonio until around 10:30pm..and the return train leaves at 7:00am.

So, I would be arriving really late the first night..staying the next two entire days in S.A. then leaving on the fourth day. I would only be staying two nights at the hotel. so basically on my last full day in S.A., I will sleep in late, and check out at the lastest possible time (ala 11:00am, etc), then check out..Id have my suitcase with me the remainder of this last day, since I would no longer have the room,.and live out the rest of the day,.then start to progress my journey towards the train station to catch that return train home @ 7:00am.

carolyn

Check with your hotel to see if they wouldn't store your suitcase after check out.

OO

Great reply Seamus!

I cannot imagine spending 8.5 to 10.5 hours on a train each way for the sake of saving about $25 per person! And as for picturesque, it's not like you are going through the Rockies. This is central Texas. Big long stretches of nothing but flat.

If you persist with the train idea, be certain you call your hotel and let them know you will be a late arrival so your room isn't given away. That's just what you don't need at 10:30. Another thought...I'm not so sure I'd want to make that walk at 10:30 PM. The station is not in the best part of town. I walked it in daylight with hordes of people. They won't be there when you do it. Sometimes saving money just isn't worth the price, IMHO, and this is one of them.

If you are doing Priceline name-your-own-price, which is the biggest savings, you can only specify downtown area and the star level. The hotel you get might be anywhere downtown, not necessarily near Rivercenter or on the river. In fact, if you drop below the 4* level, you risk ending up at the Market area which would be impossible for you to walk to from Amtrak without doing permanent damage to your relationship.

If you want your girlfriend to still be your girlfriend at the end of this trip, listen to Seamus. He gave excellent advice!

mireaux7

yes, seamus gave some great advice, except towards the end he basically routed me right back to square one, with his mention of flights being comparable in price to amtrak, and then he opted that i get a rental car.

i am not exactly ruling out the rental car option at this point,.in fact, if i lean towards that option, it gives me the freedom of having a nice cheap hotel instead of having to surrender to whatever hotel options are available within a pedestrian range.

speaking of hotels within pedestrian range, if i did take the amtrak, i do realize that this would be where i would be spending quite a bit of money, which in essence makes up for the fact im not spending money on rental car, gasoline, parking meters, etc.

the rental car does provide certain freedoms, but it also levies its own responsibilites as well.

as far as my initial searching online for hotel options,.i found that the median price seems to hover around $120-$150 a night. I did see that there was also a travelodge, days inn, and red roof within vicinity as well.

i read the reviews for travelodge, the majority of the guests were flat out disgusted. i havent yet read the reviews for days inn or red roof though.

i think if i stick to amtrak, i will try to stay in a nicer hotel, but will see if i can get it a bit cheaper going thru priceline.

one of the posters advised me not to decrease the star rating below 4, or it would throw me out of pedestrian radius. i dont mind paying more for a hotel, if it truly delivers, and gives me a nice balcony view of the riverwalk, delicious complementary breakfast, and all the other creature comforts.

plus, as one of the other posters recommended, a classier hotel would be more likely to safeguard my luggage during my last day, than a cheap motel would.

i dont plan to make any reservations as of yet..probably not until mid-septmeber..so keep the suggestions coming.

thanks to all

OO

mireaux7, I didn't say if you went below 4* it "would" throw you out of walking range of the Amtrak station. I said it "could"...the lower the star level you chose in fact, the greater the likelihood that you'll end up near the Market. So, you'd have to be prepared for that possibility below 4* and plan not to walk it late (10:30 would qualify as late).

By the way, Seamus also said, "If you plan to restrict your time to the downtown area you do not really need a car as there is a trolley system that makes circuits through that area." It's only if you are going outside downtown that he was suggesting you might get a rental.

You can occasionally get a Priceline 4* downtown for $80 and none are in the market area. From browsing around the BiddingForTravel website (the place to go for tips on Priceline bidding) the 4* hotel that comes up most frequently is the Emily Morgan. I have no idea if they have free breakfast. Generally the higher the star level, the less likely you are to find free breakfasts. The hotels I'm most familiar with near Rivercenter are the two Marriotts and neither will provide free breakfast.

If you can find a good rate at the Drury Inn and Suites, I believe they have free breakfast, they are on the river, some of their rooms have balconies, meeting most of your requirements. It'd be a longer walk from Amtrak and at night...take a cab! You can't choose the hotel to bid on through name your own price Priceline though. You'd have to find Drury's best rate and see if it is agreeable with you.

I just realized why carolyn mentioned a hotel safeguarding your luggage your last day. It seems you are planning to check out at 11 AM one day, but your train does not leave until 7 AM the next morning. You will be hanging around all day and most of the night with your luggage. No bed that night, but you can sleep on the train. If your girlfriend is still with you after all this, marry her quickly as you will never find another such gem if you were to search an entire lifetime.

mireaux7

well, ive done some researching on this..comparing costs related to each option, etc. heres what ive found out.

by plane, amtrak or driving from dallas to san antonio.

1. amtrak
if i do decide to stick with amtrak, it puts me within close range of walking to the downtown area. im at the mercy of paying for whatever hotels are available within pedestrain range. the amtrak each way is about 8 hrs, and costs around $37.00 for each ticket. the hotel would be around $120.00 a night, give or take. i wouldnt necessarily need a rental car, but since amtrak arrives at 1030pm at night, and leaves at 700am, it places me in a rather awkward position in regards to hotel accomodations and having to keep an eye on my luggage during the last day. while this option frees me from the responsibilities associated with driving a car in traffic, parking, etc,.it also hinders my explorational freedoms as well.

2. driving from dallas.
can be done using either my own car or a rental. if by rental, there is the obvious rental car fees. in both options there is still the cost of gas-which i guesstimate total trip fuel expenses to be around $75.00. i also have to endure traffic congestion, construction work, and the loss of vacation time that could be spent in san antonio, thats instead used as driving time just to get there. im open to all lodging options since i have freedom with the car.

3. arrive by plane.
i have checked into airfare rates, and im seeing $49.00 each way on southwest,.so a little over $100.00 RT. I have found decent motel rates under $50.00 (redroof, etc). rental car fares under $170 for two days-unlimited miles. i think all in all, this may be the best option. i dont understand why amtrak arrives so late into san antonio and departs so early. you would think that their schedules would mirror conveniences desired by pedestrian tourists. i guess not.

Seamus

Looks like your research has led you to the same conclusion recommended earlier. Unfortunately, outside the northeast corridor (and even there) Amtrak service and schedules pretty much suck, and their prices are no bargain.