Ihope2travel

Hi! My husband and I are empty nesters and have scheduled a trip to SA for mid February for fun. We won’t have a car. Maybe we will get rental if we need one. If you have suggestions on things to do, here is what we are looking for:

- We are looking for a cool hotel on the river walk. I’m dreaming of picturesque boat rides home every night and hopping off the river boat as we arrive to our hotel… Who knows?!! My husband booked the Omni after researching for 5 seconds. 🤣 We can cancel if we find a better place to stay. We could do up to $300 or so a night, but the beautiful view/scenery is sort of important to us. (Obviously, we are okay with spending less too!)

- fun things to do? We are active people! We’re talking about going to go to the Alamo. But what are the really cool things to do in SA? We like art festivals, wine or interesting mixed drinks, travelling, Europe, cultural things, places with atmosphere, and bike riding. At
night, want to look at beautiful city lights, or experience a beautiful boat ride, etc…

- restaurant suggestions? We love Mexican food and awesome Margaritas. Also like the idea of taking the boat to a restaurant one night…don’t know much about this. Husband likes Italian food as well. But really any restaurant recommendation for any meal would be appreciated!! Cool restaurants that are not touristy, but that are tried and true. Atmosphere is important to us.

Seamus

You may be over-romanticizing the boat thing a bit - gondolas in Venice it ain't. You will be in SA after the delightful fairy lights in trees over the Riverwalk have been turned off but before the Spring greenery has begun to rear its pretty head, but the Paseo del Rio is still quite charming. A barge spin around the main part of the Riverwalk is enjoyable as the pilot provides narration. Go Rio Cruises provides that as well as a water taxi that makes its way northward on the Museum Reach extension to the Pearl where you can find some very good places to eat. Brasserie Mon Chou Chou there is a favorite, feels like sitting in Paris and the food is quite good. If you enjoy wine, don't miss High Street Wine Company in the Pearl.

Along the Riverwalk you can get some darn good eats at Boudro's; Paesano's is popular for Italian food; Acenar does great contemporary Mexican food and killer margaritas; Biga is a reliable option for good food and service. Dorrego's serves up some tasty Argentinian fare with outdoor seating if the weather is mild. The Original Mexican restaurant is the best place on the Riverwalk for TexMex food (and Casa Rio, while picturesque, is the worst!) Rosario's is a short walk from your hotel and serves great food and drink, recently moved into a new location but has been a local favorite for decades. For a cool place to sip cocktails head to the Esquire. The Paramour is a bit off the Riverwalk but lots of funky fun.

There are some very good options off the Riverwalk but close enough to reach with uber. For a splurge meal, can't go wrong with Bliss. Also really good are Paloma Blanca on Broadway near Alamo Heights (Mex Mex) or La Fonda on Main (Tex Mex and Mex Mex) in the Monte Vista neighborhood just north of downtown.

As for activities - a visit to the Alamo is, uh, usually underwhelming. Fifteen minutes and you're done. It's also under re-construction for several more months. (My Mexican mother in law could never understand why Americans make such a big deal over a battle they lost, badly, LOLl) You can do free walking tours of downtown or the nearby King William district with Amigo Tours Do consider visiting the historic missions - there are some great hike and bike trails linking them. You can rent a bike with BCycle which has stations all over the place. Their site offers biking maps for downtown, the Museum Reach area as well as the Missions Trail.

If you would like to visit the Hill Country winery areas you'll need to rent a car or book a tour. Hope this helps!

tom_mn

The whole Riverwalk is touristy so expect that. The boats are little electric ones more like a kiddie carnival ride. It can be quite cold and wet mid-February, but at least if that happens you will have the Riverwalk to yourself. I never got an outdoorsy vibe but I was only there a short visit. Returning for the eclipse in April.

I was in Chicago on their Riverwalk last month, really head and shoulders over the San Antonio one, and more of an international party, but probably not even open in February.