San Antonio Hotel selection... GREAT POOL a neccessity!
 

Hi! We've decided on Texas for a summer (early June) 2002 vacation! We're a family of 4, with 2 kids who LOVE to swim. Got a couple of questions for you knowledgable Texans out there:<BR>1. We are thinking about splitting our time between 2 hotels. La Cantera (about 15 miles away from the riverwalk area) has a great pool. La Mansion Del Rio is right on the riverwalk, but I don't know if they have a pool. The Hyatt Hill Country Resort has an awesome pool, too. Does anyone have experience with these 3 hotels. OR... is there a better choice? Remember, the pool is the thing for us!<BR>2. Do you have to STAY on the riverwalk to get the "feel" of San Antonio? Would we be missing out by staying at La Cantera or the Hyatt?<BR>3. Planning on going to Schlitterbahn. Is it close enough to SA, or should be find a hotel in New Braunfels? Will one day be enough, or plan on a two day pass?<BR>4. Any "can't miss" place for an 8 & 10 year old in Austin? Thinking about the bats under the bridge, and maybe a visit to the capital, but what else? We will only be there one day.<BR>Thanks for your time! We'll be comparing Texas BBQ with Kansas City BBQ and post our ribs, short ends & sauce winners in July. Have a great spring! Lola...

Well, La Mansion has a pool, but I can't find a photo of it anywhere on the Internet. I did see something that mentioned the pool is outdoors and in an enclosed courtyard.<BR><BR>The La Cantera pools look great--we'll be staying there for a short visit in late April.<BR><BR>IMHO, downtown SA and the Riverwalk area is a world unto itself--definitely different from the feel of the rest of town. La Cantera is relatively close to Six Flags and SeaWorld, but those attractions and that area of town definitely don't have the downtown "feel."<BR><BR>New Braunfels is an easy 30-35 mile drive from SA, so you can definitely make the Schlitterbahn a day trip. Looks like it's open 10-8, so if you left SA by 9 a.m. you could easily be there by the opening time. I've never been there, but I'd bet one day would be enough.<BR><BR>Because your kids love to swim, I'd highly recommend Barton Springs in Austin. It's a huge spring-fed pool (water temps a little chilly, but nice for beating the Texas heat) in Zilker Park.<BR><BR>Hope this helps! Have a great time in Texas!

Hyatt Hill Country is beautiful; a fantastic hotel with a couple of lovely pool and spa areas plus the Lazy River. Though I don't know if you'll want to do this in June, it's one of the few hotels I've been in that you can crank open the windows and enjoy the fresh air. It's an upscale crowd, but all are there to enjoy the TX Hill Country. Both you and the kids will enjoy the grounds. All that and it's convenient to Schlitterbahn.<BR><BR>If I'm not mistaken, LaCantera was developed by the same comapany that developed Hyatt Hill Country, Woodbine Development, out of Dallas. It's a fairly small development company and my guess is that there would be a lot of similarities between Hyatt Hill Country and La Cantera (which is run by Westin, if I have the correct resort) as style doesn't change radically from one project to another--they are not only the developers, but owners, as well. My husband worked for them as VP of hotel division when Hill Country was built, and is now a Hyatt GM, to be fair with my background and assessment of the area. Still, I have no stake in recommending any one of those hotels over another.<BR><BR>Whatever you choose, you will want to spend one day on Riverwalk, downtown SA, definitely, and see the Alamo which is right there, and which, from a historical standpoint, shouldn't be missed. <BR><BR>Don't recall now when the bats do their nightly fly, but it is seasonal. A unique spot just outside Austin is Hamilton Pool--an area where you can hike down to a natural pool formed by the collapse of a cave roof eons ago. A portion of the cave ceiling remains and forms a rim from which water falls into the pool below. It's really beautiful. You can hike behind the waterfalls as well and stay dry.<BR><BR>Closer to town, Zilker Park Greenbelt has been developed with hiking trails along the river and at the base of cliffs supporting some of the deluxe homes of the Silicon-type boom Austin has experienced. The area is beautiful and the homes so nicely tucked into their terrain, they go un-noticed initially. There are some good pools within the river for swimming, so have the kids wear suits under their clothes. Students who are there for summer session would be more than happy to show them the finer points of jumping off the cliffs into the deeper pools below. :&lt; The former lifeguard in me groaned at the sight!! We enjoyed watching rock climbers scaling the limestone bluffs there as well.<BR><BR>I have some pics stored of a trip we had to Hyatt Hill Country last year if you'd like to take a look. http://pages.prodigy.net/cmcdaniel/ then look for P5110034 through P5120661. All were taken at the resort--in our suite and of the grounds and 5110056 is a good view of their very uunusual TX chic lobby area. P5120065 through 86 are all of the Enchanted Rock area northwest of San Antonio--an easy day's hike if you are so inclined. P5110007 through 28 were taken on the SA Mission Trail, which may be of interest to you as well, depending on the age of your children.<BR><BR>Hope you enjoy the Hill Country, wherever you choose to experience it! It's an area all Texans would love to call home.

Stayed at La Mansion del Rio in July of 2000. The pool is in a nicely landscaped courtyard. We enjoyed relaxing at a table by the pools with our drinks while the kids swimmed. But it is a small pool and nothing really special. I did enjoy the hotel, right on a quiet section of the riverwalk.

Whoa- I must be tired- that's pool - singular- and swam not "swimmed"!

Hyatt Hill Country is beautiful and the kids enjoy the kid camp. La Mansion is on a quiet area of the river but still close enough to all the excitement. It is a very relaxing place to stay. The rooms are not spectacular but nice. You want a room facing the river.

I have stayed at the La Mansion Hotel. The hotel caters more to adults than kids. You can spend all the time you want on the Riverwalk by going there for dinner and maybe a cruise on a boat. The Hyatt Hillcountry hotel is great! There is a lazy river surrounding the grounds that the kids can float on all day long.<BR><BR>Schitterbahn - day trip. One day is plenty!<BR><BR>Austin - Children's Museum downtown is fun (Plus gets you out of the heat)<BR><BR>As for bbq - you must visit the Salt Lick (about 30 mile scenic drive from Austin) It is great food, fun ambience, plus it's byob!

I have stayed at all three hotels several times. The Hyatt Hill Country is tops for kids. The pool is fantastic. The Westin La Cantera is not far behind but we went there on a holiday weekend and they were totally not prepared for the large crowds. The La Maison is more of an adult hotel on the Riverwalk. Definitely go to Schliterbahn for one day. The kids will love it. You can do it all in one day if you get there early and it is not on a holiday. Have a great time!!

My kids would like to move to the Hyatt Hill Country! That is a FABULOUS pool. I have never stayed at that Westin resort, although I did see it when we went to Fiesta Texas. My children were 6 and 3 last summer when we went and we could have stayed in the pool the whole time. They have inter-tubes(sp?) with a lazy river and it is tons of fun. The grounds are gorgeous--the restaurant was good. I want to go back!