San Antonio, the Best of Texas--wonderful!

My favorate area is the RiverWalk as the San Santonio River winds in apparently all directions through downtown. Major hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment areas line the River about 1 full storey below street level. It always is cooler along the river. There is much more. San Antonio is much like visiting another country. It's culturally very interesting. The restaurants are great and varied. Click here for San Antonio's great WEB site!

Quick Tips:

Stay in a hotel on the RiverWalk. It's a joy to be 'where the action is'. It is such a pleasure out of walking out of your hotel, joining the flow of pedestrian traffic to find the restaurant or shop of your choice. New hotels are opening all along the river. Some are brand new from the ground up, others are creative reuse of old building.

Best Way To Get Around:

San Antonio requires a car, but along the RiverWalk, no cars are allowed--only people! Mass transit is very good. I especially like the old timey trolleys. For 50 cents you can get a nice ride and often a chatty tour. Monthly passes available. You can get a transfer to ride the trolley again within 2 hours. Very good!

The Hilton, which is both on the river and close to Hemisphere Park, really started the new life of the river back in the 1960's. Well located with very good restaurants and bars, it's a good 'first time' choice for visitors to San Antonio.

Update: this hotel has a RiverWalk level restaurant that is pretty good. We dashed over there when we had a small break at the Convention Center. Service was fast and it was nice to sit near the River for a few minutes relaxation.

This hotel has been substantially updated. Friends who stayed there were satisfied and it's proximity to the Convention Center is great.

This glorious old hotel probably has the most interesting location on the RiverWalk. It has very large, if dark rooms, wonderful restaurants and bars. The service is excellent. Breakfasts are devine! Free parking. Don't try to make sense of the addresses of the hotels on the RiverWalk. San Antonio's streets were laid out to deal with a river with a lot of curves and bends. This hotel is a favorite of people who really know San Antonio. Yes, it's on the 'up' end of the price range, but everything else, food etc. you will have to deal with in San Antonio, are so reasonable, why not stay in a wonderful place? Their WEB site is wonderful! Click herefor La Mansion del Rio Hotel.

Frankly although this hotel is in a good location on the River Walk, and I usually like Hyatt Renency hotels, I don't like this one. Was it the careless service or the slightly worn quality of the rooms? Hard to say. Restaurant's too plastic, too.

The Menger is an old, tradional hotel of 300 rooms, long a part of San Antonio history. Its location, across from the Alamo, makes it an interesting place for history buffs. Like many old hotels, the rooms vary a great deal. We had an odd little room that was far down a long hallway on the opposite side from the Alamo. If you want an Alamo-view room, be very specific. Ask a lot of questions when you telephone. Restaurants are way above average. Very good bar which is a replica of London's House of Lord's Pub Wxtremely nice lobby area. I liked the room service. The surrounding area is generally safe, however, and this is a BIG 'however', San Antonio is a very large city with all the problems thereof.

Be wise and enjoy your trip! Pet peeve--tour buses. Much noise and fumes. Likely it can't be helped, but doesn't add to the historic atmosphere. Rooms up to $330. Winter rates available as well as some week-end combo packages. I think that the more questions you ask, the better deal you get. Listed on the Historic Hotels of America.

Short walk to the RiverCenter Mall.

This is known as the 'place with all those swimming pools'. Five at this time. Brand new resort with a ton of activities for families. Not far from Six Flags. Great views! This is a 'self contained' resort with a great golf course. Stay here, but do yourself a favor and see more of San Antonio than this fine resort. Childrens' 'camp' is fun for kids and gives parents a chance to golf or whatever on their own. Beware of the sun--it's very strong. Consider early morning swims for young children.

This isn't just for children. Walking distance from the Zoo and a 15 minute drive from downtown. 50 kinds of tea are available. A beautiful little spot. Telephone ahead to see what is available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Open 7 days.

This is a great experience, if not strictly Texan. The service is out of this world. This is a beautiful resort. I wouldn't leave the River Walk to go out to the Westin to eat, but if you are staying there, it is great.

On the RiverWalk side of the lower floor of the Drury Inn and Suites is this restaurant. Very busy during peak times. The food is similar to 'Outback' but with a Texan flare. Only one side (potatoes, onions) dish is included in the price of your main course. If you want a salad, it's extra. If you want a GREEN vegetable with your dinner, it's extra. An order of mushrooms is tiny and swimming in sauce.

Although non-beef items (chicken, fish) are on the menu; the reason to come here is beef. This is range fed beef. Sorry if I'm getting a bit technical here, but I am a Texan). Not the rich, heavy corn fed beef you would get from say, Nebraska.

I ordered a 'Cowgirl Ribeye'. What I got was no ribeye, but more of a flank steak that deserved to be hammared and chicken fried. It was the kind of meat a cowboy would have cooked in a fry pan over a campfire.

We had a wonderful, but overworked waiter who made up for some of the problems with the food. Major problem was the nature of the beef. If you want a RICH steak, go to 'Outback' or any number of other restaurants that serve a higher price cut of beef.

A really large amusement park with plenty of attractions. Plenty of shade also (a must in Texas in the summer). Buy a combo ticket that includes Sea World (The penguins are great.) Multiple day and season passes available. Local grocery stores often have the best discount passes. Worth a stop on your way. Often there is a connection with Dr. Pepper: ie, bring a can for a 'dollars off' discount.

La Villita is the site of the original settlement of San Antonio. My favorite place to visit in San Antonio, it's a maze of shops, restaurants, workshops, galleries and historic sites. Not far from any of the major RiverWalk hotels. No charge to get in. Although repaired over the years, La Villita has the charm and character of the 18th century. It's hard to believe that you are in the heart of a very large city!

We were recently there for an over-large private party. Some times that happens and this village is closed to the public.

The largest of the San Antonio Missions, San Jose is still an active church. It is a state park and a National Historic Site. It was founded in 1720 and the church was built between 1768 and 1787. The entire mission compound, surrounded by a large wall, has been restored. The outer wall contains Indian dwellings. There are a granary and workshops. There is an old flour mill outside the north wall, built in about 1790--the first in Texas.

People who have visited Santa Fe New Mexico will recognize the building styles. I love the Rose window. Visitors are welcome in the church, however the church does have regular religious activities: masses and weddings etc. There is a small gift shop.

It can be extremely hot in San Antonio in the summer months so be advised that there is a lot of outdoor walking around if you want to see the entire mission. If you're not careful you can get sunburned quickly. It is worth the time and effort to visit this mission. It is interesting to imagine what life must have been like over 200 years ago.

telephone (210) 932-1001 (210) 534-8833

Ok, let's cut to the chase. This shop, located near to the Menger Hotel is fantastic!

Very high quality merchandise, especially the clothing, and very nice jewelry.

The people who work in this shop are so nice and helpful! What a deal!

I bought earings and a great blouse. With more time, I would have bought more! Don't miss this shop!

Telephone: (212) 472-2210

There are dozens of things to do and see in San Antonio. The best of all is to walk along the river, pick out a water-side restaurant and/or bar and settle in to watch the world go by. You will have a good time. That's San Antonio!

You can spend your days seeing the historic sites and museums and relax your evenings away. We always plan a return trip. There is never enough of San Antonio. San Antonio has the capacity to host really large meetings and conventions; so a lot of people get to the city. We already have reservations for a return trip. I've never heard anyone say that they've made their last trip to San Antonio!

Multi-lingual and multi-cultural, San Antonio is a supurb place to visit. I was just there for a week and am ready to return.

For discount coupons and information The River Walk.

San Antonio is a city where although Christmas lights are displayed, there really isn't a 'winter' season. Be prepared for 9 months a years of warm to very hot weather. The climate is 'dry'. The sun is very hot and very harsh. One feature of city life which makes San Antonio is a virtually year- around golf season. The RiverWalk is an area for strolling, drinking, eating and shopping. At the top of your packing list should be very good walking shoes.

Figure on a comfortable, casual wardrobe that gives you protection from the sun. Blouses and long skirts are popular for women as they are cool while still giving enough coverage to go into a 'decent' restaurant. Polo type shirts and light weight pants and walking shorts are popular for men. Not to mention t-shirts for all.

In the better restaurants, hotels and shopping centers too much air conditioning is often the rule, especially the Alamodome! Be prepared to cover up. Don't be too shy to wear a hat if you think that you are going to burn easily; but men, please remember, hats are to be taken off in the Alamo! Modest attire is required for women wishing to attend Mass in one of the mission churches. Telephone ahead if you are unsure about appropriate attire for other houses of worship. Most hotels require swimmers to be covered up when going from bedroom to the swimming pool.

Pack what you think you can't live without, but remember their are stores in Texas!