San Antonio: Where to Stay

continued from San Antonio Mini-Site

Selecting a hotel in San Antonio can be a difficult choice; the city is dotted with hotels and motels designed to appeal both to the leisure crowd and to business travelers and conventioneers. You'll find hotels sprinkled throughout the city but most are clustered in a few high-demand areas: the River Walk, along I-35, and along I-10.

With some of the highest occupancy rates in the state, obtaining a hotel can also be a tough job, especially during peak tourist periods: summer months, the Christmas season, Easter, April's Fiesta and other festivals, and times when the San Antonio Spurs are playing a home game. Large conventions can fill downtown and River Walk rooms as well.

The highest demand--and definitely the highest concentration of romantic accommodations--is for rooms along the River Walk or Paseo del Rio, the city's top tourist district. Not coincidentally, these are also the city's most expensive hotel rooms. Properties like the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk, the Marriott Riverwalk, and La Mansion del Rio have long been favorite stops for travelers looking for luxury accommodations. These expensive hotels offer a full menu of amenities and services that you would expect to see in a five-star property.

You will find a few moderate motels in walking distance of the River Walk but expect to see three-figure prices at most properties any night of the week. Speaking of night of the week, remember that Friday and Saturday nights are peak in this leisure market, although weekdays can be busy as well because of the city's excellent convention facilities, located on an arm of the River Walk.

Beyond the River Walk but still within the downtown area lie some of the city's most historic and elegant properties. These historic hotels hark back to the days when the River Walk was an undeveloped and undesirable area. The Gunter Hotel and St. Anthony Hotel were preferred addresses in the city, each within walking distance of elegant theaters. Near the Alamo, the Menger Hotel has long been one of the city's most prestigious.

If you're flying into San Antonio, you'll also find a large array of hotels, motels, and extended stay properties near the airport. Loop 410 is home to a large concentration of accommodations, many at lower prices than those found along the River Walk. Some of these properties offer shuttle service to the airport.

The Fairmount--A Wyndham Historic Hotel
401 S. Alamo St., San Antonio
www.wyndham.com

This hotel calls itself "San Antonio's Little Jewel." The 37 tk -room property pampers its guests with personal attention and style amid turn-of-the-century elegance. In 1986, the hotel earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records when the 3,200,000-pound structure became the heaviest building ever moved. The move took six days, relocating the three-story hotel just across the street from both HemisFair Plaza and La Villita. In excavating the basement at its new home, artifacts from the battle of the Alamo were found. Today the site is a State Archaeological Landmark.

Each guest room here has an alarm clock, hair dryer, color television with VCR, iron with ironing board, data ports, and a coffee maker with complimentary coffee. Bathrooms are equipped with a shower massager and products from Bath & Body Works. The hotel offers its guests a fitness center, laundry and valet services, 24-hour room service, and babysitting services.

Polo's Restaurant and Bar, located on the property, is the perfect place to end a busy day. Polo's Restaurant serves Continental cuisine with a unique Southwestern flavor while the Bar provides guests with a cocktail and live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Fairmount couldn't be in a better location. The Alamo is only six blocks away, while the River Walk is only four. McNay Art Museum, Blue Star Arts Complex, and the Alamodome are all close by.

Menger Hotel
204 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio
www.historicmenger.com
The Menger Hotel is located just next door to the Alamo. This historic hotel was built in 1859 and has remained a popular stop ever since. Some of its most famous guests include Civil War generals Robert E. Lee and William Sherman, Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum (who had a studio at the hotel), playwright Oscar Wilde, and author William Sydney Porter (O. Henry), who mentioned the hotel in several of his short stories. Today the Menger has been restored to its Victorian splendor. The three-story lobby features Corinthian columns, a leaded skylight, and much of it's original furniture. Guests can stay in Victorian accommodations or in newer rooms; all have access to a complete spa. The lobby is adjacent to a tropical garden (once the home of several alligators) and shopping. Directly across the street are the stores of Blum Street and the Rivercenter Mall.

The Menger prides itself on the amenities offered to guests. Among these are the health spa, Jacuzzi, the Colonial Room Restaurant and the largest swimming pool in downtown San Antonio. Nearby, guests can find the Alamo, River Walk, Rivercenter Mall, Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, and Alamo Plaza.