• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

The rooms at JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort look out over Texas Hill Country.   (Photo: Courtesy of JW Marriot San Antonio Hill Country Resort)

Cool off in waterfalls and rivers in the six-acre water park at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa (from $229). Located 30 minutes from downtown, the expansive resort pays tribute to the aesthetic of the surrounding Texas Hill Country with tooled leather, carved wood, and metals adorning its 1,002 rooms. Renew yourself at the Lantana Spa with one of the treatments inspired by local curanderos (traditional village healers), like the Earth’s Journey Remedy ($250 for 105 minutes), which includes a mud wrap and a massage with mineral cream.

Walk to the Alamo and the bustling San Antonio River Walk from downtown’s family-friendly Home2Suites (from $139). Opened last October, the hotel offers 128 environmentally friendly studio and one-bedroom suites, featuring bright color palettes and contemporary prints, with living rooms and fully equipped kitchens.

See a stylish side of the city at the Hotel Havana (from $105), where locals gather for pan-Latin cuisine on the terraces overlooking the bar Ocho and perch on velvet couches in the downstairs lounge. First opened in 1914, the historic building’s 27 rooms were revamped in 2010 with wrought-iron beds, Turkish rugs, and vintage Cuban artwork.

Published on Jun 28, 2012 as a web exclusive.