Advice about San Antonio

cindyn9178

DH and I have been researching places in the US to go on a vacation this year, and I just "discovered" San Antonio! It seems like a great place to visit, with lots to do, so I figured I'd ask for some recommendations, tips, etc.

The Riverwalk looks like a lot of fun - any cool restaurants or bars we should definitely check out? (in that area, or other areas)

From what I read online, it sounds like we'd want to stay Downtown in the heart of it all. Any hotels in the Downtown area you'd recommend? Or that we should stay away from?

I also read that there is a festival taking place in April for 11 days. We were planning to go around March or April. Is the festival something worth going for purposely that week? What kinds of things go on during it?

Would you recommend renting a car for the week, or is there easy public transportation (that is cheap), that we could use to get around?

What is the weather like in March and April?

Any other suggestions/info you have would be greatly appreciated!

RLCooper2008

San Antonio is wonderful! My favorite place to stay downtown on the Riverwalk is Hotel Valencia. It is beautiful and pretty centrally located to most of the Riverwalk. But really, most of the hotels downtown are very nice! You can walk along the river and eat at a million different places, all sorts of food and never have to eat at the same place twice. There are also tons of bars and clubs down there if you wanted to go out at night.

The festival you are talking about is probably Fiesta. We have it every year and it is crazy! If you are coming to visit during that week you may want to book a room asap b/c everything fills up all over town so book quick! There are tons of parades, parties most every night, great food! It is literally a party all week long!

The weather in March/April is just about the best time to come in my opinion. Not too hot and not too cold. Maybe a little breezy but should not be too bad.
Hope this helps! 

cindyn9178

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-san-antonio_advice-san-antonio?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:103Discussion:61e96604-39d2-4189-a3f5-dbe0ef789507Post:ebe729e5-0f8e-4713-a145-9ed0930c2025">Re: Advice about San Antonio</a>:
[QUOTE]San Antonio is wonderful! My favorite place to stay downtown on the Riverwalk is Hotel Valencia. It is beautiful and pretty centrally located to most of the Riverwalk. But really, most of the hotels downtown are very nice! You can walk along the river and eat at a million different places, all sorts of food and never have to eat at the same place twice. There are also tons of bars and clubs down there if you wanted to go out at night. The festival you are talking about is probably Fiesta. We have it every year and it is crazy! If you are coming to visit during that week you may want to book a room asap b/c everything fills up all over town so book quick! There are tons of parades, parties most every night, great food! It is literally a party all week long! The weather in March/April is just about the best time to come in my opinion. Not too hot and not too cold. Maybe a little breezy but should not be too bad. Hope this helps! 
Posted by RLCooper2008[/QUOTE]

Thanks so much for the tips! So is the Fiesta just a bunch of stuff happening all over town all week?

RLCooper2008

Most of Fiesta happens downtown on the Riverwalk. There are some other things that happen around town. The Universities around town throw events certain nights of the week. Check out http://www.fiesta-sa.org/events/all-events/ for a whole list of events, times and dates. It is a lot of fun and there are SO many things but it is VERY busy all over town!

Oh, public transportation...if you dont stay downtown but want to go downtown for Fiesta, dont take your car! VIA bus services offer special prices to pick you up at places like a centrally located mall and then drop you off right downtown, pick you up when ur ready and take you back to your car. Or just renting a cab works best too. I have lived here a long time and still hate driving around downtown on my own. Some people say it is easy...I am not one of them. Lots of one way streets and construction so I still prefer to park it and have a cab or bus take me.

cindyn9178

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-san-antonio_advice-san-antonio?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:103Discussion:61e96604-39d2-4189-a3f5-dbe0ef789507Post:81528f2f-b3ed-463a-a8e7-2d25b8e84416">Re: Advice about San Antonio</a>:
[QUOTE]Most of Fiesta happens downtown on the Riverwalk. There are some other things that happen around town. The Universities around town throw events certain nights of the week. Check out <a href="http://www.fiesta-sa.org/events/all-events/" rel="nofollow">http://www.fiesta-sa.org/events/all-events/</a> for a whole list of events, times and dates<strong>. It is a lot of fun and there are SO many things but it is VERY busy all over town!</strong> Oh, public transportation...if you dont stay downtown but want to go downtown for Fiesta, dont take your car! VIA bus services offer special prices to pick you up at places like a centrally located mall and then drop you off right downtown, pick you up when ur ready and take you back to your car. Or just renting a cab works best too. I have lived here a long time and still hate driving around downtown on my own. Some people say it is easy...I am not one of them. Lots of one way streets and construction so I still prefer to park it and have a cab or bus take me.
Posted by RLCooper2008[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tips! This is one thing I am concerned about - that it might be TOO crowded downtown during Fiesta? I don't want to end up dealing with huge crowds, long lines, etc because of it either. Maybe it would be better to avoid that week? I'm sure there is plenty to see and do aside from Fiesta....

I had also read about not driving around downtown.. I think we would stay in a hotel in that area and would just try to walk most places, and if we wanted to go to Sea World or Six Flags or something, we could use public transportation or something....

DeadUtopia

If you want to come in and stay downtown during Fiesta, call around because hotels book up quick during that time. It's definitely worth seeing though, I go every year and don't get tired of it! Fiesta is really crowded, but it's literally a party for the whole city. Lots of beer, carnival rides, concerts, Mexican food. If you're here at St. Patty's time, they literally dye the river green! SeaWorld and Fiesta Texas are really fun! There's also Natural Bridge Caverns and a handful of great museums. The bus can take you almost anywhere in town. I could go on and on about the different restaurants that we have here, I LOVE food, and there's a high quality restaurant for any type of food imaginable that I could recommend, plus a ton of obscure hole in the wall joints that rock my socks.

SavannaEKS

I have lived in San Antonio all my life and love it. Downtown always has a function going on during the weekend. Fiesta is a huge party! Day and night parades are huge and packed but is very family oriented. NIOSA(night in old San Antonio) is also apart of Fiesta with live music, alcoholic beverages, and carnival style booths. Most all the hotels downtown are beautiful, seems like a new one is built every few years. Although they do have elegant historical hotels too! Have fun in S.A!

gemmybear

The Hotel Havanna is the hot new spot to stay right now (the Top Chef crew stayed there when they were shooting in town). The riverwalk is forgettable and full of tourists and overpriced mediocre food. Good food: La Frite, Tre Trattoria, The Monterey, The Esquire, Quincy's Deli, Pho Sure, The Cove, The Friendly Spot, Taco Haven, The Station Cafe, Zinc. Good spots to hit are the Pearl Brewery, the Museum Reach on the Riverwalk, The McNay Art Museum, The Mission Trail.. Rent a bike and ride all over downtown in comfort and style. Fiesta is fun and all, but everything is more expensive and less accssable IMO. I would come as Fiesta is ending (check out The King William Festival, its the best part of the whole thing) and enjoy the city as things calm down. Have a good time! I live downtown here. I like it pretty well.