In early January we headed to Texas for a week-long vacation. First, we spent four nights in San Antonio and then three in Austin. Texas was a new experience for me as I had never been. Hubby had been on some business trips in Texas before.
Lost luggage messed up plans
We flew to Austin where we rented a car for the week and planned on driving directly to San Antonio. Those plans were foiled as it turned out that while we made it from our layover in Germany to Texas, hubby’s suitcase didn’t. We arrived on a Wednesday and were informed that the suitcase would arrive on Friday. This naturally meant we had to start our trip with some shopping. So once we made it out of the airport, we headed to an outlet mall. We made a quick list of things hubby would need and of the stores to visit and went to work. A little over an hour later we had what we needed and drove to San Antonio.
Hotel in an old bank
I had booked a room at the Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk. The hotel is an old bank building from 1929 and is quite impressive. In 2005, the Alamo National Bank Building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Drury Plaza Hotel opened in the building in 2007. The building is one of the tallest buildings in downtown San Antonio and has an observation deck with 360-degree views of the city. Our room was a Deluxe Queen Room which was super-spacious and comfortable. The hotel offered valet parking which we took advantage of and it was very convenient. The room price included a continental breakfast and a happy hour with free drinks and snacks every evening. The amenities included a rooftop pool and a gym. The staff was friendly and helpful and we enjoyed our stay at the hotel. I would recommend he hotel, especially if you like to stay in places with a history.
Dinner at a bar from 1933
As it was quite late after we had settled in and visited a nearby drugstore to get hubby some toiletries we chose a bar across the street for dinner. The bar’s name is The Esquire Tavern and it opened in 1933 to celebrate the end of prohibition. The place was dimly lit and had a nice atmosphere although as it was packed it was a bit noisy. I picked a cocktail called Hot Lips (Blanco Tequila, Pamplemousse, Lime, Ghost Pepper Tincture, Grapefruit Soda, Tajin) and hubby had a beer. I ordered chalupitas, hubby had a brisket melt and we shared a side of chili fries. The cocktail was delicious and the food was tasty. After dinner, we returned to the hotel to plan the next day and get some well-deserved sleep.
Stroll along the riverwalk
The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel. It was nothing special but it did fill our stomachs. Then we headed out to explore the riverwalk. The actual plan for the day was to visit the Alamo and the local missions. As I had booked a time for visiting the church at the Alamo we had some time to kill before heading there. The hotel lies at one of the branches of the riverwalk so we headed out that way. I really liked the riverwalk and as you will see in later posts we spent a lot of time walking along it. Personally, I think it brings the city a nice, unique character.
Stay tuned for upcoming Texas posts, next I’ll talk about our visit to the Alamo and the missions.
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