I had friends stay at the springhill suites last year and that is what made me decide them this year. Very nice hotel and close to the convention center and the river walk!
I am flying in from Vancouver BC & booked the Marriott Riverwalk Centre (I think, I'd have to check my reservation) just curious what the reviews are for the rooms etc. It seemed like a pretty central place in regards to the convention centre but not sure what else would be around. Also anything in particular thats worth checking out? Flying in on the wednesday and would have thursday to check stuff out
Oh my goodness
Oh my Dayum
Oh my goodness
They goin' Ham
I am flying in from Vancouver BC & booked the Marriott Riverwalk Centre (I think, I'd have to check my reservation) just curious what the reviews are for the rooms etc. It seemed like a pretty central place in regards to the convention centre but not sure what else would be around. Also anything in particular thats worth checking out? Flying in on the wednesday and would have thursday to check stuff out
Well, The Alamo is right there. It's easily the thing San Antonio (if not all of Texas) is most known for. But there is other stuff too.
I am flying in from Vancouver BC & booked the Marriott Riverwalk Centre (I think, I'd have to check my reservation) just curious what the reviews are for the rooms etc. It seemed like a pretty central place in regards to the convention centre but not sure what else would be around. Also anything in particular thats worth checking out? Flying in on the wednesday and would have thursday to check stuff out
Well, The Alamo is right there. It's easily the thing San Antonio (if not all of Texas) is most known for. But there is other stuff too.
There is a bar in San Antonio called Slackers, I believe. (Kiddies not allowed ) It is a retro style bar with upstairs full of board games, arcade games and the like. I haven't been yet but am looking forward to some down time there!
Has anyone stayed at the O'Brien Historical Hotel? Seems super close to the Riverwalk and the Convention Center....looks nice.
Stayed there last year. It is small and their parking is a pain if you are driving, but we had no issues there. I had a reservation there but canceled it as I got a room at the Menger for cheaper. We had 2 adults and 4 kids in the room and it did not feel any more crowded then any other room you stuff 6 people into.
I staying the the Hilton palacio del rio last year. It was across the street from the convention center and had a river walk exit as well. the Rooms were very nice with a balcony. we had 4 people and brought some twin sized blowup mattresses for the extra people. customer service was exceptional at the Hilton though. one of our friends left some stuff in the room and they shipped it to him overnight for free.
This year we are booked at the Marriott Riverwalk as it was a little bit cheaper and we have fewer people going this year. it should also be even closer to the entrance of the convention center if they haven't moved that with all the remodeling.
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TrailsongBard, Rogue, and Part-Time LegendSomewhere East of insanityRegistered Userregular
There is a bar in San Antonio called Slackers, I believe. (Kiddies not allowed ) It is a retro style bar with upstairs full of board games, arcade games and the like. I haven't been yet but am looking forward to some down time there!
Slackers is nowhere near downtown-- it's in the airport part of the city, behind North Star Mall (the mall with the giant boots), fyi.
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TrailsongBard, Rogue, and Part-Time LegendSomewhere East of insanityRegistered Userregular
For folks with hotel questions, I'll put together an info sheet over the next few days and post a proper TL;DR post here to help out as best I can; I live in SA and have worked in hospitality and hotels for 20 years, the last ten in SA proper, and have a pretty good feel for what's good, what's bad, and what's ugly. Tag me here with questions or feel free to email me.
Stayed at Drury Inn Plaza last year, good breakfast, good customer service, and the walk to and back was not difficult. Honestly, any hotel within a 5mi radius is not a difficult walk. This year I have more people so I booked a hotel across from the convention center (Hilton Palacio). I'm still coming off my DragonCon high - so if anyone who went to Pax South last year can answer for me...are there any hotels that had a party-vibe to it? Thanks all.
I stayed at Fairfield Inn and Suites which was about ~3 blocks north of the convention center. Very easy 10-minute walk or so, can go right past the Starbucks and there's a convenience store a block away. Very budget-friendly too! I'm on the fence about keeping my reservation again this year because I might room up with people closer, but if I stay solo again I'll definitely be staying here. Great place and great location.
edit: Oh, and they had free hot breakfast that was quite delicious, too.
For folks with hotel questions, I'll put together an info sheet over the next few days and post a proper TL;DR post here to help out as best I can; I live in SA and have worked in hospitality and hotels for 20 years, the last ten in SA proper, and have a pretty good feel for what's good, what's bad, and what's ugly. Tag me here with questions or feel free to email me.
I'm driving and worried about what to do with my car. I've never used valet parking and I don't know the area.
I booked the Holiday Inn Express for the free parking, but I'm having second thoughts. Any suggestions for drivers? Thanks!
For folks with hotel questions, I'll put together an info sheet over the next few days and post a proper TL;DR post here to help out as best I can; I live in SA and have worked in hospitality and hotels for 20 years, the last ten in SA proper, and have a pretty good feel for what's good, what's bad, and what's ugly. Tag me here with questions or feel free to email me.
I'm driving and worried about what to do with my car. I've never used valet parking and I don't know the area.
I booked the Holiday Inn Express for the free parking, but I'm having second thoughts. Any suggestions for drivers? Thanks!
I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I have been to SA probably 20 times, each one I drove a fancy sports car. Neither experienced nor heard of this being an issue for anyone.
I'll be staying at the Grand Hyatt, which is literally right next to pax south. Has anyone stayed there and not loved it?
We stayed there last year and it was great. Walking ten feet to get from the exit of the convention center to the hotel was great. Nice place, quiet room, and our room had a great view of the Tower at night. We are booked there again for 2016 and looking forward to it. Also, Ruth Chris Steakhouse is in the hotel and it is excellent!
I have a room reserved at the Homewood Suites and am curious if anyone has had bad experiences there.
Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.
I been to quite a few Denny's in a few different states. The SA one was probably the quickest as far as service time considering how packed it was each day I was there. I got to meet a lot of nice people plus I sat next to a Dev (I think he was a Dev) from The Repopulation and got a few free Steam keys to give to my friends. Pretty cool!
I have a room reserved at the Homewood Suites and am curious if anyone has had bad experiences there.
Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.
I been to quite a few Denny's in a few different states. The SA one was probably the quickest as far as service time considering how packed it was each day I was there. I got to meet a lot of nice people plus I sat next to a Dev (I think he was a Dev) from The Repopulation and got a few free Steam keys to give to my friends. Pretty cool!
Not too worried about service time since I plan on eating there after the Con is done for the day so as long as the food is acceptable I'm satisfied. I think I've only ever eaten at two Denny's and my family always uses the one near my house to convert the haters because they do an exceptional job there.
Stayed at the Embassy Suites last year with 3 friends and it was great (I've stayed there twice now on different trips to San Antonio and have had good experiences both times). The walk from the hotel to the convention center is one of the longer ones though... probably took around 10-12 minutes. Not a terrible walk at all, but enough where we couldn't quite justify the walk back for the free happy hour around 5pm each day. The rate we got last year was $205/night, and it's looking way more expensive online currently, so we decided to book at the Menger this year instead, mainly due to the rate looking good, the historical aspects of the hotel, and its closer proximity to the convention center.
I have a room reserved at the Homewood Suites and am curious if anyone has had bad experiences there.
Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.
I been to quite a few Denny's in a few different states. The SA one was probably the quickest as far as service time considering how packed it was each day I was there. I got to meet a lot of nice people plus I sat next to a Dev (I think he was a Dev) from The Repopulation and got a few free Steam keys to give to my friends. Pretty cool!
Not too worried about service time since I plan on eating there after the Con is done for the day so as long as the food is acceptable I'm satisfied. I think I've only ever eaten at two Denny's and my family always uses the one near my house to convert the haters because they do an exceptional job there.
uhhhg Denny's. I'm a long way from home if people look forward to going to Denny's. All I'll chime in with, is at some point in your life you should check out most any diner in New Jersey. It's hard to hold my tongue regarding the subject.
I have a room reserved at the Homewood Suites and am curious if anyone has had bad experiences there.
Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.
I been to quite a few Denny's in a few different states. The SA one was probably the quickest as far as service time considering how packed it was each day I was there. I got to meet a lot of nice people plus I sat next to a Dev (I think he was a Dev) from The Repopulation and got a few free Steam keys to give to my friends. Pretty cool!
Not too worried about service time since I plan on eating there after the Con is done for the day so as long as the food is acceptable I'm satisfied. I think I've only ever eaten at two Denny's and my family always uses the one near my house to convert the haters because they do an exceptional job there.
uhhhg Denny's. I'm a long way from home if people look forward to going to Denny's. All I'll chime in with, is at some point in your life you should check out most any diner in New Jersey. It's hard to hold my tongue regarding the subject.
Sweet! I can't wait for you to mail me my flight tickets and send me my hotel reservations!
I am going to try to hit up some of the Tex-Mex places around the Riverwalk this time. The steak place next to the Con was great though, will have to go there again.
I have a room reserved at the Homewood Suites and am curious if anyone has had bad experiences there.
Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.
I been to quite a few Denny's in a few different states. The SA one was probably the quickest as far as service time considering how packed it was each day I was there. I got to meet a lot of nice people plus I sat next to a Dev (I think he was a Dev) from The Repopulation and got a few free Steam keys to give to my friends. Pretty cool!
Not too worried about service time since I plan on eating there after the Con is done for the day so as long as the food is acceptable I'm satisfied. I think I've only ever eaten at two Denny's and my family always uses the one near my house to convert the haters because they do an exceptional job there.
uhhhg Denny's. I'm a long way from home if people look forward to going to Denny's. All I'll chime in with, is at some point in your life you should check out most any diner in New Jersey. It's hard to hold my tongue regarding the subject.
Sweet! I can't wait for you to mail me my flight tickets and send me my hotel reservations!
I am going to try to hit up some of the Tex-Mex places around the Riverwalk this time. The steak place next to the Con was great though, will have to go there again.
I definitely want to try one of the Brazilian steakhouses nearby. And knowing my friend, he'll definitely be interested in steak too so it's going to be a fun weekend.
I definitely want to try one of the Brazilian steakhouses nearby. And knowing my friend, he'll definitely be interested in steak too so it's going to be a fun weekend.
Fogo de Chao is right next to the Rivercenter Marriott and is fantastic. Its like a three minute walk from PAX. http://www.fogodechao.com/
I definitely want to try one of the Brazilian steakhouses nearby. And knowing my friend, he'll definitely be interested in steak too so it's going to be a fun weekend.
Fogo de Chao is right next to the Rivercenter Marriott and is fantastic. Its like a three minute walk from PAX. http://www.fogodechao.com/
And it being Texas, it's pretty hard to not find a steakhouse. There's even a 2nd Brazillian place right near Fogo. If you think you like Mexican/Steak/Barbequeue you owe it to yourself to try them in a one of the places really known for them.
If you're bringing kids, or just young at heart, try out the Rainforest Cafe on the riverwalk. Food is good, moderately priced, but the theme is a rainforest, and they do a pretty good job of making that theme at least interesting. Can get crowded.
The Hyatt opened up for Thursday so I ended up booking there. Pretty excited for my first South. After staying at the Sheraton for Prime this year having a hotel as close as possible to the con is pretty damn awesome.
Pax Prime (West) '13, '14, '15, '16.
Pax South '16
Pax Prime 2015 Omeganaut
I stayed at the Residence Inn San Antonio Downtown/Alamo. About a 10-15 min walk to the Convention Center. While food was close there wasn't a 7-11/Convenience Store near by and I had to hit the Walgreens on the RiverWalk.
Price was good. Room was great. Close to everything else (bars) and the staff is friendly. Area felt pretty safe to me. I wanna say it was just over $100 a night? Maybe a little more.
1st PAX was Prime 2010. Made it to several more Primes/West. Been to East and South. Headed back to West in 2019 for my 12th PAX.
Price was good. Room was great. Close to everything else (bars) and the staff is friendly. Area felt pretty safe to me. I wanna say it was just over $100 a night? Maybe a little more.
Generally speaking the whole downtown where the hotels are is very safe. San Antonio has a very tiny tourist corridor where pretty much everything happens. Unless you strike out on your own and wander way off to some unknown dive bar, you will remain in the pedestrian, touristy zone. People here have a friendly, small-town mindset. You won't run into a lot of random aggression or craziness like other big cities. :-)
Looking at the prices and locations, does anyone have experience with:
Menger
Farfield Inn
Springhill
I know someone has already posted about Springhill but I was wondering if others also had positive experiences there.
I have never been to San Antonio, but, I have stayed at about a dozen Springhills throughout the country, in maybe 6 or 8 states. They are all the same (seriously, the rooms had the same sheets on the bed and art on the wall, my family thinks it is hilarious). And they have all been perfect for my needs. Clean rooms, nice beds, courteous staff, fair price. So, without hesitation, I booked at the Springhill right around the corner from the convention hall Thurs - Mon.
This will be my first PAX. I got a great deal through American Express and am at the Grand Hyatt with free breakfast for about $165/night.
I've stayed at the Marriot Riverwalk across the street before and it is nice but on the more expensive side. Anything in the riverwalk area is easily walkable to the convention center.
This will be my first PAX. I got a great deal through American Express and am at the Grand Hyatt with free breakfast for about $165/night.
I've stayed at the Marriot Riverwalk across the street before and it is nice but on the more expensive side. Anything in the riverwalk area is easily walkable to the convention center.
If you don't mind me asking, how did you get that AMEX deal?
I booked it through the amex travel website. The price seems to go up and down every day, but the grand hyatt was at $189 when I did it sometime last week. Then amex had a separate offer on their main page where you can add one time deals to your card like rebates for different retailers. They had one where if you spend $600 on their travel site you get $100 back. So with that rebate spreading out to $25/night it put my room averaging $164.
I went back and checked and it looks like I paid around $120 a night since my brother works for the Marriott. I should have booked when I bought my tickets this year although I only waited a month.
Anyways I went with the Fairfield Inn Downtown. I was curious about the Crockett Hotel, anyone stayed there?
1st PAX was Prime 2010. Made it to several more Primes/West. Been to East and South. Headed back to West in 2019 for my 12th PAX.
I stayed at the Crockett Hotel for a weekend a few years ago. It was pretty nice. Room wasn't huge. I had a queen size bed. Breakfast was pretty good. They had the Texas waffles. I loved that it was next to the Alamo. It has valet parking, so you need to call for your car before you go down if you want it. It costs an extra 20$ per day. Self parking is also 20$ a day.
I paid 189.00$ a night for the two nights I was there.
Well, I, for one, love Denny's! And it is a long drive for me to get to one, so perhaps I'd love it less if it didn't take 90 minutes.
As for hotel costs, if you're looking for bare minimum cheap, there is a lot of camping open around San Antonio in January, and it ranges from $20-$60 a night. From what I can tell (Hopefully a local can chime in), nights are just above freezing and daytime is 15 C/60 F. Despite this you can still tent camp (again, cheap!) if you want as most sites have electric. Just bring a $10 fan heater. And yes... all the campgrounds I checked have showers, so no excuses. FWIW, it seems most places are fully booked for Feb 1st night, but that shouldn't be an issue so long as you leave Feb 1st in the morning. I hear the rodeo fills up the campgrounds!
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Oh my Dayum
Oh my goodness
They goin' Ham
Well, The Alamo is right there. It's easily the thing San Antonio (if not all of Texas) is most known for. But there is other stuff too.
There is a bar in San Antonio called Slackers, I believe. (Kiddies not allowed
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@Val_KD
Stayed there last year. It is small and their parking is a pain if you are driving, but we had no issues there. I had a reservation there but canceled it as I got a room at the Menger for cheaper. We had 2 adults and 4 kids in the room and it did not feel any more crowded then any other room you stuff 6 people into.
This year we are booked at the Marriott Riverwalk as it was a little bit cheaper and we have fewer people going this year. it should also be even closer to the entrance of the convention center if they haven't moved that with all the remodeling.
Slackers is nowhere near downtown-- it's in the airport part of the city, behind North Star Mall (the mall with the giant boots), fyi.
edit: Oh, and they had free hot breakfast that was quite delicious, too.
I'm driving and worried about what to do with my car. I've never used valet parking and I don't know the area.
I booked the Holiday Inn Express for the free parking, but I'm having second thoughts. Any suggestions for drivers? Thanks!
I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I have been to SA probably 20 times, each one I drove a fancy sports car. Neither experienced nor heard of this being an issue for anyone.
We stayed there last year and it was great. Walking ten feet to get from the exit of the convention center to the hotel was great. Nice place, quiet room, and our room had a great view of the Tower at night. We are booked there again for 2016 and looking forward to it. Also, Ruth Chris Steakhouse is in the hotel and it is excellent!
Edit: Never mind, I'm going to cancel and go with the LaQuinta. Cheaper parking and close to Denny's is the deal-breaker for me.
I been to quite a few Denny's in a few different states. The SA one was probably the quickest as far as service time considering how packed it was each day I was there. I got to meet a lot of nice people plus I sat next to a Dev (I think he was a Dev) from The Repopulation and got a few free Steam keys to give to my friends. Pretty cool!
Not too worried about service time since I plan on eating there after the Con is done for the day so as long as the food is acceptable I'm satisfied. I think I've only ever eaten at two Denny's and my family always uses the one near my house to convert the haters because they do an exceptional job there.
uhhhg Denny's. I'm a long way from home if people look forward to going to Denny's. All I'll chime in with, is at some point in your life you should check out most any diner in New Jersey. It's hard to hold my tongue regarding the subject.
Sweet! I can't wait for you to mail me my flight tickets and send me my hotel reservations!
I am going to try to hit up some of the Tex-Mex places around the Riverwalk this time. The steak place next to the Con was great though, will have to go there again.
I definitely want to try one of the Brazilian steakhouses nearby. And knowing my friend, he'll definitely be interested in steak too so it's going to be a fun weekend.
Fogo de Chao is right next to the Rivercenter Marriott and is fantastic. Its like a three minute walk from PAX.
http://www.fogodechao.com/
And it being Texas, it's pretty hard to not find a steakhouse. There's even a 2nd Brazillian place right near Fogo. If you think you like Mexican/Steak/Barbequeue you owe it to yourself to try them in a one of the places really known for them.
Pax South '16
Pax Prime 2015 Omeganaut
Price was good. Room was great. Close to everything else (bars) and the staff is friendly. Area felt pretty safe to me. I wanna say it was just over $100 a night? Maybe a little more.
Twitter:kube00
Generally speaking the whole downtown where the hotels are is very safe. San Antonio has a very tiny tourist corridor where pretty much everything happens. Unless you strike out on your own and wander way off to some unknown dive bar, you will remain in the pedestrian, touristy zone. People here have a friendly, small-town mindset. You won't run into a lot of random aggression or craziness like other big cities. :-)
I have never been to San Antonio, but, I have stayed at about a dozen Springhills throughout the country, in maybe 6 or 8 states. They are all the same (seriously, the rooms had the same sheets on the bed and art on the wall, my family thinks it is hilarious). And they have all been perfect for my needs. Clean rooms, nice beds, courteous staff, fair price. So, without hesitation, I booked at the Springhill right around the corner from the convention hall Thurs - Mon.
I've stayed at the Marriot Riverwalk across the street before and it is nice but on the more expensive side. Anything in the riverwalk area is easily walkable to the convention center.
If you don't mind me asking, how did you get that AMEX deal?
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Texas De Brazil is amazing! I ate until I could hardly walk
Anyways I went with the Fairfield Inn Downtown. I was curious about the Crockett Hotel, anyone stayed there?
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I paid 189.00$ a night for the two nights I was there.
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As for hotel costs, if you're looking for bare minimum cheap, there is a lot of camping open around San Antonio in January, and it ranges from $20-$60 a night. From what I can tell (Hopefully a local can chime in), nights are just above freezing and daytime is 15 C/60 F. Despite this you can still tent camp (again, cheap!) if you want as most sites have electric. Just bring a $10 fan heater. And yes... all the campgrounds I checked have showers, so no excuses. FWIW, it seems most places are fully booked for Feb 1st night, but that shouldn't be an issue so long as you leave Feb 1st in the morning. I hear the rodeo fills up the campgrounds!