Affordable Hotel near the Riverwalk in San Antonio

January 10, 2007 10:48 AM

Can anyone recommend an affordable hotel near the Riverwalk in San Antonio?

In May (07) I will be attending a conference at the Westin on the Riverwalk and while work will cover the 2 nites I am there for the conference I am planning on spending 2-3 days on with my wife on a mini vacation. The over $200/night price of the Westin doesn't fit our budget. I am currently looking at hotels near the area but wondered if anyone here had a suggestion based on experience or proximity to attractions.

posted by imjosh to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

It's still high (160 or so per night, book well in advance) but you may want to check out the Menger.

Historic value and all that.
posted by IronLizard at 11:01 AM on January 10, 2007

I stayed in three different hotels when I was in San Antonio. The good news is that all the hotels in that Riverwalk area are pretty okay. The bad news is that hotels right on the riverwalk may be noisy and annoying as hell. This is what I thought of the three places I stayed but I don't know anything about prices since I was staying with other people. Links go to some pictures.

- Riverwalk Vista - this was a boutiquey guesthouse place. Very attractive, B&B style. DO NOT STAY HERE unless you can stand a place with nearly constant noise. It's right on a busy intersection and there is loud traffic and bus and person noise from 6 am til 2 am. They have a lot of noise abatement stuff (white noise generators, smooth jazz in the hallway) but it doesn't help. In fact the jazz in the hallway is somewhat loud and plays all night long. I was awakened at 3 am but a squeaky saxophone solo that went on forever. If you can sleep through noise, this place is awesome.

- Menger Hotel - more reasonably priced, nice bar, a short walk to Riverwalk/Convention Center. Small rooms, neat little place.

- Crowne Plaza Riverwalk -- pretty sure this was the place I stayed. It's a few blocks away, nothing terrible, and a totally decent hotel which is more in the $100/night range than the $200/night
posted by jessamyn at 11:09 AM on January 10, 2007

The Painted Lady Inn is a wonderful bed-and-breakfast not far from downtown. I love, love, love this place, to the point where I now don't want to stay anywhere else when I'm in San Antone (including with my relatives). Very reasonable, and great folks. It's 6 blocks from the Riverwalk!

(And the walls are thick!) ;]
posted by fiercecupcake at 11:22 AM on January 10, 2007

You need to make your reservations ASAP because all the good, affordable places will fill up really quickly. We found this out the hard way and ended up at a slummy.... Best Western? several miles from downtown for $100/night.
posted by Doohickie at 12:57 PM on January 10, 2007

I don't know what their non-conference rates are like, but the St. Anthony is quite nice and a couple blocks from the Riverwalk.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:05 PM on January 10, 2007

The Havana hotel is on a quieter part of the riverwalk. Just north of the main area. They have rooms for as little as $100 a night. It's very romantic and unique. It's my personal choice in San Antonio.

Otherwise the Amerisuites is just south of downtown, but also located on the riverwalk. I'd give them a try for a decent priced room. They're located closer to the King William Area, which is a historic district with a few bed and breakfast's that might be worth a try. The beckman carriage house is in the same area. I live a few blocks from it and it looks charming.
posted by vionnett at 2:37 PM on January 10, 2007

I stayed at the St. Anthony on my honeymoon 13 years ago. I'm happy to see they've spruced it up since Wyndham took over. It's such a great location, just two blocks from the riverwalk.
posted by saffry at 2:44 PM on January 10, 2007

A couple of suggestions:
When you check rates at the St. Anthony (which I love), join the free Wyndham frequent-guest club thingie. You'll get lots of freebies when you stay, and the rates might be cheaper. And even if you don't stay at the Menger or the Havana, be sure to visit the excellent bars at both--two of my favorite places in San Antonio.
posted by paleography at 4:19 PM on January 10, 2007

I clicked on this question so I could recommend The Painted Lady. Looks like someone above already did so, so I'm here to second it!

Try the peach muffin for breakfast. Yummy.

Keep in mind that the neighborhood might seem a little "rougher", but I think its just a bit vacant downtown-ish feeling. We've never had any problems there. The rooms are stylish and nice.

Also, the Liberty Bar (http://www.liberty-bar.com/) is worth a stop for dinner. Its in an old house not far from the painted lady. As the waiter told me last time I was there: of course the food is good, people don't come here for the building!
posted by verevi at 5:31 PM on January 10, 2007