6 Best Hotels in San Antonio, Texas

There are no superlatives left to describe the wonder that is Hotel Emma, located in the original 1894 Pearl brewhouse and providing luxurious guest rooms and exemplary service. Guest rooms and suites have baths featuring handmade Spanish porcelain tiles, beds with luxury linens, and a stocked Ice Box (an homage to South Texas neighborhood icehouses) and in-room pantry with South Texas treats. Guests receive a complimentary La Babia margarita at check-in and complimentary Electra cruiser bikes to get around. Enjoy chef John Brand's marvelous creations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or brunch at on-site restaurant Supper, then relax at the dramatic city bar Sternewirth Tavern & Club Room off the lobby. 

Set among the bubbling streams and tree-covered hills of Cibolo Canyons, the JW Marriott San Antonio Resort & Spa is a magnificent family escape and a premier golf destination. This huge resort (the largest JW Marriott in the world) encompasses 1,002 rooms, so don't expect an intimate retreat, but the spacious design is such that you should never feel you're part of a crowd. In guest rooms, custom-designed furniture that incorporates hand-tooled leather, copper, and ironwork brings a touch of the surrounding countryside inside. Bathrooms are spacious with separate tubs and showers, and some suites feature balconies.

Among the resort's many dining options, Cibolo Moon is the signature restaurant, featuring a refined interpretation of authentic Texas cuisine. What really makes this resort special, however, are the outstanding facilities: the 9-acre River Bluff Water Experience includes a 1,100-foot lazy river and designated children's and adult pools; sumptuous Lantana Spa is a peaceful oasis with its own restaurant and pool and a lengthy menu of natural and organic facial and body treatments; and finally, the TPC San Antonio Golf Resort, open exclusively to resort guests and TPC members, features two championship courses designed by Pete Dye and Greg Norman, with the Oaks Course hosting the PGA Tours Valero Texas Open since 2010.

Make a list of the things you'd look for in a luxury, full-service resort, and chances are La Cantera has it. The limestone quarry (cantera, in Spanish) on which it's built was a natural foundation for its golf courses. It also offers the full roster of resort services—including a 25,000-square-foot destination spa, kids' programs, and tennis court—and is immediately adjacent to upscale shopping, dining, and movies. On the northern edge of San Antonio, the resort is a short drive to Six Flags Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld and 30 minutes from the Alamo and the River Walk. It offers a choice of seven eateries, each showcasing Texas-inspired cuisine with a distinct Hill Country twist.

The resort has an adults-only floor, SEVEN, that has private access, a dedicated concierge, and more. The ultimate in privacy and personalized service is a stay at the Villas, La Cantera's retreat within a retreat. It's like your own serene neighborhood, where each beautifully appointed villa is named for an iconic Texas ranch; the sparkling pool, hot tub, and poolside bar are just steps from your private patio, and you have your own personal resort cart to travel around the 550 acres. 

The ultimate spa getaway on the River Walk, luxury accommodations and services are offered at this hotel in the shell of the 19th-century L. Frank Saddlery Building. Mokara has sleekly modern yet warm rooms and suites, with 12-foot ceilings, whirlpool baths, and separate walk-in showers. Plush linens and posh toiletries are similarly luxurious. Rooms also have hardwood floors, large leather-top desks, Harman Kardon wireless speakers, and espresso machines. River Walk–facing rooms have private balconies. The 17,000-square-foot, European-style Mokara Spa offers a hair and nail salon, massages, facials, scrubs, soaks, and other therapies, plus a 24-hour fitness center. The spa also has a rooftop pool and café. The hotel's fine dining on-site restaurant, Ostra, is on the lower level, directly on the River Walk.

You too can feel like royalty in one of the city's most historic places to stay: the opulent St. Anthony transports visitors to days gone by while offering modern amenities in a great downtown location. The magnificent lobby features glittering chandeliers, stately columns, and fabrics in "St. Anthony Green," originally "Dorothy Draper" green, after the famed designer who created the then-private St. Anthony Club (now a casually elegant full bar with daily happy hour). Elegant touches of this striking green appear in the hotel's rooms and suites, which feature plush bedding, Italian marble, and gold accents. Chef Stefan Bowers and entrepreneur Andrew Goodman are behind the award-winning Rebelle, the on-site fine dining restaurant featuring premium fresh seafood and Sunday brunch. It's no wonder the St. Anthony has attracted a range of the rich and famous over the years; past guests include the likes of John Wayne, George Clooney, Olivia de Havilland, General Douglas MacArthur, the Beach Boys, and U.S. presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson. 

Located across the San Antonio River from the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, at the Thompson you are in the heart of the arts district, and fairly close to major sights like the Alamo and the Pearl (both about a mile away). Luxurious, beautifully appointed rooms range from a cozy 600-square-foot studio to the 2,100-square-foot penthouse suite with everything a penthouse suite should be. Rooms (including 33 suites) feature floor-to-ceiling windows, blackout curtains, luxury bedding, spa-inspired showers, and even a clothing steamer. The full-service 5,000-square-foot spa has five treatment rooms, sauna and steam rooms, and a fitness center. The Cenote Pool Deck is a retreat with a lounge area and pool bar; private luxury cabanas are available and include TV and VIP service. The Moon's Daughters is an enchanting, indoor-outdoor, 20th-story rooftop lounge with a full bar and Mediterranean-style menu and, always, those amazing views. A unique feature of the hotel is the eye-catching artwork that graces virtually every space, featuring works by local and international artists. The on-site fine dining restaurant, Landrace, boasts renowned chef Steve McHugh, who works with Texas farmers and growers.