Remember there is more to San Antonio than just the Alamo! 
 Sure the Alamo is cool and it is part of the history of this city, but there is much more to San Antonio than just its famous landmark.  The other great feature of the downtown is the Riverwalk.  It is almost like the underground life of the city center.  You can barely see it from the road above, but this part of the downtown is filled with shops and restaurants.  It is really the happening place to be for the nightlife.

Weather is warm and sunny year-round.  The Summers do get pretty hot, but Spring and Fall are ideal times to explore San Antonio.  I visited in April which is a great time to go because of the many activities connected to Fiesta!  It is a city-wide ten day party with parades, festivities, food and fun.
 
Away from downtown there are some must visit attractions... 

If you are in San Antonio during basketball season, the Spurs are the hot ticket in town.  Their games are almost always sold out and they do a great job of keeping the fans entertained. Their regular season performance year after year proves how good this team is. Hopefully that will translate into post season success. So far in 2012 it is looking really good.


For more information: http://www.nba.com/spurs/

Many people do not realize that San Antonio has the biggest Sea World of all the companies’ amusement parks.  I have been to Sea World a couple times in the past, (in Orlando) I’ve never taken the opportunity to go behind the scenes.  On my recent trip to San Antonio I got to participate in the Beluga Whale interactive program.  It is an awesome add-on to general admission and well worth it to do at least once in a lifetime.  The program consists of some short classroom time to learn about Beluga whales, then the joy of putting on a wet suit and enjoying about 30-45 minutes of water time with the Beluga.   You work with a trainer and carefully learn the various commands and hand signals used to instruct the Beluga.  It is just an awesome experience feeding, touching, splashing and playing with the Beluga whales.


For more information: http://www.seaworld.com/sanantonio/

The JW Marriot has fantastic restaurants on site.  There was no reason to ever leave the resort.  The steak house at the golf course, The Oaks 18, serves up some of the best steaks, wines and desserts I've ever had.   The Cibolo Moon serves food for every meal, but I really enjoyed the breakfast buffet, it was incredible.  It had fresh everything all morning long.  It was all outstanding. (You must sample the jams and jellies, they are homemade on site and delicious.) 

For more information: http://www.jwsanantonio.com/18-Oaks-59.html

This has to be one of the most beautiful buildings and settings for a restaurant and clubhouse.  It overlooks the 9th and 18th greens.  The old style Spanish mission building is so well done inside and out.  The food is geared for golfers, but the flavors and choices were excellent.  I suggest a good ole burger.

For more information: www.lacanteragolfclub.com

While in San Antonio you are going to have to eat and there are some excellent choices scattered around town.  An excellent choice for golfers at the Hill Country course is the Antlers Lodge.  It has a hunters feel to it.  The décor is what you would expect from a restaurant called Antler’s Lodge.  The chandelier was a collection of thousands of antlers.  The food is very lodge-like too with many meat and game options.  They also serve a whole host of fine wines.  One of the best ways to have wine here is the Trio.  You can try a sampling of different styles and locations of their wines.  But the most awesome part of the meal had to be the dessert.  The Dark Beer Float is excellent.  I highly recommend this surprisingly great dessert.

For more information: http://hillcountry.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/restaurants/index.jsp

If you happened to be in another part of town, a new TX chain opened a site in the Quarry area of town, called Max’s Wine Dive.  Their slogan is; “Fried Chicken and Champagne, why the hell not?”  This restaurant has a great eclectic style of good regular home-style and southern style food along with great wines.The staff created a great atmosphere with a not so stuffy attitude, but more of a casual “I’ve known you for years” approach.  The fried chicken is a must have.  It is excellent.  

For more information: http://www.maxswinedive.com/san-antonio/index.php

Also close by is the Quarry restaurant which is part of the golf course there.  It recently added an awesome patio area that overlooks the back nine of the golf courses which is set in the remains of a quarry.   The food here is also excellent and they serve a great Kobe burger that any burger connoisseur will enjoy.  It is an absolutely beautiful setting and atmosphere.

For more information: http://www.quarrygolf.com/restaurant/

Everything is bigger in TX is certainly true of the world's biggest JW Marriott in San Antonio TX.  The resort is set back in the hills about 20 minutes from the airport.  You feel like you have left the city behind and entered a huge ranch.  With its 2 golf courses, multiple restaurants, over 1000 rooms, and a water park, you get a sense of how just big  this resort is.  Not only is the resort huge and filled with activities, the rooms are big too.  We stayed in a nice suite on the 7th floor and it was divided up into 3 main areas, the living room, the bathroom and the bedroom.  Each section of the hotel room was  huge and offered many comforts of home.  It was done in a modern TX elegance.  The large patio also made it great to sit back, enjoy a beer and watch the swimmers in the pools and golfers on the course.   Seriously, if you are headed to San Antonio, the Stay and Play packages are excellent values.  It is bigger and better at the JW Marriott.

For more information: www.jwsanantonio.com

Being that San Antonio is a large metro, there are so many lodging options, but if you want to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, the Hyatt Hill Country is the place for you.  It is a luxurious retreat for the whole family.  The rooms are nicely appointed and the complex is sprawling.  It has multiple pools, a lazy river, newly completed cabanas and tons of convention space.  Also remember that is is right across the highway from SeaWorld, so the location is excellent.

For more information: http://hillcountry.hyatt.com

The Wildflower Spa at the Hyatt Hill Country is a retreat within the resort.  But it is its own complex complete with indoor and outdoor amenities.  I scheduled a golfer’s massage after a long winter of not playing golf.  While it was a bit intense, it really worked out the kinks in my back and shoulders.  My ensuing rounds were much better.  I would have never guessed it, but it worked.  Before and after the massage the facilities are accessible for your use all day.  The outdoor pool and spa as well as the indoor sauna, steam and spa really encouraged relaxation.  The signature oils and scents were really quite nice.

For more information: http://hillcountry.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/index.jsp

San Antonio also has a number of championship caliber golf courses. Between my 2 trips to San Antonio I had the opportunity to play TPC San Antonio Oaks and Canyon which is part of the JW Marriott Complex.  I also played the Palmer Course at La Cantera part of the Westin Resort.  I had fun playing  Hill Country which is part of the Hyatt Complex.  I spent time at 2 courses that were not part of any resort, Brackenridge Park and the Quarry.

For full review of TPC Oaks/Canyon: Here!!
For full review of La Cantera Palmer Course: Here!!
For full review of Brackenridge Parck: Here!!
For full review of Hill Country:  Here!!
For full review of Quarry: Here!!

I honestly never really thought of San Antonio as a golf destination, but after staying and playing there, I could see myself returning, even with the whole family since there is so much to do for everyone.



For more information: www.VisitSanAntonio.com