Westin La Cantera Resort (The)

Description:

• This resort gives the slightly older Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa a run for its money with the well-heeled golfing crowd. They're similar in many ways, with great facilities; sprawling, gorgeous grounds; and loads of Texas character. Both are family-friendly, with theme parks in their backyards (here it's Six Flags Fiesta Texas) and excellent children's programs. But the Westin has the edge when it comes to golf, boasting two championship courses (in addition to the much-praised La Cantera, there's a newer Arnold Palmer-designed course) plus a professional golf school. It's a tad more romantic, too, with dramatic rocky outcroppings and gorgeous views from its perch on one of the highest points in San Antonio. And The Shops at La Cantera provides a mall (with the only Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom in San Antonio) close by with lots of stores and boutiques.

  The resort is designed around state historical motifs. The Texas colonial architecture is impressive, and the tales and legends detailed in plaques in the various rooms are interesting; but you'll probably be too busy having fun to pay them much mind. Likewise, the casual, conservatively decorated rooms, although equipped with all the business amenities conference attendees need, are likely to be abandoned for the resort's myriad recreational areas, or at least for the balconies that many of the guest quarters offer. Remnants of the limestone quarry on which the resort was built were incorporated into the five swimming pools interconnected with bridges and channels and a dramatic waterfall. Indigenous wildlife, including deer, rabbits, and wild turkeys, make their appearance at dusk, which is a good time to be exploring the resort's grounds. Or you can enjoy the dusk at the resort's restaurant, Francesca's at Sunset, which serves Southwestern and American cooking.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

CitySearch

•  Boutique Hotel 2006 – Audience Winner

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010

Other features:

In-room amenities include coffeemakers, refreshment centers, hairdryers, irons and ironing boards, and data ports. The on-site spa offers massages, facials, manicures and pedicures.