Travel & Outdoors
May 27, 2016
10 Rustic Vacation Rentals
Get out of the city and into one of these cozy country hideouts.
Where to Stay Now
Travel & Outdoors
May 12, 2016
The Best Texas Hotel Awards
The most superlative amenities at the state's top getaways.
Travel & Outdoors
January 21, 2013
Travaasa Austin, Austin
A mere fifteen minutes after being buzzed into this secluded wellness resort about thirty miles northwest of downtown, I was floating in an infinity-edge pool with a margarita in hand. As I looked out over the wooded hills surrounding scenic (if drought-depleted) Lake Travis, I struck up a conversation with…
Travel & Outdoors
January 21, 2013
JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa, San Antonio
Situated on a six-hundred-acre spread thirty minutes north of downtown, this 1,002-room resort has half a dozen restaurants, a six-acre water park, a 36-hole golf course, and a 26,000-square-foot spa, as well as its own Starbucks and FedEx shipping center. It’s larger than many Texas towns, not to mention every…
Where To Stay Now
January 21, 2013
The Inn at Dos Brisas, Washington
This secluded country escape roughly halfway between Austin and Houston should have a warning posted at its entrance: “Caution: Guests may become incurably spoiled. Stay at your own risk.” Once inside its gates, you’ll wend your way along a narrow road through acres of bucolic farmland, passing organic gardens, pastures…
Travel & Outdoors
January 21, 2013
Hotel Galvez, Galveston
Opened in 1911 as a triumphant symbol of Galveston’s rebirth after the devastating 1900 hurricane, the coast’s premier beachfront hotel unveiled an $11 million face-lift last year on the occasion of its hundredth anniversary. So while you’ll find much-needed upgrades throughout, the Queen of the Gulf still radiates the same…
Travel & Outdoors
January 21, 2013
Rancho Loma Restaurant + Rest, Talpa
The first thing I noticed as I pulled into this middle-of-nowhere retreat an hour south of Abilene was that I had no cell service (though Sprint customers should have better luck). The second thing I noticed was the achingly pastoral scene surrounding me: an organic garden verdant with heirloom tomatoes…
Travel & Outdoors
January 21, 2013
Riven Rock Ranch
The most strenuous task you’ll have to accomplish during your stay at this 210-acre working ranch may be uncorking the bottle of Texas wine that’s been set out for your arrival. Unless you consider strolling through a garden or floating the Guadalupe River (bring your own tube) to be unnecessarily…
Travel & Outdoors
January 21, 2013
The Joule, Dallas
Housed in a twenties-era downtown high-rise, this boutique hotel boasts the only underwater bird’s-eye view of the city. That’s right: if you’re daring enough to swim to the glassed-in edge of the Joule’s heated rooftop pool, which juts out a dramatic eight feet beyond the building’s facade, you can peer…
Travel & Outdoors
January 21, 2013
Hotel Saint Cecilia, Austin
Is that Mick Jagger taking an evening swim? It’s hard to tell in the glow of the neon “SOUL” sign that illuminates the tree-lined pool at this coolly decadent boutique hotel, but spotting rock royalty here is about as surprising as encountering a lion while on safari in the Serengeti.
Where To Stay Now
October 12, 2012
Where To Stay Now 2012: The Ten Best New (Or Improved!) Texas Hotels
As a recent study of hotel booking trends pointed out, us Texans prefer to vacation in Texas. Since our last roundup of the state's most notable lodgings was in 2004, I thought it was high time to revisit the subject. So…
The Wanderer
October 11, 2012
Coming Soon: Where To Stay Now 2012
So I’ve been MIA from the blog lately, but I think I have a pretty good excuse, as I’ve been busy putting the finishing touches on a Texas travel feature for our November issue. For the latest installment of “Where To Stay…