Flights, Fajitas and Fiestas - San Antonio July 2017 - Day 3

BONZO · 13 Aug 17, 09:19 PM

Flights, Fajitas and Fiestas

Cast:

Alison – early fifties, with wanderlust (but insists on travelling in comfort and style)
Me – Shaun, mid fifties, also with wanderlust (used to be happy to travel anyhow but the comfort and style option is more appealing now!)

Link to trip report index:
Here

Tuesday 18th July

Phoenix to San Antonio

We woke up surprisingly early after being totally shattered last night and relaxed and had coffee and watched TV for a bit before showering and heading downstairs for the free breakfast (well, not exactly free, but included in the room rate!).

The breakfast area was small but well organised with plenty of options for food and drink. There was a coffee machine, flasks of hot water and a selection of tea bags, pastries, cereals, bacon, sausage, scrambled egg and a waffle machine! Basically, you dispensed a pre-measured amount of mix and poured it into a hot griddle, and secured the lid on a timer and picked up your waffle – brilliant!

As usual I went for savoury and Alison went sweet:

I was surprised at the number of people down for breakfast at this time, mainly Americans with a handful of Europeans, although I suspect they were all on early flights due to the proximity of the hotel to the airport.

As we were up so early we asked at the front desk if we could get on an earlier shuttle to the airport which was no problem. We had a quick turnaround in our room before going back downstairs to pick up our ride and we had a smooth ride to the airport (after taking a photo of the tiny pool area).

We would definitely stay at the Country Inn and Suites again if we wanted an overnight stay near the airport– it did exactly what it said on the tin. Just a side note here – although it was only 7.15am, it was boiling! About 30 degrees already – I’m glad we weren’t going to be here later in the afternoon when it was due to hit 42!

Once at the airport we made our way through to TSA Pre-check security which bizarrely had a slightly longer queue than the normal line so no real advantage there – although with not having to remove liquids, electronics, shoes and belts it probably did save time in the long run. So anyway, we were quickly through and found the Admirals Club lounge ok and settled down for a while with a newspaper and cup of coffee while we waited for our gate to be called. I did notice that some people were having an early start to the day by propping up the bar watching sport!

We left the lounge at 8.15 and headed to the gate and boarding was announced about 30 seconds later so perfect timing. And finally it was a well organised boarding process – they just called concierge key, then group 1, and then group 2 and so on. Far better than the scrum of everyone in groups 1-4 together!

As always we were doing this trip hand luggage only, but this next leg was the only one that would potentially be a bit difficult as my bag is a hard shell roller bag, which would not fit in the overhead lockers.

Along with others in the same position I just left my bag on the jet bridge for valet checking (where it goes straight into the hold, and is then retrieved as we get to the destination and handed to you as you leave the plane). I’m always a bit twitchy about this, wondering if it’ll ever make it to the destination or not.

We settled down in our seats in row 1

and there was a single spare seat in next to us across the aisle and the flight attendant wandered down the plane to pick out some lucky person to upgrade them. Next a huge mountain of a man, complete with Stetson, spurs on his cowboy boots and lariat in hand luggage came lumbering up and took the seat. Our Dolly Parton-esq Stewardess seemed to take a shine to him and asked him a few questions. Apparently he was the real deal and travelling to a rodeo tournament.

It was a beautiful clear day in Phoenix

The short (around 2 hour) flight to San Antonio was fine and we just had Dr Pepper and some nuts and thumbed through the on-board magazines to pass the time. On arrival I collected my bag from the Jet Bridge with relief that it had arrived as planned although a number of us had to form an orderly queue as the bags were hauled up via a lift and placed down.

We decided not to get a taxi from the airport to San Antonio city centre but to use the public transport as we usually try and do this where possible, it works out cheaper and gives you an insight for the place before reaching the hotel.

We had already checked bus arrangements out before arriving and soon found Bus stop No. 5. We only had a 10 minute wait (along with one other couple). The flat fare was only $1.30 each on the bus as opposed to about $30 - $40 dollars by taxi. The process on the bus was that if paying by cash then you deposited the money into the box next to the driver but no change given. The bus was lovely and had aircon (essential as it was boiling) and wifi.

I think we were the only tourists on the bus and as we trundled along to San Antonio we picked up a few locals along the way before arriving at our stop in the city centre which was only a 10 minute walk from our hotel. We could have got on another bus to get even closer but it was an easy walk so we decided to just have a slow amble.

We checked into the hotel (Hyatt Regency Riverwalk) which was very impressive and kind of had that old Disney Polynesian / Contemporary feel to it with a huge atrium and the distinctive American air-con smell.

We went up to our room (918) and result! – Huge room with a lovely corner setting with a view over the river. It was an accessible room set up for wheelchair users but we weren’t complaining. All fitted out nicely with the world’s largest in room TV, coffee maker and other facilities.

We did some very brief unpacking and headed upstairs to check out the roof top pool (although we didn’t swim)

There was no bar or café up on the roof but you could phone through for an order if you wished

then we went downstairs for a wander along the Riverwalk. The river running through San Antonio is lovely – lots of restaurants either side, and lots of hotels built alongside it. The Hyatt has a door directly onto the Riverwalk which was really convenient.

We watched the boats running up and down the river and wandered up to Valetta village and stopped for a coffee and muffin in one of the cafes. Really lovely atmosphere and feel here in San Antonio although the heat and humidity could make it quite draining I would think. I’ll need to pace myself!

We took another slow amble back to our room and showered and changed before heading out for the evening. Before we left for the trip I had noticed an attraction called The Magicians Agency so decided it would be a fun an low key activity to do for the first evening.

The setting for the Magicians Agency is a beautiful old church that has a hot dog restaurant and bar downstairs called Frank’s.

We arrived early so had a couple of drinks in the downstairs bar before the show was due to start. Eventually we called upstairs for the show in an area that must’ve been the main body of the church complete with bar (I assume that wasn’t there when the services were going on!) and stained glass windows (which I assume were!). The setting was stunning.

We were met by Scott who turned out to be a fellow Brit from Essex and he showed us to our premier seats near to the stage (he was the main magician for the evening too!)

We ordered our speciality hot dogs and drinks whilst some of the other magicians came round and did some close up magic while we ate – brilliant stuff!

The main show had some really good tricks / illusions and kept us entertained and baffled in equal measure throughout the whole evening. Really good to see these things up close and personal. The hot dogs and waffle fries were tasty, and our cocktails were good. We also had refillable sodas.

After the show we took a slow walk back to the hotel - it was still very warm - over 30 degrees and quite humid. We wandered up to the pool area with coffees that we’d made in the room, and planned for the next day then finally we headed out again along the Riverwalk and into the closest CVS for some fresh milk and cookies to keep in our room in case we were up early. After a long day we crashed out.

Melbatb · 14 Aug 17, 10:35 AM

The magic show sounds great!

I have heard good things about SA - it seems to be a lovely place!

phoebe23 · 14 Aug 17, 11:25 AM

Lovely to read about S.A. - went to visit the Alamo but Riverwalk is fab we also caught hotel shuttle and had dinner at the Mexican market with fantastic mariachi musicians.

Glee Fan · 26 Aug 17, 06:11 PM

Magic show sounds interesting. The church looks stunning!

13 Aug 17, 09:19 PM	#1
	13 Aug 17, 09:19 PM BONZO Imagineer
BONZO Imagineer Join Date: Mar 02	Flights, Fajitas and Fiestas - San Antonio July 2017 - Day 3 Flights, Fajitas and Fiestas Cast: Alison – early fifties, with wanderlust (but insists on travelling in comfort and style) Me – Shaun, mid fifties, also with wanderlust (used to be happy to travel anyhow but the comfort and style option is more appealing now!) Link to trip report index: Here Tuesday 18th July Phoenix to San Antonio We woke up surprisingly early after being totally shattered last night and relaxed and had coffee and watched TV for a bit before showering and heading downstairs for the free breakfast (well, not exactly free, but included in the room rate!). The breakfast area was small but well organised with plenty of options for food and drink. There was a coffee machine, flasks of hot water and a selection of tea bags, pastries, cereals, bacon, sausage, scrambled egg and a waffle machine! Basically, you dispensed a pre-measured amount of mix and poured it into a hot griddle, and secured the lid on a timer and picked up your waffle – brilliant! As usual I went for savoury and Alison went sweet: I was surprised at the number of people down for breakfast at this time, mainly Americans with a handful of Europeans, although I suspect they were all on early flights due to the proximity of the hotel to the airport. As we were up so early we asked at the front desk if we could get on an earlier shuttle to the airport which was no problem. We had a quick turnaround in our room before going back downstairs to pick up our ride and we had a smooth ride to the airport (after taking a photo of the tiny pool area). We would definitely stay at the Country Inn and Suites again if we wanted an overnight stay near the airport– it did exactly what it said on the tin. Just a side note here – although it was only 7.15am, it was boiling! About 30 degrees already – I’m glad we weren’t going to be here later in the afternoon when it was due to hit 42! Once at the airport we made our way through to TSA Pre-check security which bizarrely had a slightly longer queue than the normal line so no real advantage there – although with not having to remove liquids, electronics, shoes and belts it probably did save time in the long run. So anyway, we were quickly through and found the Admirals Club lounge ok and settled down for a while with a newspaper and cup of coffee while we waited for our gate to be called. I did notice that some people were having an early start to the day by propping up the bar watching sport! We left the lounge at 8.15 and headed to the gate and boarding was announced about 30 seconds later so perfect timing. And finally it was a well organised boarding process – they just called concierge key, then group 1, and then group 2 and so on. Far better than the scrum of everyone in groups 1-4 together! As always we were doing this trip hand luggage only, but this next leg was the only one that would potentially be a bit difficult as my bag is a hard shell roller bag, which would not fit in the overhead lockers. Along with others in the same position I just left my bag on the jet bridge for valet checking (where it goes straight into the hold, and is then retrieved as we get to the destination and handed to you as you leave the plane). I’m always a bit twitchy about this, wondering if it’ll ever make it to the destination or not. We settled down in our seats in row 1 and there was a single spare seat in next to us across the aisle and the flight attendant wandered down the plane to pick out some lucky person to upgrade them. Next a huge mountain of a man, complete with Stetson, spurs on his cowboy boots and lariat in hand luggage came lumbering up and took the seat. Our Dolly Parton-esq Stewardess seemed to take a shine to him and asked him a few questions. Apparently he was the real deal and travelling to a rodeo tournament. It was a beautiful clear day in Phoenix The short (around 2 hour) flight to San Antonio was fine and we just had Dr Pepper and some nuts and thumbed through the on-board magazines to pass the time. On arrival I collected my bag from the Jet Bridge with relief that it had arrived as planned although a number of us had to form an orderly queue as the bags were hauled up via a lift and placed down. We decided not to get a taxi from the airport to San Antonio city centre but to use the public transport as we usually try and do this where possible, it works out cheaper and gives you an insight for the place before reaching the hotel. We had already checked bus arrangements out before arriving and soon found Bus stop No. 5. We only had a 10 minute wait (along with one other couple). The flat fare was only $1.30 each on the bus as opposed to about $30 - $40 dollars by taxi. The process on the bus was that if paying by cash then you deposited the money into the box next to the driver but no change given. The bus was lovely and had aircon (essential as it was boiling) and wifi. I think we were the only tourists on the bus and as we trundled along to San Antonio we picked up a few locals along the way before arriving at our stop in the city centre which was only a 10 minute walk from our hotel. We could have got on another bus to get even closer but it was an easy walk so we decided to just have a slow amble. We checked into the hotel (Hyatt Regency Riverwalk) which was very impressive and kind of had that old Disney Polynesian / Contemporary feel to it with a huge atrium and the distinctive American air-con smell. We went up to our room (918) and result! – Huge room with a lovely corner setting with a view over the river. It was an accessible room set up for wheelchair users but we weren’t complaining. All fitted out nicely with the world’s largest in room TV, coffee maker and other facilities. We did some very brief unpacking and headed upstairs to check out the roof top pool (although we didn’t swim) There was no bar or café up on the roof but you could phone through for an order if you wished then we went downstairs for a wander along the Riverwalk. The river running through San Antonio is lovely – lots of restaurants either side, and lots of hotels built alongside it. The Hyatt has a door directly onto the Riverwalk which was really convenient. We watched the boats running up and down the river and wandered up to Valetta village and stopped for a coffee and muffin in one of the cafes. Really lovely atmosphere and feel here in San Antonio although the heat and humidity could make it quite draining I would think. I’ll need to pace myself! We took another slow amble back to our room and showered and changed before heading out for the evening. Before we left for the trip I had noticed an attraction called The Magicians Agency so decided it would be a fun an low key activity to do for the first evening. The setting for the Magicians Agency is a beautiful old church that has a hot dog restaurant and bar downstairs called Frank’s. We arrived early so had a couple of drinks in the downstairs bar before the show was due to start. Eventually we called upstairs for the show in an area that must’ve been the main body of the church complete with bar (I assume that wasn’t there when the services were going on!) and stained glass windows (which I assume were!). The setting was stunning. We were met by Scott who turned out to be a fellow Brit from Essex and he showed us to our premier seats near to the stage (he was the main magician for the evening too!) We ordered our speciality hot dogs and drinks whilst some of the other magicians came round and did some close up magic while we ate – brilliant stuff! The main show had some really good tricks / illusions and kept us entertained and baffled in equal measure throughout the whole evening. Really good to see these things up close and personal. The hot dogs and waffle fries were tasty, and our cocktails were good. We also had refillable sodas. After the show we took a slow walk back to the hotel - it was still very warm - over 30 degrees and quite humid. We wandered up to the pool area with coffees that we’d made in the room, and planned for the next day then finally we headed out again along the Riverwalk and into the closest CVS for some fresh milk and cookies to keep in our room in case we were up early. After a long day we crashed out. __________________ http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sign...igpic534_1.gif 1988 ~ Contemporary ~ Honeymoon 1989 ~ Off site 1994 ~ EuroDisney ~ Santa Fe 1999 ~ Off site 2001 ~ CBR (Aruba) ~ Poly (Tahiti) 2003 ~ WL & HRH 2004 ~ Pop Century, RPH, CSR, PBH, Contemporary 2006 ~ DLP ~ Newport Bay 2007 ~ POR ~ HRH ~ GF 2008 ~ All star sports, BCV, RPH, Vero Beach, VWL 2010 ~ OKW ~ BCV ~ HRH ~POP Century ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL 2013 ~ AKL ~ HRH ~ BCV ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL Edited at 09:28 PM.