Summer travel in Texas can be a grind. From the backed-up stretch of I-35 between Dallas and San Antonio, to the crowded Buc-ee’s, and the congested river floats and Six Flags lines that stretch for a mile under the sun, these summer highlights often bring as much frustration as they do fun. 

Proving that you don’t need any of these for your summer itinerary, the Plaza San Antonio Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection — hot off its 2024 debut — is the essential summer getaway you should plan for mindful relaxation, unique culinary nourishment, and complete revitalization.

Historic Charm Meets Modern Luxury at Plaza San Antonio Hotel

Located on the corner of South Alamo Street and East Cesar Chavez Boulevard, San Antonio’s first Marriott-branded Autograph Collection Hotel preserves and repurposes its historic 19th-century architecture into a premier summer hotel destination designed to refresh the body, mind, and soul. The setting combines landmark features, such as the original brick facades, with lush natural landscapes and modern elements to create a luxuriously antiqued and approachable ambiance. While the lobby bustles with excitement and chatter from guests and visitors, whether dining at the popular Corrine restaurant or attending a conference in any of the masterfully designed event spaces, Plaza San Antonio’s palette of natural tones, proprietary scents, and cool vibes counter the buzz with a warm welcome.

Spacious San Antonio Hotel Rooms with Private Patios and City Views

Continuing the modern-historic charm are the rooms at Plaza San Antonio. Once you step inside, you’ll notice how each space is masterfully designed to create a sense of mindful escape. Each room radiates luxury and relaxation, starting with the vanity bathroom. Here, the intricate tile work weaves art and history from the ground up, ensuring that every waking moment reflects its Spanish roots. A rustic barn door separates the bathroom from the rest of the sleeping area, allowing you and your partner in this romantic rendezvous to maintain closeness without sacrificing privacy.

Each room features a private patio and offers a unique view of the San Antonio cityscape. Enjoy leisurely mornings on the balcony with a cup of Nespresso, soaking in the peaceful ambiance of the morning glow. Or spend your mornings sprawled out on plush bedding while basking in the views from the floor-to-ceiling windows, where warm Texas sunlight seeps into every room. Do yourself a favor and sleep with the curtains open to enjoy the cool nighttime cityscape as you drift off, only to be warmly awakened by the morning sun. Plaza San Antonio’s spacious amenities provide a much-needed mindful escape.

Relax Poolside at Anaqua Garden Bar

You’ll have to pry yourself away from the calming ambiance of the room to transition to even more chill, Zen-inducing vibes at the garden pool oasis. Named after the property’s historic 42-foot-tall Anaqua tree, the Anaqua Garden Bar and pool area offers a refreshing atmosphere bursting with greenery, creating a natural sanctuary to enhance your summer travels.

 Once here, you’re fully immersed in 360 degrees of garden greenery coupled with abundant patio furniture, ensuring that every spot in the pool garden is a peaceful perch to stretch out and relax.

Enhancing the Plaza’s sense of Zen is an assortment of diverse menu items that nourish the body and mind. Featuring a luxurious blend of Japanese-inspired cuisine and Latin flavors, along with contemporary botanical-based cocktails, Anaqua’s bites and sips are light enough to complement a cabana and pool dip – yet satisfying and filling enough to stand on their own.

The Jicama Salad, featuring mango, carrot, papaya, cucumber, jicama, and peppers, is a wholesome and refreshing appetizer. Paired with Lobster Street Corn, a duo of roasted lobster skewers with lime crema, cotija, and cilantro, you’ll have a hearty yet delightful balance of sweet and savory flavors.

The Tepache for Strangers with Ilegal Mezcal, fermented watermelon, pineapple, mint, and tropical citrus is a must-try. This centuries-old refreshment has made a comeback on contemporary menus as more people discover the beverage, and Plaza San Antonio honors the storied tradition with their own modern twist. I also recommend going off the menu, as Anaqua’s expansive range of spirits includes Texas’s own Desert Door. Request a paloma made with this agave-spirit variation, harvested and distilled in Texas, for a lively libation that serves as both a perfect pool companion and an evening nightcap.

Luxury Spa in San Antonio Offers Historic Setting and Holistic Wellness

The onsite spa is situated in a pair of historic 1850s homes that have withstood the test of time for over a century, renovated and reinforced to create a luxurious environment for mindfulness and wellness. This time capsule, a soft blend of history, culture, and class, features six treatment rooms offering a variety of signature massages, treatments, and body rituals, many of which incorporate oils native to South Texas. Among the unique services offered, one of the standout treatments is the Shirodhara therapy, a soothing Ayurvedic technique that uses warm herbal white sage oil applied to the forehead’s “third eye.” To help you navigate these experiences, The Spa employs a wellness concierge on-site to guide you to a customized, restorative treatment.

Along with these restorative services, guests can also enjoy a unique morning tea tradition outside of The Spa. This newfound ritual includes a proprietary blend exclusive to Plaza San Antonio served atop an antiqued table with a spread of teacups, further enabling placid mornings before a cool dip in the pool.

Rooftop Views and Gourmet Bites at Nearby Kimpton Santo Hotel

Here in the Friendship State, competitors can often be collaborators. There is no better example than Plaza San Antonio’s neighboring property, just steps away, the Kimpton Santo Hotel. With its signature cabana pool area overlooking downtown San Antonio from 10 stories up, and the open-air bar at Tenfold, where cool breezes relieve any heatwave or bottled-up tension, the Kimpton Santo Hotel enhances the Plaza’s mindful escape with its own views, bites, and sips.

At Tenfold, the options are small but mighty. Positioned as light bites for the evening, these selections are slightly smaller than typical appetizers but burst with immense flavor and superb presentation, making them quite satisfying. If you’re unfamiliar with these choices, consider opting for the Chef’s tour. However, the local favorites—along with my personal picks—include the Lobster Crispy Rice with grilled corn foam, charred avocado, and pickled chiles, as well as the Grilled Octopus featuring crispy potatoes, blistered sweet peppers, chimichurri, and pipian. And of course, the Tiger Shrimp Aguachile with celery, avocado, cucumber, and serrano is simply delightful.

The drinks at Tenfold are unforgettable. The Lost in the Jungle, featuring Planteray coconut, mezcal, pineapple gum syrup, and Texas citrus, is both visually and tastefully stimulating. Beneath the Cloudbank, made with Lunazul Blanco tequila, Verde Mezcal, Italian aperitif, watermelon, and tropical citrus, pairs perfectly with summer. Although it’s not on the menu, you should ask the server or bartender for their own variation of an Oaxaca Old Fashioned, as the skilled mixologist here delivers it excellently.

Minutes from the Riverwalk, But Worlds Away in Relaxation

Once you’ve rested enough — if there is even such a limit — the San Antonio Riverwalk is just a five-minute walk away. Here, you’ll find nearly endless options for dining, nightlife, shopping, and historic attractions throughout this renowned Texas tradition. Alternatively, you can continue to enjoy the calm and comfort of Plaza San Antonio and save the tourist sightseeing for another busy weekend. With an abundance of amenities, including onsite restaurants and bars like Corinne and Anaqua Pool Bar, spa services rooted in tradition, and private patios coupled with each spacious room, Plaza San Antonio offers unmatched serenity for the summer. 

Book your room at Plaza San Antonio today. And if wedding bells are in your future, Plaza San Antonio is running a special wedding offer with exclusive perks,  “Forever Starts in Full Bloom,” to couples who book their wedding by July 31, 2025, to be held by December 31, 2026. The hotel provides a naturally elegant canvas for wedding events ranging from intimate gatherings to full-scale celebrations. 

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Cover photo courtesy Plaza San Antonio Hotel & Spa.

Martin Ramirez is a brisket-eating, Shiner-loving, road-tripping enthusiast of all things Texas. This Dallas-born writer / adventurer is ready to take his ‘78 El Camino to find the best in food, fun, and fitness throughout the Lone Star State.