Totally COnfused - Where to Stay Downtown?

I am so confused on where we should stay when visiting Austin in July. I know Austin is such a cool, hip place; I cannot believe there isn%26#39;t a really neat place to stay while visiting!

I%26#39;ll be traveling with my husband and 10-year-old son. I%26#39;ve read as much to know that staying downtown is probably a good idea. However, every place I look at has SUCH MIXED REVIEWS. I%26#39;d really like to find a place where we can afford a suite so that we can have some privacy, at least a separate living area with a pull-out for our son. And a pool would be great, too. I was hoping that the Embassy Suites would be nice (free breakfasts, evening happy hour + it%26#39;s a suite hotel), but the reviews of the ES Downtown are pretty bad. I guess there is another one out on I-35 which gets better reviews, but it look way out of the way.

Any suggestions? Our budget max. is around $200/night, but I%26#39;ve been able to find rooms at almost every downtown hotel for that price, depending on how I book it.

Help...and thanks!

Totally COnfused - Where to Stay Downtown?

You may want to try to Doubletree on 15th Street. I think all of the rooms are two room suites and the website says they have a pool -- …hilton.com/en_US/…index.do

The location isn%26#39;t as good as the Embassy Suites, IMO, but it%26#39;s still convenient and you could walk to the Capitol, UT, Texas State History Museum, IMAX, etc.

Regarding the reviews of the Embassy Suites Downtown/Town Lake, they are mixed, but everyone who has posted trip reports back in the forums has had a postivie experience there. It%26#39;s also a great location for watching the bats emerge from the Ann Richards Congress Ave. Bridge. I wouldn%26#39;t stay at the ES on I35.

Totally COnfused - Where to Stay Downtown?

I stayed at the Embassy Suites downtown on Easter. It really wasn%26#39;t that bad. The pool area %26amp; workout room was nice. I thought the cocktails %26amp; breakfast were just average, but hey, they were free! Across the street is Threadgills and the bats...your son would probably enjoy that. SoCo is nearby as well. What kind of concerns did you have about the reviews? I haven%26#39;t read them. The Hampton Inn %26amp; Suites downtown was pretty nice when we stayed a year ago, but smaller. Nice little pool area %26amp; some good restaurants nearby. The Driskill %26amp; Hilton are nice, but pricer %26amp; not as much room.

I second the suggestion of the Doubletree Suites on 15th. It is a little away from true downtown Austin, but still very convenient. If you are looking for a hotel closer to downtown, the Omni is very nice as well.

What about the Intercontinental?

The Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin is in a great location on Congress. You can do a lot from that hotel without a car.

The Doubletree mentioned is not nearly as convenient for downtown activities as Embassy Suites, Intercontinental, Omni etc.

www.austintexas.org is the official visitor%26#39;s web site and you%26#39;ll find maps on there to help you visualize locations for the hotels.

Welcome to Austin!

The Intercontinental is a fabulous hotel in a great location, but I%26#39;m not sure that they are going to have suites in your price range. If you can get one for around $200 a night, go for it!

I have found a suite at the SA Intercontinental (king room with living room separated by french doors, 2 TV%26#39;s, etc.) on their CLub Level. It includes a continental breakfast and drinks/snacks in the evening. The rate is $171/night. Is that a good rate?

That is excellent! Go for it! The hotel only has an indoor lap pool, but it%26#39;s nice and you could always go for a swim at Barton Springs Pool.

Yep,that is the only draw-back as our son loves to swim, especially after a long day of sight-seeing. But I still think it is a good fit for us. We plan on doing downtown/Barton Springs one day and then Lake Travis/Volente Waterpark/Oasis Restaurant another, so that should be enough water time! :-)

Thanks for your help.

Would love to read a trip report when you get back. Hardly anyone writes about the SFA Intercontinental- please let us know abouat your experience there.

parameter