TX San Antonio Hilton Hill Country Resort and Spa West

[mikesteg]

We were quite happy with our stay here, except for a couple of minor points. The hotel was beautiful and well-kept, if a bit worn in terms of damage to the marble and stone around the pool. I didn't see any minor work that had been neglected, just some things that would be fairly expensive to fix so I can understand that.

"Resort": One thing that may be a concern to some folks: I don't see how this facility can reasonably be called a resort. It's not substantially different than any given Hilton, Courtyard or Doubletree. The "extensive facilities" called for by Priceline's definition of resort weren't there as far as I could see. We were content because it had everything we needed for a short relaxing Babymoon. Had we booked a full week with the intent of not leaving the grounds, I would have been very disappointed.

Internet: the wired internet is $10/day. Wireless is free, but it's only available in the bar and courtyard areas. "Luckily" we were assigned the very first room on the first floor. I was able to get a clean connection... but only in the corner of the bathroom. :) The unfortunately turned out to partially be a working weekend, so that was very helpful in not undermining the point of the vacation.

Shuttle: free shuttle to Seaworld! This was great since parking at Seaworld is apparently $15. We went over 2 out of 3 days, so this saved us $25. Just be clear on when they run. We were told they run on the hour every hour, and showed up 5 minutes early to see the shuttle pulling away. Then we found out that they run continuously. Unfortunately, this meant a 30 minute wait in 97 degree weather.

House keeping: On our first full day we came back from Seaworld after 2pm and they hadn't touched the room yet. They were on the room right next door, so we put out the 'do not disturb' sign so DW could take a nap. Within 10 minutes, they had slipped a note under the door saying they were unable to service the room in respect to our privacy. Here's the kicker: I looked out the door and they were still working on the room next door! Now, this is a non-issue for me. I'd rather not have strangers in the room, leaving the door open for 10-20 minutes, etc. However, DW didn't like this at all!

I don't know that we ever looked at prices at their restaurant. There is plenty of food within a couple of miles; just google map for what you want or a cluster of restaurants, and go for it. There is a Rudy's and Bill Miller's within walking distance in decent weather. Both are BBQ and both are good choices. They are quite a bit different, so a person could to them two nights in a row and not have deja-vu.

As I said, this is a beautiful facility and a steal at the price we paid. We really enjoyed the stay and would stay there again if going to Seaworld. Oh, and they have great AC! Very important with a pregnant woman! :)