I visited The St. Anthony, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Antonio, in August 2026 with my family of 5 for 2 nights. We had a spacious junior suite and enjoyed the rooftop pool, dining, and easy walks to San Antonio’s downtown attractions. The hotel had historic charm, and we delighted in sending postcards through the hotel’s old-fashioned mail chute and having a drink in the lounge where the idea for Southwest Airlines was born.
Here’s what it was like staying at this luxurious downtown San Antonio hotel.
Booking The St. Anthony
We paid $741 for 2 nights at The St. Anthony. I booked a deluxe suite, a step up from a 2-queen guest room, because it was only about a $25 difference per night, and we wanted more space for all of us. When we arrived, we were upgraded to a junior suite with a separate living room, a hallway, and a large bathroom with a soaking tub.
An award booking for a 2 queen room is around 45,000 to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
The St. Anthony participates in the Marriott STARS program, which offers elite-like benefits when you book through an eligible travel agent. Benefits include:
- Complimentary daily breakfast for up to 2 guests per room (usually full breakfast)
- A $100 hotel credit once per stay
- Room upgrades, subject to availability upon check-in
- Complimentary basic Wi-Fi
- An in-person welcome from hotel management
- A welcome amenity personalized to the guest
Downtown San Antonio Was at Our Doorstep
We drove to San Antonio from our home in the Houston area, but it’s less than a 15-minute drive from San Antonio International Airport (SAT). Once we parked, we didn’t need to drive to reach downtown attractions, as everything we wanted to see was within a few minutes’ walk.
The St. Anthony is across the street from Travis Park, which hosts concerts and seasonal events. The hotel pool overlooks the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum (Texas’s oldest saloon, famous for accepting horns and antlers in exchange for drinks), which is just a block away. The San Antonio River Walk is less than 4 blocks away, and the Alamo is about a 5-minute walk from the hotel.
A car or ride-sharing service is best for reaching San Antonio attractions beyond downtown. San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (Texas’s only World Heritage Site), Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and SeaWorld San Antonio are all about 20 minutes from the hotel by car, and Natural Bridge Caverns is 30 to 40 minutes away.
Parking at The St. Anthony is $60 per night for self-parking or $65 for valet. We used SpotHero to book parking at a garage a few blocks away at 329 Convent St. and paid $35 total for 2 nights.
Our Junior Suite Was Spacious and Comfortable
The upgrade to a junior suite enhanced our stay and gave us a lot more room (just under 600 square feet) to settle in to San Antonio for a few days. The suite had an entryway, a separate bedroom with a king bed and a view of downtown, a living room with a corner sofa bed, and a hallway connecting the bedroom to the living room with a closet and a large bathroom.
The bedroom had a king-size bed, a chaise lounge, and windows overlooking downtown. We received turndown service, which included closing the curtains and leaving water and mints on the nightstands.
The bathroom was large and featured a soaking tub, shower, and separate toilet nook with a door. Amenities were a step up from the usual. We found bath salts and a loofah at the bathtub, toothpaste and mouthwash at the sink, and a container with small packets containing a sewing kit, cotton swabs, and a shower cap.
The Rooftop Pool Was the Standout Amenity
The heated infinity pool on the sixth floor quickly became a favorite for our family, and we visited for snacks and lunch. This sunny spot had a beautiful tile deck with numerous in-water loungers lining the edge. It was fairly small and shallow at 4 feet, 6 inches deep throughout the pool, but it didn’t feel crowded when we visited.
Cabanas were available for a fee, and plenty of complimentary seating was available, including daybeds and couches with tables.
The fitness center on the same floor as the pool was larger than I expected for a historic downtown hotel, with several cardio machines, weight equipment, and a dumbbell rack. The fitness center amenities included fresh fruit, cold water on tap, earbuds, and cold towels in the minifridge.
We also enjoyed exploring the hotel’s opulent common spaces throughout the lobby, dining areas, and top-floor terrace. There were so many fun spots to tuck into, like the hallway art gallery near the lobby bar and second-floor library. We went up to the sky terrace on the 10th floor to enjoy the view of San Antonio.
The old-fashioned mailbox system was fun, too. It had a collection box at the elevators on the first floor, with a gravity chute system that allowed mail to be dropped into the box from any floor.
Dining Was Top-Notch, From Room Service to Poolside Drinks
Dining at The St. Anthony includes:
- Esencia: Signature dining led by James Beard Award-nominated chef Leo Dávila blending Mexican, Spanish, and Asian cuisine with local Texas ingredients, open Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays)
- Anacacho Coffee & Cantina: Ranch-inspired bar and lounge, open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (midnight on Fridays and Saturdays)
- Rooftop pool cabana bar: Snacks, sliders, and wings with cocktails, open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (6 p.m. on Sundays)
- Gallery on the Park: Traditional American breakfast, brunch, and lunch, open daily 6:30 to 11 a.m. (7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays)
- St. Anthony Club: Historic, former members-only lounge, open daily 4 to 10 p.m. (midnight on Fridays and Saturdays)
- In-room dining: Available 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday with slightly varying hours on weekends.
Our room service breakfast was luxurious. It started with a door hanger menu, which we filled out with our selections and desired delivery time. We enjoyed the avocado toast, classic eggs Benedict with Iberico ham, and lemon rosemary waffles, plus cold cereals and a carafe of orange juice. The staff kindly offered a complimentary pot of coffee, too.
Breakfast in the sunroom at Gallery on the Park was even better, with a pot of Earl Grey tea, quiche with salad, and chorizo biscuits and gravy. Our friendly server was happy to tell us the hotel’s ghost stories of pesky spirits that bother the maintenance staff and cause the elevators to open on unrequested floors. She also sent us on our way with a to-go tea cup, which was a nice touch.
The kids were thrilled to enjoy $5 nonalcoholic piña coladas by the pool. We ordered chips and salsa to go with them, and the server added complimentary queso. The next day, we had a quick poolside lunch of chicken tenders and cold-smoked wings.
We visited the St. Anthony Club for a drink and found a cozy spot with a welcoming bartender who insisted my ginger beer (with cherries) would be free because it was nonalcoholic. This lounge is where the idea for Southwest Airlines was born. The airline’s founders, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher, sketched the original Texas Triangle routes between Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio on a cocktail napkin at the lounge in 1966.
Final Thoughts
I booked The St. Anthony for a short family getaway and left the hotel dreaming about another visit. This hotel had character without sacrificing comfort, with plenty of room for our family to spread out in the junior suite.
The rooftop pool, excellent dining, and beautiful common spaces made it a destination rather than just a place to sleep. Walking everywhere we wanted to go downtown was another major advantage, and we enjoyed the easy access to the Alamo, River Walk, and Buckhorn Saloon.
Bottom line: The St. Anthony Hotel offers a good combination of space, amenities, dining, and location for families visiting downtown San Antonio.