Top Adventure Lodges: Hotel San José

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Outside Traveler Winter 2005

Top Adventure Lodges
Hot Properties
Hotel San José: Austin, Texas

By Chris Keyes


	(photo courtesy, Hotel San José)

1. HOTEL SAN JOSÉ :: AUSTIN, TEXAS
ONCE A SEEDY 1930S-ERA MOTOR COURT, the Hotel San José was transformed in the late nineties into a plush boutique hotel in the heart of Austin's funky SoCo neighborhood. Its trellis-shaded courtyard bar serves Michelada, a spiced beer drink, and the place has blossomed into a hip music venue for guests and locals alike.
Room & Board: Part California bungalow, part Euro urban retreat, the Hotel San José's 40 rooms and suites surround a small swimming pool landscaped with bamboo and native desert plants. Inside, it's minimalism at its best: cowhide throw rugs, polished concrete floors, and streamlined queen-size beds. Concert posters of B.B. King and Buddy Guy decorate the walls, and, in keeping with that theme, rooms come with CD players. Plus the music library has a selection of discs from blues and jazz greats, and other stuff, too.
Out the Back Door: Five blocks north, at the Congress Avenue Bridge, runners and mountain bikers can link up with the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail, a well-marked ten-mile loop around the water. Work up a sweat in Austin's legendary humidity, then head two miles north along the trail to Barton Springs Pool, a freshwater swimming hole with a year-round temperature of 68 degrees.
Details: Doubles, $80–$250; 800-574-8897, www.sanjosehotel.com

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