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| Westin La Cantera Resort | Discover Texas Home Page |       |
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The Westin La Cantera Resort
As we approached the Resort for our 3 day stay, our first view is of the beautifully achitected white buildings with red tile roofs towering above all the trees and perched atop some of the highest rolling hills of North San Antonio. Continuing up the hill to the Resort we passed some of the lush green rolling fairways and saw some of the other holes sculptured into and on top of the surrounding hillsides. We immediately sensed we were in for something special - and we weren't disappointed! And then we were greeted by some of the friendliest and most helpful valets and bellboys we have ever met who made our unloading and check-in process painless. All of the above are just some of the reasons that the Westin La Cantera Resort has won so many accolades, some of which include:
Although we thought everything at La Cantera was near perfect, in late 2008 the Resort is undergoing a $10 million renovation of guest rooms and meeting spaces. According to Greg Haugland, Director of Marketing, "the renovation will enhance the current upscale Texas feel and incorporate features supportive of today’s discriminating business and leisure traveler whose lifestyle demands functional elegance. The remodeled guest rooms will include dramatic richly tooled leather headboards with antiqued nail head trim, ample outlets and data ports, a custom Spanish-styled oversized wooden credenza featuring a concealed mini bar, and topped with a new 42” flat screen TV." We toured one of the remodeled rooms and they are spectacular. You're in for a special treat that you won't forget when you stay and play at the Westin La Cantera Resort!
Accommodations When you stay at La Cantera Resort, you can choose from a variety of accommodations. The guest rooms are spacious and include all the necessities like TV, coffee maker, two direct dial telephones (one of which is cordless), in-wall safe, high speed internet, oversized and well lit desk, mini bar, and more. Even the bathrooms are special - hair dryer, generously sized natural stone countertop with dual sinks, Westin’s own hair and bath products, and two-sided magnifying mirror! The vast majority of the rooms have a small standing room only balcony with majestic views of the surrounding hillside, the lush fairways going up and down the hills, the pools, and Fiesta Texas. You'll also enjoy the sunrise or sunset on your balcony as the perfect start or finish to a fun filled day. For larger accommodations, there are a variety of suites within the main building which can include up to three adjoining rooms. The Junior Suites offer over 500 square feet and include a separate sitting area and a pull out sleeper sofa. The Executive Suites are over 1000 square feet and include oversized guestrooms with a separate parlor area that can be closed off to each of the guestrooms.
We were treated to one of the Luxury Suites (over 1000 square feet) on the fifth floor with two adjoining rooms, one of which was a standard guest room, the other was a very well appointed oversized room which included a huge king poster bed, large bathroom with a jacuzzi tub and a separate walk in tile shower. The suite itself included another bathroom; a full wet bar area with a sink, coffee maker, and full size refrigerator; and what seemed like an 800 square foot living room. The living room was all windows and had four standing room balconies and a 270 degree view of the pool, golf course, and rolling hills - you could see for miles. Plus the well appointed living room had a full sized fold-out sleeper sofa, full entertainment center including a large screen TV, comfortable lounge chairs, and a large wooden table with eight chairs. Round up some friends and treat yourself by staying in one of the Luxury Suites. The pictures below are the views from our room.
Amenities
After golf, tennis, or other strenuous exercising, our inclination was to head straight to the Castle Rock Spa for a massage to work out the kinks, relax, and recharge for the next day! The Spa provides a wide array of pampering services including massage therapy, pedicures, manicures, and facials. We walked out feeling like teenagers and ready for a new round of activities! Living up to its growing reputation as the premier golf destination in Texas, The Westin La Cantera Resort offers golfers two 18-hole championship courses. With its breathtaking natural beauty of magnificent oak trees and swiftly running streams, dramatic elevation changes, and fun and unique holes. Golfing at La Cantera is fantastic.
Golf
If you are a golfer, you're going to think you're in golfers heaven with 36 outstanding holes of golf. Both La Cantera Golf Courses make Texas Outside's list of Top 20 Texas Courses. La Cantera's Resort Course is ranked one of the country’s top courses by Golf Digest and Golf Magazine. Designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, the 7,001-yard, par-72 course is home each year to the PGA Tour’s Valero Texas Open. Offering commanding views of San Antonio, the spectacular 6,926-yard, par-71 Palmer Course at La Cantera was designed by golfing great Arnold Palmer. The course is dramatically situated over 250 acres amidst stunning topography and scenery. Both courses are open for daily use public play. Each 18 is different and has its own unique character and challenges. The Resort course has the most dramatic elevation changes, beautiful scenery, as well as panoramic views of Fiesta Texas, the hills, and downtown San Antonio. This 18 is a little more open and provides a very fun and relaxing round of golf. The Palmer course is located about 10 minutes from the resort and is about five strokes harder than the Resort course. The Palmer course is sculptured into and on top of the hills and has blind shots, deep valleys waiting for your ball, lush sand traps, and water falls. Both courses were in excellent condition with beautiful and colorful landscaping. Service was impeccable, the pro shop is well equipped, and the 19th hole at both courses is fantastic. In fact, the 19th hole at the Palmer course has a magnificent view and is a great place to spend some time with a cold drink reminiscing about your game and planning when you can get back for another 18. To learn more about the golf courses, check out Texas Outside's review of the Resort Course and the Palmer Course. Here are some pictures of some of the holes from the Palmer Course.
The Resort Course is just as beautiful with holes that are landscaped with plenty of color.
The Academy at La Cantera features a custom-designed learning center complete with indoor hitting bay, covered tee areas and a spacious grass hitting area for both long and short game work. The teaching bay houses a state-of-the-art video system with multiple camera angles used to analyze your swing and explain principals that will help you become a better golfer. Your fundamentals will be compared with those of PGA Tour and LPGA Tour professionals to detect and isolate key areas of your technique that need improvement. All lessons and schools include a take home video and a written game plan for improvement.
Dinning & Nightlife You won't leave the Westin La Cantera Resort hungry because the six restaurants offer a wide variety of dining choices. You can enjoy burgers, salads, sandwiches, and tropical drinks at The Gantry while basking in the sun at the pools. Brannon's Cafe is a family friendly atmosphere with an outside patio, good views of the pool and countryside, and a varied menu for breakfast (the breakfast buffet is huge and delicious - try the Eggs Benedict), lunch, or dinner. Or if you just want a latte, coffee, soft drink, or snack, then try the Starbucks adjacent to the lobby. After golf, enjoy the 19th hole at the Palmer Course or the La Cantera Grill at the Resort course for lunch, snacks, or some cold drinks. The La Cantera Grill is also open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with steaks, seafood, and chicken entrees and a fabulous view of the city lights. Its a short walk to the Grill from the hotel or you can grab the resort shuttle.
After eating and drinking some fabulous wine and excellent bloody Mary's for the last hour and a half, we were truly stuffed and about ready to waddle home when the desserts arrived! But we somehow rallied and found the courage and tummy room to quickly devoured four of the best ever desserts! Thank God our room was only one floor away. We all swore the next day would be filled with exercise to work off some of the calories. What a special treat with phenomenal service that was friendly, attentive, and very knowledgeable of the wines and entrees - if possible, ask for Alpesh the best waiter ever! If you're not ready for bed after all that great golf, some pool time, a game of tennis, and some good food, then you can unwind at Steinheimer's Lounge or sit by a roaring fire listening to a festive player piano at Tio's Lobby Lounge.
Corporate Meetings, Weddings, & Reunions If you are a social or business planner or plan on getting married, then you need to look into the Westin La Cantera Resort as you venue. For meetings and special events, there is more than 39,000 square feet of function space, including a 17,000 square foot ballroom, eight separate meeting rooms and three board rooms. For a wedding, there are several choices with over 53,000 square feet outdoors, including terraces, courtyards, and poolside venues. It would be hard to beat having the wedding outdoors behind the pools and overlooking the hills and lush green golf courses. La Cantera offers several choices from banquet and catering.
Nearby Fun Things to See & Do
Some of our favorite things to do while in San Antonio include: listen to some good country music in the infamous John T. Floore Country Store; stroll along the world famous River Walk and sip a margarita at one of the many outdoor patios along the River Walk; ride mountain bikes at any of the great trails in San Antonio; take the grand kids to Fiesta Texas or Sea World; and head over to Pericos for some good Mexican food, an excellent deck, outstanding margaritas, and lively music on the deck.
Bottom Line The Westin La Cantera is an outstanding resort with two of the best golf courses in Texas, a marvelous 4 star restaurant, great pools, and some of the best resort service we have experienced. We can't wait to go back.  | |||||||||||||
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Save your appetite and your money for some elegant dining at Francesca’s at Sunset. Francesca's, a AAA Four-Diamond Award recipient which has also been lauded in the Zagat Survey serves creative contemporary cuisine with a Southwest flair - and is truly worth a visit, in fact, it may be the highlight of your trip. On our visit to Francesca's we had one of the most enjoyable evenings we have ever had to a restaurant - gourmet dining on the patio with a sunset and then millions of stars and lights reflecting off the beautiful rolling hills. From the moment we walked in and were warmly greeted by Britney and then the dynamic maitre' d, Milan we knew we were in for a good evening. And we weren't disappointed! We started with a special treat of a sampler of all the appetizers - "Three Sisters" Tamales, Panchita's Spicy Scallops, Sonoran Juniper Roast Quail, and Brined Prawns with Mayan Habanero Dip - wow, outstanding and this was just the appetizer! Next came a raspberry jicima, cucumber sorbet to clear the palate and give us a chance to get ready for the soup and salad. We tried the clear tomato gazpacho with southwestern heat; the field greens de tejas with chile dusted goat cheese; the signature Caesar salad; and the bibb ensalada with granny smith apple ranch. Each was outstanding and we still have the entrees to go! All of the entree choices were unique and reading about them made our mouth water (as it is as I write this), so we just asked Milan and Alpesh to surprise us. What a surprise and special treat it was:
