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| La Cantera Resort Review | Return to Home Page |       |
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Westin La Cantera Resort Review The Westin La Cantera Resort  If you are looking for the best golf resort in Texas, then you need to book a room and tee time at
in San Antonio. The Westin
La Cantera is chiseled into and sitting on top of some of the highest and most magnificent rolling hills of north San Antonio providing majestic panoramic views and dramatic elevation changes on some of the golf holes. This lavish hilltop retreat features 508 well appointed guestrooms, 25 spacious suites, and 38 unique and newly renovated villas in the Casita Village.
Not only does La Cantera provide some of the best luxury amenities and services in Texas, but it also offers golfers 18 holes of outstanding golf. The Palmer Course is one of Arnold Palmer's signature courses and the Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish designed Resort Course is the home of the PGA tour's Valero Texas Open. Both courses offer unparalleled scenic beauty with magnificent panoramic views, lots of unique and funholes, lush fairways and greens in near perfect condition, some challenges to test your skills, some wide open fairways to let-er-rip, and an extremely enjoyable and memorable round of golf. In addition to superior service, La Cantera Resort offers visitors a wide variety of amenities including a health club with spa services, tennis courts, a variety of dining choices, two fantastic pools, and plenty of fun activities for the kids or spouses while your golfing.
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:
You're in for a special treat that you won't forget when you stay and play at the Westin La Cantera Resort!
36 Holes of Excellent Golf
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.
Luxury 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 golfing friends and treat yourself by staying in one of the Luxury Suites. The pictures below are the views from our room.
Fantastic Amenities
After playing golf, if you need some more exercise, then head to the tennis courts or spend some time in the 7600 square foot state-of-the-art health and fitness center which offers plenty of new equipment to work every muscle in your body. Instead of the exercise room, after tennis and golf, we were read for a massage at 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!
Good Dinning & Fun 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 an hour and a half, we were truly stuffed and about ready to waddle home and had to bypass a nightcap at Steinheimer's Lounge. The previous evening we had a great time mingling with the other guests.
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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You're going to think you're in golfers heaven with 36 outstanding holes of golf. Both of the La Cantera Golf Courses make Texas Outside's list of 
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. Everything, including the many bottles of wine and the Bloody Mary's, we sampled (appetizers, salads and soups, entrees, and even desert), were perfectly prepared and delicious. And we weren't disappointed! 
