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San Antonio resorts relax into 1st and 2nd place in new Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards

La Cantera Resort & Spa ranked No. 1 for the second year in a row.

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Heads up San Antonio: Our travel-friendly city is about to get a lot busier. Two top-tier San Antonio resorts – La Cantera Resort & Spa and the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa – outranked all other highly-awarded Southwestern resorts in Condé Nast Traveler's 36th annual Readers' Choice Awards in 2023.

The highly coveted awards are decided by Condé Nast Traveler readers, and approximately 500,000 readers voted in this year's awards. Categories included in the awards (besides resorts) include hotels, cruise lines, trains, airlines and airports, countries, and more.

Winners are independently selected by readers, which makes the San Antonio resorts' wins all that much sweeter.

In first place for the second consecutive year is La Cantera Resort & Spa, earning a spectacular 99.13 score out of a total 100 points. Travelers can enjoy luxurious amenities like five different resort pools, the Loma de Vida spa, nine restaurants and bars, and the La Cantera Golf Club.

The resort is also great for families looking for that next getaway.

"From bingo and splash dodgeball to movie nights and art classes, there’s plenty to keep families entertained," said Condé Nast contributor Tommie Ethington in his review of the resort. "The hands-on Kids Club Naturalist Program, developed in partnership with the San Antonio Zoo and San Antonio Botanical Gardens, teaches kids about local flora and fauna."

Earlier this year, La Cantera won second place in Travel + Leisure's list, also chosen by readers.

Right behind La Cantera in No. 2 is none other than the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, with another shining score of 99.04. This sprawling resort boasts more than 900 guest rooms and 85 suites. The resort was additionally renovated in 2019 to add some modern design elements.

The JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa spans across more than 600 acres of land.media.cntraveler.com

But it's the acclaimed Lantana Spa that draws in the adult crowds during the busy travel season.

"Inspired by the traditions of Latin American curanderos, or healers, the adults-only Lantana Spa offers everything from a deep-tissue arnica massage designed specifically for athletes to CBD manis and pedis with hemp oil serum and non-toxic nail polish," Ethington wrote in his review.

The Hill Country resort earned No. 13 in U.S. News and World Report's annual ranking of hotels in 2023.

Also in the top 10 in Condé Nast's Readers Choice Awards is Austin's Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, ranking No. 7. All other cities included in the list hail from Arizona, but none could outshine San Antonio.

The top 10 best Southwestern resorts, as chosen by Condé Nast readers, are:

No. 1 – La Cantera Resort & Spa, San Antonio
No. 2 – JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, San Antonio
No. 3 – Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows, Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 4 – Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 5 – Rancho de los Caballeros, Wickenburg, Arizona
No. 6 – Enchantment Resort, Sedona, Arizona
No. 7 – Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin
No. 8 – Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, Phoenix, Arizona
No. 9 – Tanque Verde Ranch, Tuscon, Arizona
No. 10 – Boulders Resort & Spa Scottsdale, Curio Collection by Hilton, Carefree, Arizona

More information about the ranking and the winners can be found on cntraveler.com.

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Turkey Day news

San Antonio eats up top-10 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving pumpkin pie at Kona Grill in San Antonio

Photo courtesy of Kona Grill

San Antonio is one of the best place to celebrate Thanksgiving in Texas in 2024.

San Antonio is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

San Antonio ranked No. 7 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a big leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 14, and remains the second highest-ranked city in Texas.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The categories that San Antonio ranked the highest in were the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 2), and affordability (No. 11), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 90). Other categories that determined San Antonio's overall ranking were the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 14), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 75).

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, San Antonio will be fully decked for the December holidays. San Antonians who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. The home of the Alamo certainly goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas ranked two spots above San Antonio as the fifth best city for Thanksgiving. Houston ranked No. 23, while Austin only came in at No. 39.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

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