Where to Stay in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas is a growing city, and with its expansion has come a set of charming hotels that, in turn, host intriguing restaurants and refreshing pools. These are properties that offer inspiration at every turn, whether you find the perfect rose-emblazoned wallpaper for your home at Austin Proper or broaden your understanding of sourdough at Commodore Perry. But most importantly, they provide a launching point to see all that Austin has to offer, whether you’re in town for South by Southwest, ACL, or simply to see the famous bats make their way across the water at sunset.

Commodore Perry

Commodore Perry Estate has the feel of a countryside getaway in the middle of the city. That’s exactly what it was designed to be for Edgar “Commodore” Perry and his wife Lutie when it was built back in 1928. Perry had spent much of his working life in Europe, and upon his retirement was inspired to build an Italian Renaissance Revival mansion complete with manicured gardens where they could throw grand Jazz Age parties. Now, after a careful renovation, it’s an Auberge Resorts Collection hotel and once again an inviting space for celebrations of all kinds. Rooms are split between two buildings: the Mansion (Perry’s original home) features five sumptuous suites—one is adorned entirely in pink Pierre Frey fabric—and the hotel’s dining areas, while the newly built Inn has 42 rooms and seven suites with more minimalist decor. (Though this is minimalism by Ken Fulk’s standards: the lobby still features a giant papier maché telephone and murals of foliage.)

It would be easy to spend an entire weekend on the 10-acre property, wandering from your suite (where French press coffee materials are provided, and a mini fridge is stocked with local beers) to the picturesque pool (where your frozen margarita will be hand-delivered) to the restaurants and back again. For lunch, get the fried oyster mushroom sandwich, which will please even the most devoted meat-eaters. At dinner, sit outside at Lutie’s and make sure to order sourdough bread alongside whatever you get. (All the baked goods are worth a try—executive pastry chef Susana Querejazu previously spent time at Quince and Saison in San Francisco.) When you’ve soaked up all Commodore Perry has to offer, take in some of the city with a 10-minute drive to Cuantos Tacos, a food truck with a menu where you can’t go wrong.

Hotel Saint Cecilia