La Cantera Resort & Spa

Formerly a Westin, this stunning property was built in 1999 on the highest point outside of San Antonio. Its elevated position affords excellent views of the surrounding Hill Country from nearly every point. The hotel’s immediate landscape consists of its own green golf course, desert shrubs, and forested hills (the hotel plans on opening three miles of hiking trails in the near future), with the distant skyline of San Antonio on the southeast horizon. The main lobby has the soaring wood-beam ceilings and vast spaciousness of a ranch great hall, but light marble floors, modern multifaceted pendant light fixtures, and earth-toned furnishings (part of the 2015 renovation) keep things bright and contemporary. A striking, larger-than-life oil portrait of Assault, the 1946 Triple Crown winner, immediately catches the eye. This epic painting is by San Antonio artist Lloyd Walsh.

To the painting’s left is Bocado, a counter serving local meats and cheeses, as well as the entrance to Sire Bar, La Cantera’s intimate lobby bar. To Assault's right are floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows that look out onto the deep back lawn of paved walkways, grassy spaces, seating nooks, fire pits, and fountains. Wander this way, and you’ll find the resort’s main pool, which is flanked by a poolside cantina and a pool bar, with a separate kids' pool and a gorgeous vista lawn with stone arches nearby. A tier below the main pool (remember, La Cantera is built onto a hill) is an adults-only pool with cabanas along one long side and an infinity edge -- and extensive views -- on the other.

Features like this add broad appeal for a wide swath of leisure and corporate travelers: Families appreciate the kids’ club, waterslides, and free shuttle service to Six Flags, and couples love the excellent luxury spa and adults-only features (in addition to the adult pool, the entire seventh floor of the hotel is for adults only, with a dedicated check-in and rooms with special amenities, like Alexas and boutique toiletries). Business travelers regularly come through here for corporate events held in La Cantera’s many special-events spaces, and golfers are obviously drawn to the resort for its two 18-hole championship courses. JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa has similarly broad appeal and a Hill Country setting, but that property -- at 1,002 rooms -- is more than twice La Cantera's size and often feels more hectic. La Cantera maintains a more refined vibe than the JW, which is regularly overrun by multi-day conferences and families with little ones.

La Cantera sits on the outskirts of town, surrounded by golf greens, residential developments, and upscale shopping centers. There is nothing within easy walking distance of the resort, but plenty of shopping and dining options are within a short drive. The hotel runs regular daily shuttles to The Shops at La Cantera, The Rim (another shopping center), and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, all under 10 minutes away by car. Downtown San Antonio and its many restaurants and cultural attractions are about a half-hour’s drive away. The drive to San Antonio International Airport also takes around 30 minutes.

La Cantera has a total of 496 rooms, suites, and private Villas, all with contemporary, earth-toned decor and well-thought-out amenities. Room size corresponds to the resort’s overall feeling of spaciousness: entry-level Deluxe King and Queen Rooms start at 395 square feet. One Bedroom Suites and Pool View Junior Suites add living rooms with sleeper sofas (155 and 175 square feet of space, respectively). Four Luxury and Presidential Suites offer the most space (between 1,000 and 1,700 square feet), with dining and bar areas and separate bedrooms. All rooms and suites in the resort's main building were renovated in 2015, and feature amenities like mini-fridges, Keurig machines, rainfall showers, Bluetooth chargers, plush robes, and free Wi-Fi. 

In 2017, the hotel renovated and converted its entire top floor (the seventh) to adults-only accommodations, making about 10 percent of La Cantera’s room inventory dedicated to travelers 21 and up. Good for couples and business travelers, these 46 adults-only rooms feature their own check-in (a concierge will meet you in the main lobby) and lounge area with cookies, chips, coffee, games, a manned bar, and panoramic views. Seventh-floor rooms have Aromatherapy Associate bath products (other rooms in the main building carry NEST products), plus Alexas and glass walk-in rainfall showers (regular rooms have tubs with rainfall showerheads).  

Named for historic cattle ranches, La Cantera’s 34 Villas are in a league of their own. The Villas section is located in a wooded area below the rest of the property, and each room comes with an assigned golf cart for getting to the spa and main building easily (although the uphill walk is short and gentle). Built in 2017, the Villas have an earthy and sophisticated look, with laminate wood floors, pale gray walls, and photographic prints of Texas flora and backcountry. The Keurig machines found in rooms and suites are upgraded for Nespresso machines (with free pods, and Aaron Probyn ceramic mugs), and NEST and Aromatherapy Associates toiletries are swapped for two sets of Bulgari shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel, and two individually wrapped loofahs. All Villas have king beds, bedside lamps with extra outlets, Harman Kardon Bluetooth speakers, and huge LG flat-screen TVs. Glass-topped wood dining tables with heavy armless chairs take the place of work desks, and there are sitting areas with sofas and coffee tables, and furnished terraces. 

Like rooms and suites, Villas have glass-door mini-fridges and closets with ironing equipment, safes, and bathrobes (but no slippers). There are full-length mirrors inside both closet doors. Bathrooms present the biggest advantage over the main building's rooms: in addition to the upgraded toiletries, all have separate toilet vestibules, deep soaking tubs, and glass-walled walk-in rainfall showers. Bathrooms could use more hooks (there are only two on the back of the door) and towel racks (there are none), but these are nitpicks. Other Villas perks include ceiling fans as well as air-conditioning, service doorbells, and free valet parking. 

Wi-Fi and bottled waters (replaced daily) are covered by the resort fee.

Loma de Vida, La Cantera’s on-site spa, was constructed from the ground up in 2015. The 25,000 square-foot facility was built into the hillside between the main resort above and the Villas below; its hillside perch allows for sublime breezes and vast views of the pretty scenery. The spa menu offers natural nail work, mud wraps, and oxygen facials, as well as custom-designed treatments, such as the Serenity Marma Massage Ritual, a 75-minute full-body massage that incorporates light stretching. 

After deciding between long or short robes and thonged sandals or slide-ons, spa guests are given magnetic wristbands for the locker room, and then full access to Loma de Vida’s excellent facilities. These include an outdoor terrace with an infinity pool and hot tub, and an indoor/outdoor area with a Himalayan pink salt sauna, experience showers, and a heated vitality pool alongside a contemporary fireplace. A relaxation lounge and waiting area features oversized easy chairs with ottomans and soft wool blankets. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors open to a big deck with rocking chairs, cushioned seating, and sweeping views. Loma de Vida's 15 treatment rooms include two private structures, called Sky Lofts, set away from the main spa building. These two-person units feature private decks with pretty Hill Country views and either an outdoor wooden cowboy tub or an outdoor shower. 

The spa’s fitness center (one of two on the property) is equipped with both indoor and outdoor equipment, and there is a small yoga studio for stretching and classes. The counter-service Quenche doles out freshly made smoothies, juices, acai bowls, and salads, and has a pick-up fridge with drinks like bottled water and kombucha. Its alcohol menu offers cocktails, wine, bubbly, and beer. Loma de Vida’s spa boutique carries products from upscale beauty lines, such as Sciote, Lavande, Zents, and Aromatherapy Associates.

Loma de Vida's facilities are accessible to anyone with a booked treatment; otherwise, they can be accessed with a day pass (available to hotel guests at a lower rate).

The spa contains about a third of La Cantera’s pools and hot tubs (in addition to its outdoor pool and hot tub and an indoor vitality pool, the spa has a small saline pool that can be booked separately for parties). The remaining pools are located throughout the resort. The main pool has a boomerang shape and an infinity edge offering great views of the surrounding north. (The spa infinity pool looks south toward San Antonio.) The main pool stretches along one entire wing of the building, and has a huge pool deck with tons of loungers, plus submerged seating in the water. At its far end, a pool bar separates the main pool from a smaller, more secluded pool. Down a little hill and separated by shrubbery is the kids’ pool, which has two waterslides -- one short slide wide enough for two kids at a time, and one long twisty slide. 

La Cantera’s adults-only pool is located slightly farther down the hill, a position that gives it a very secluded feel. It also has an infinity edge and fantastic views, plus a line of cabanas with couches and mini-fridges. Both the main pool and adults pool have their own hot tubs. Yet another heated pool and hot tub are located in the Villas section, where they have exclusive use by Villas guests.

Dining venues more than meet the demands of La Cantera's guests with a total of 10 restaurants, bars, and snack counters. Two of La Cantera's food and drink outlets are right off the lobby: Bocado, a counter serving cured meats, gourmet cheeses, and macarons, and Sire Bar, the lobby bar. Sandwiches, salads, and coffee can be ordered over the counter at the casual Henrietta's Market, which also has a small sundries section for forgotten items like toothpaste.

The main pool is served by the pool bar, Vista Grille, and Primero Cantina, a Tex-Mex eatery and sports bar with a daily happy hour, outdoor seating, and an indoor/outdoor bar. Visitors in the adults pool below are tended to by Topaz, which serves poolside cocktails, wine, beer, small plates, salads, and sandwiches. Hotel guests get free access to Topaz's Elevate Thursday Evenings, weekly events that benefit local non-profits.

SweetFire Kitchen is located in the heart of the resort, near the lobby. The restaurant sources ingredients from more than a dozen local farms for its menu of regionally inspired burgers, salads, and entrees. Down at the golf course are the Golf Snack Shop and the Palmer Grille at the Clubhouse, which is open for breakfast and lunch.

Signature, Inspired by Andrew Weissman is located down past the Villas, near La Cantera Parkway. Formerly the resort's golf academy, Signature was stripped to the studs and rebuilt throughout 2014 and 2015 and opened as La Cantera's fine-dining restaurant in late 2016. Now, the gorgeous space is filled with a beautiful mix of new and old: antiques such as 19th-century French serving platters and Turkish bread boards mingle with wrought-iron stair bannisters and chandeliers custom-made for the space by local artisans, and an 18th-century French fireplace anchors the main dining room. (Other areas include a dramatic mezzanine which is used for social events and a private dining room often described as a "jewel box.") The Texas-inspired menu includes house-made charcuterie, lamb shank osso buco, and venison from Broken Arrow Ranch. A 2,500-bottle wine cellar offers around 350 varieties. Signature is open for dinner nightly and brunch on Sundays.

Both of La Cantera’s 18-hole golf courses have bragging rights. The 7,001-yard, par 72 Resort Course at La Cantera (renovated in 2017) has been a PGA Tour stop for 15 years, and the 6,926‐yard, par 71 Palmer Course at La Cantera was designed by no other than Arnold Palmer. Both championship courses offer lovely views of the surrounding Hill Country (views may be most impressive from the Resort Course's 80-foot drop). The hotel offers golf packages with unlimited golfing and discounted greens fees, and La Cantera's resort fee covers golf bag storage and use of the golf practice facilities. 

La Cantera dedicates more than 115,000 indoor/outdoor square feet to special-event space. The largest of these spaces is the 17,000 square-foot San Antonio Grand Ballroom, which can accommodate receptions with up to 1,500 people, and has a terrace with beautiful views of the two golf courses. The 9,200-square-foot La Cantera Ballroom also includes a terrace, this one overlooking Plaza San Saba, the hotel's central, fountain-filled courtyard. Smaller meeting rooms and boardrooms are also available, as are audio-visual specialists and meeting concierges. Computers and printers are found in the business center, which also offers UPS services and an ATM.

Apart from the major highlight above, there is a free 24-hour fitness center by the main pool (a second gym is within the spa, but that one costs a fee to access), as well as free tennis and bocce ball courts, a kids’ club, and an arcade room. Those last two both come with fees. Free regular shuttle service takes guests to and from the Shops at La Cantera, the Rim, and Six Flags. Wi-Fi is free throughout.