Riverwalk Vista Inn

Excellent location, quaint rooms, friendly staff! This is a great little boutique hotel in the heart of river walk. You can easily walk to all of the attractions of San Antonio. The staff gave us the best recommendations for places to go eat and drink based on our preferences. Our San Antonio trip was much better than we expected thanks to the staff of this hotel as well as the location.
The room was quaint and very clean. There was some noise that could be heard throughout the night from the cars on the road below, but nothing to keep you awake. The service of the food and evening wine was an extra charm to this rustic San Antonio Inn.

Lots of character, great location and friendly staff but unfortunately that was not enough. The busy street and assorted noises made it almost impossible to sleep. Maybe the city workers at the bus stop outside our window at 2am and the leaf blower at midnight was an anomaly but it put a real damper on our stay.

Wonderful room and service!!! Only reason this isn’t 5 stars is the road noise, which I bet every hotel around here has. Excellent location, updated décor, great value!!!

Love this old style hotel. Funky style feels like I’m in in a warehouse environment exposed pipes beans really cool. They are friendly and helpful. Clean and spacious rooms. Gray lounging areas for afternoon wine or mornings coffee. Breakfast home made scones to die for melt in your mouth. They do it right and its reasonably priced. Love this gem hidden in the heart of the River Walk area. Great find.

Let’s face it. The Riverwalk in San Antonio is a tourist mecca. The walkway itself? An engineering feat like none other and truly beautiful with the old trees and meandering paths. Some of the rest of the hype I could leave behind as mostly tourist trap crap. The Riverwalk Vista Hotel, however? What an oasis.
This hotel has taken great pain to preserve what «was» San Antonio back in the day. Antiques and rustic leather furniture fill every nook and cranny (and there are many to explore). Interesting historical pictures and art on the old adobe walls. Criss-​crossed wood plank flooring. Floor to ceiling windows with old glass panes. And an incredibly welcoming staff that made it feel like home the moment you arrived.
Our room, a standard queen, was well equipped and featured a HUGE bathroom with a shower head to die for. Old building so there is no central AC, but the on wall unit had in-​room controls and was very efficient in the 100+ degree heat/​humidity. Comfortable all the way around.
Breakfast was good — not incredible, but good and more than enough. I particularly enjoyed the breakfast empanadas on my second morning. Flaky and yummy! Lemonade in the afternoon most welcome after hot tours of the area.
And please. Don’t miss the main staircase. Take the elevator up with your bags. But walking down that magnificent, time traveled staircase was really more than cool.
Things to note about your stay. There is no parking which we knew. The lot just a few yards away and is $ 15 overnight (August 2015 rates). We were there over Labor Day weekend — which meant it was a «First Friday» evening. Expect hoards of costumed peoples running around on the pub crawl associated with First Friday. There is a bar below the hotel that was catering to this FF crowd. As others have noted, it was a bit loud (especially with the old windows) that night. But the nothing I haven’t experienced in high end NYC hotels — it’s not the suburbs, folks. The next night? Way more toned down.
Thanks for the stay, Riverwalk Vista!

Great choice when choosing a hotel for a convention center event. Big hotels were booked or more expensive. This was perfect. It’s about an eight minute walk but you can use the river walk and avoid the street crossings.
Street noises were an annoyance. People love to share their car music with you, but just the bass section, as they drive by. But the view of the river walk was at least an even trade.
Nice inn keepers too.

[This review was written by me and my partner; we shared a room while at a conference in San Antonio in early Jan. 2015.]
This is a fantastic hotel, but it isn’t for everyone. It is in an historic building with loads of character and which has been maintained very well. But the furniture in your room will also have character, with scratches and signs of wear, but all perfectly functional! And the hotel only has 16 rooms, so the staffing is minimal but very attentive and helpful. Still, if you expect everything to be shiny like a Hilton, you’ll be disappointed.
Décor: Best we’ve ever experienced in a hotel. The floors are hardwood; the windows are nearly floor-​to-​ceiling; there are quilts and historic photos on the hallway walls; the furniture is mainly antiques. This is in stark contrast to the usual ugly-​but-​functional carpeting, terrible artwork, plastic chandeliers, and horrid color schemes of most mid-​range-​to-​high-​end hotel chains. Rooms have real closets and close with real keys. We kept inviting our colleagues to see our room because it was so much nicer than any of the places they were staying (like the Hyatt or Marriott).
Included food: Great! The «continental breakfast» included the usual selection of cereals and yogurts and bagels, none of which we ate… because there were also fresh-​from-​the-​oven scones or coffeecake or muffins, hardboiled eggs, and a hot dish such as bacon/​egg cups or sausage empanadas. Juice and a variety of fruit were also available. In the afternoon, fresh cookies were put out. Yum. (If we arrived at the right time, they were even warm!) We didn’t drink the hot chocolate or coffee or wine that were also available. The quality of the baked goods varied from good to amazing depending on who was cooking that day.
Bathroom: Towels were super-​fluffy and soft. There were tissues (weird to note, perhaps, but recently we’ve stayed in some hotels that didn’t have any). Soap/​lotion/​shampoo/​etc. came in large pump dispensers, which are much more convenient to use than those teeny bottles and bars. We wish the bathroom had more light, but whatever. There were handrails/​towel bars all over the place so that it was very easy to customize towel placement. There was an adjustable wall-​mounted hand mirror so one could see the back of one’s head. The sink area has plenty of room for a large variety of toiletries.
Unusual amenities: On arrival, we were met at the elevator and escorted to our room for a customized check-​in and overview of the establishment. Our shower included a rubber ducky and our bed included a teddy bear. The teddy bear was a most welcome bed companion — there isn’t room to carry our usual stuffed animal (s) when traveling.
Other: The hotel is above a McDonald’s which is above a bar, and on the weekends the bar and street sounds are audible. This didn’t bother us at all, but people who want absolute silence or don’t like city noises would be displeased. However, the room heat/​AC unit does offer good white noise to drown out the street sounds. There are a ton of common areas, including the breakfast common room and a lot of little alcovey places to sit and chat. Internet was the easiest to use of anywhere we’ve stayed, and fast enough to teach an online class from the room. Other reviews warned of unsavory characters loitering near the entrance, but we didn’t experience anything unusual for a normal city street. Perfect location for attending a conference at the Convention Center.
If you want an affordable downtown San Antonio hotel alternative to the big chains, and that feels like a special treat, this is the place!

I loved everything about this place. Small, historic, a lot of nice things in the details. Seeing the chain hotels along the riverwalk made me extra glad I chose this place instead. Definitely would come back.

I booked a weekend getaway for my husband and myself in October 2014, and at the last minute I was able to snag a room here, overlooking the river walk. He’s a bit of a grump about spending money on things, so I expected to have to talk him out of that when I told him I’d booked here. To my surprise, as soon as we walked into the building his face lit up and he told me it was the «best hotel he’d ever stayed in!» Truly, I think it was his favorite part of our trip. The hotel is like a quiet retreat away from the city, RIGHT in the middle of the city (between the Alamo and the Riverwalk.) I appreciated the personalized attention we received, the architecture, the sound-​proofed windows, the wonderful aromatherapy, and the cozy lobby area. When we visit San Antonio in the future we’ll definitely be booking here again!

Was very happy with my stay, nice small hotel… almost a blend between a B&B and a regular hotel. Nice staff, great location for the riverwalk, and easy walking to most other tourist destinations.
We did get a rental car, which we didn’t use for 2 – 3 days of or 5 day stay, so might want to get a cab from the airport, and the hop on hop off buss to get to the missions, etc. There is a lot to do in walking distance. No hotel parking, so it was an extra $ 15/​day at the recommended ramp.

I was in San Antonio for a conference. I avoid the big chain hotels and look for small historic places. The Riverwalk Vista is a gem. Right on the Riverwalk and 2 blocks from convention center and the Alamo. Great history. 17 rooms. — all large comfortable rooms. Everything is wood and leather. Excellent staff (I met Catherine and David). Who not only make you at home, but also cook breakfast, make cookies and lemonade in the afternoon, and put out wine and snacks from about 5 to 7. All included in a reasonable price. Try this place — you’ll love it too.

I loved my stay here! This boutique hotel is very charming, and it’s clear that the staff/​owners put a lot of thought into every detail. There was a teddy bear on the bed, and a rubber duckie in the shower (nice touch while traveling for business). The room and bathroom were both large and clean. The breakfast was good and the cookies/​wine put out every evening were a nice treat. The air conditioner was leaking a tad but it wasn’t a huge deal as it was in the corner and didn’t get on anything– I did mention this upon checkout so that they could fix it for the next guest. The location was convenient– I was able to access the Riverwalk right across the street from the hotel. I would definitely recommend this!

This is a very old and tired hotel. The staff was helpful but the hotel needs some updating. The furniture was missing handles and very scratched. Our phone did not work and we did not get a T.V. Channel guide. The second day we were there when the maid come to clean the room she only left us on washcloth. The pictures make the hotel look much nicer then it is. It also lead me to believe it was closer to the river walk then it was. It was also advertised as a river view. To me it was a stretch calling it a river view.

The décor was so beautifully done, every room we went into was worth taking photos of for my Blog!
We arrived late and Dolores (spelling?) was so helpful, friendly, and fast with getting is settled. She brought us wine and dessert right to our room as well as helped carry bags and chatted about local sights!
The rooms could not have been cleaner. The shower was beautiful and the floor to ceiling windows really made you feel at home in sweet olé San Antonio.

If you want a hotel with character that’s nicely situated on the Riverwalk, then Riverwalk Vista just might be the place for you.
I was drawn to the historic look of the hotel and the cozy interiors from the web site pictures. The inside of your hotel really does look as cozy as the pics. The shower and bath were newly renovated, with a rainfall showerhead and the room was quite roomy. I had a window that overlooked the street but thanks to double-​paned windows, I couldn’t really hear much of the street traffic. Also, it was 90 degrees in the evening, so I had the air conditioning running all night. The air conditioning is powerful and creates white noise. Your room has high ceilings, so that’s a good thing.
Breakfast was just okay in my book. Very continental (fruit, cereal, milk, juice, toast) with one baked egg or hard boiled egg option. Free wine was offered at 7 pm nightly.
The hotel is around the corner from the local McDonalds and that particular corner was populated by some interesting characters at night. I came to SA on business, so I made a point of being back in my room before 8 pm. The hotel itself is secure. You need a code to enter the building and take an elevator to the hotel itself.
Parking is kind of a pain — you need to park at the garage on Commerce and pay daily for in and out privileges at $ 12 per day.

You can’t beat this place for the price in downtown San Antonio. We arrived and were promptly checked in, no need to wait when they only have 17 rooms! This place can make your imagination run wild, it has history. it has character and you get to see it all. Our room was nice and unassuming. It had everything we needed, but not many other frills that you may find at The W or something. The beds are comfortable, nice flat screen tv (other rooms had old tube tv’s), nice pillows, mini fridge, sitting chair, nice shower… And it was clean (very important in my book).
They take it upon themselves to serve cookies in the afternoon and wine around 5pm. I didn’t partake in either, but the wife said the wine was decent. Not a huge selection, but it’s something. The breakfast was fine, nothing amazing, but it got you going for the day. They had some fresh fruit, egg, cheese and bacon mix, juices, cereal and bagels/​english muffin.
This hotel has ample room for other things. if you want to find a quiet room to read, no problem, there are plenty of them around. They also have some art around the building if you choose to wander.
CONS:
We did have some ‘different’ individuals who hung out around the entrance (code # access) occasionally on Saturday. They were friendly, just hanging out. As this is an older building, there can be sound issues if its noisy outside. You hear some of the loud cars go by late at night.

The hotel itself is very cool. The idea of taking a dry goods building from the 1800s and turning it into a hotel is a great.
Parking is off site, about a half block away in a parking structure. You’ll need to wheel your stuff over.
After checking in, we were lead to our room at the corner of the building, overlooking the Riverwalk. The room (King) was big with its tall ceilings. But the bed had a white sheet and with some black specks on top. We were told that the A/​C was cleaned and that the specks were pieces of carbon.
After going to dinner, we retired to our room, and slept well until 3:30 in the morning. Just after midnight, the San Antonio was hit with heavy rains. I didn’t wake up because of the rain; rather I woke up because the windows were leaking. Like a scene from «The Ring,» water was quickly spilling in from the bottom of the windows and started pooling on the floors. We got some towels and draped them along the windows and floors. We also placed our trash can under the ceiling to catch the steady stream of water coming down.
The next morning, we were to be moved into another room. The manager came in and asked us to turn on the A/​C from heat to fan. We had the system set on heat since we were freezing and wet. So there we sat, in a cold, wet room, with black specks coming down from the A/​C.
We were moved into a double room with a queen size bed. The second night was uneventful and the room was fine. But I never really felt like the management really understood how unhappy we were with our stay. We were charged in full for both nights (we paid the queen suite rate on the second night). At the least, knock off a few bucks from our first night or offer us something to come back. I would think that a business that charges $ 250 a night would responded in a way that reflects what they advertise. There was no incentive to come back.
Side note: the McDonalds under the hotel is a haven for interesting folks.

Very well done historic boutique hotel. Awesome location, just a few steps to the Riverwalk, short walk to La Villita, The Alamo, less than 1 mile to Mi Tierra, close to all freeways in San Antonio. Beautiful rooms with high ceilings, comfortable beds, natural stone shower with a rainfall showerhead. Desk & chair were comfortable enough, internet was complimentary (wired or WiFi), fast enough for a webinar. The sitting chair (as opposed to the desk chair) was not comfortable for me, odd shape & hard. Beautiful common areas, but they were a little too warm in the afternoon (compared to how cool we kept our room). I’m sure it would be fine when San Antonio isn’t going through record heat spell. Big, airy with lots of fans. Cool distressed furniture, lots of good magazines to read (if I wasn’t working, I would have read several).
Parking is offsite with no in&out, at this time, $ 15 day wkend, $ 12 day wk days. We started work before breakfast was available, however we could have requested something the night before.
Fridge has mini bar non-​alcoholic drinks. We took them out to put our waters & teas in. Water cooler available in breakfast area.
There was noise. Lots of it on the wkend, not so much wk days. However it was 111 °F & our AC was going all the time, couldn’t hear anything but the constant humming. They also have put a white noise machine in the room. We didn’t use it. We needed the outlets for other electronics. Not as many outlets as I like, but it is an old building.
Staff was very nice, helpful when we asked. One bummer, as we left super early for our flight out, we were told the night before that someone would be available to escort us across the street to the parking garage if needed. (We were a little concerned because of some of the loitering around the area.) There was no one. We walked it. We would have been really upset if we were a woman traveling alone.

We come to the Riverwalk 4 or 5 times a year as it’s our weekend getaway place from Houston. So we’ve stayed in various hotels over the years hoping one day to finally find the place we’d return to every time — like family.
Most recently we’ve been staying at the Valencia Hotel. It’s a bit nicer than some actually on the Riverwalk yet still just a quick walk to the water.
But when they didn’t offer a decent cancellation policy for our Christmas season stay this year — I booked this trip in February — I started looking at other options. The Riverwalk Vista offered a 10 day cancellation so I booked a queen suite.
We will never stay at another hotel on the Riverwalk again!
1. It’s directly across the street from our favorite places to eat on the Riverwalk… Boudros’ and Zuni Grill. And right around the corner from the Alamo.
2. It’s got a wonderful staff who greeted us with smiles and pleasantries every time we left our room and returned. The hotel also has a very nice front door security system that was easy to use and made us feel safe every night when we returned to the room.
3. The breakfast buffet was a BIG plus because we didn’t have to search for breakfast or wait until lunch for a meal. And it had a nice selection of hot and cold foods, breads and fruits.
4. The rooms were amazing! We booked a queen suite but when I inquired about a complimentary upgrade to the corner king suite (since it wasn’t booked during our stay) we were immediately put into that room (#303). It had windows facing two sides of the Riverwalk and as much room as my first apartment in college! Granted with the extra windows overlooking the street it was a bit noisier than a room along the back but well worth it during Christmastime as the Riverwalk lights danced outside every night. The draperies pulled shut made it dark and private.
The shower had terrific water pressure, the coffee maker easy to use, the TV took us a while to locate channels because there was no cable listing in the room but we didn’t stay that long inside watching TV anyway, the wireless internet was a bit slow but the desk provided an Ethernet cable that really sped up my picture loading process and the bed and pillows comfy (we have a Temperpedic so I can’t really say it was great).
5. My only complaints?
The unloading and loading area out front. What a pain in the ass. It’s a small area where you pull in about half a block down from the hotel. So if you have many items as we did to unload and bring in you really have to be creative. You can’t get the luggage cart to you because of the outside stairs and you can’t leave your doors or trunk open while you walk it to the hotel and set it inside. The parking is off site around the corner but not really an issue. I advise cash to get your car out.
And there’s a McDonald’s on the 1^st floor below the hotel. While we never felt threatened or unsafe it does seem to be a place many of San Antonio’s homeless like to gather to ask for handouts. We were approached several times for money only steps from the front door. I know this is not the fault of the hotel… but I thought I might include it in my review for your information.
We’re coming back here and bringing friends!

A meticulous and creative restoration rendered this 1883 mercantile building into a lovely boutique hotel. As others have mentioned, the rooms are spacious and tastefully appointed with furniture and fixtures that look retro but by no means tired. A pair of worn leather chairs offered a nice spot for coffee and paper reading, and the king-​sized bed in our corner suite (Room 303) was firm but luxurious. (Too-​soft mattresses leave me nearly crippled; thankfully, that’s not a problem here.) Four tall and wide windows provided plenty of light. Rich wooden floors, brick walls and slate-​tiled bathrooms add warmth and a kind of patina to the place. Spa-​quality toiletries will help you smell and feel nice. An in-​room coffee maker is convenient, though the coffee itself wasn’t stellar. (The coffee, when it’s hot, is better out in the lounge.)
The breakfast and coffee lounge provides a relaxing, warmly lit area in which to spread out and read the local paper over a cup of coffee, tea or lemonade anytime, day or night. It’s a loft-​like space with subtle, indirect lighting and music from the ‘30s and ‘40s piped in at a volume just loud enough for guests to smile at the mood it creates. Covering one wall is a fun triptych made entirely of vintage matchbook covers.
The «continental plus» breakfast was a plus indeed, with several kinds of dry cereal (including two types of granola), a wide selection of fresh fruits, yogurt and juices, and of course bagels and muffins with pumpkin and apple butter. The star of the morning, though, was Riverwalk Vista’s own Deutsch Caramel Apple cake, a dense, delicious and addictive breakfast treat.
Coffee is always available in the breakfast area, and is kept (reasonably) warm in air pot thermoses. A nice touch is the plate of tasty cookies available each afternoon and early evening, though inn workers seemed to know nothing of ‘the world’s thinnest cookies,” which the inn’s Web site claims are served every night. Perhaps they were so thin as to be invisible. No matter: we were in little danger of going underfed.
One of Riverwalk Vista’s strengths is its location. It is literally steps away from any and all of the following: the Riverwalk (across the street), Hemisfair Park (also across the street), La Villita, and the Convention Center. And a few minutes’ stroll away is Southtown, a string of boutiques and restaurants that offer a respite from the assault of sluggish humanity that is the Riverwalk during its busy times. It’s not easy to find a hotel with fast and easy access to so many areas of interest, but Riverwalk Vista has that.
Our stay was great overall, but it wasn’t perfect. The nighttime noise from the street is incredibly loud, reaching its glorious peak between 10 pm and 2:30 am. We had the TV, the white noise channel from the radio/​iPod dock, and the AC going all night, yet it proved no match for the din from the street. For those untroubled by noise as they sleep, it shouldn’t pose a problem. But it’s loud down there, people. To its credit, the inn has installed Plexiglass panels over the large windows to help deaden the sound, but they’d be wise to investigate other, more effective measures.
Riverwalk Vista is a class act. It has just about everything you need from a hotel, and quite a bit more. And by that I’m referring to the ambiance, the breakfast — and, yes, the noise.